In a Flying Circus sketch, Michael Palin, as Mr Orbiter, offered viewers a gesture so that while he paused between thoughts people weren’t "nipping out into the kitchen to make a pot of tea, butter scones, or get the crumbs and bits of food out of the round, brown straw mats that the teapot goes on". It was effective, simple, and clear; when he used the gesture, he was merely pausing and not finished with his speech.
Perhaps Senator John McCain could employ a similar technique whilst delivering his own messages. It would save his listeners, the American people and world leaders, a lot of confusion. For example, when John McCain stated in a New Hampshire gun manufacturing facility that he would follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of Hell with a gun, I believe what Senator McCain said could be interpreted to mean that he would "do whatever it takes" to capture his foe. As a listener, I didn’t actually think that he meant the literal gates of Hell unless Senator McCain is privy to a map the rest of us are not.
However, when Senator McCain answered a question posed by Dave Tiffany at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire about his goals for Iraq and how long it might take to accomplish those goals, and McCain said "maybe a hundred", I believed that he really meant our unlawful occupation in Iraq could go on for 100 actual Earth years. There was nothing in the context of his statement that would indicate to me, the listener, that I should think otherwise. If John McCain had used some sort of hand gesture as Mr Orbiter did, I would have understood that 100 years didn't actually mean 100 years. Unfortunately, this technique will not work over the radio nor will it offer those of us who are visually impaired any clarification. In that case, I turn to Graham Chapman for assistance . Portraying a local politician on a show called Face the Press, Mr Chapman answered a question in two ways: first in his normal voice, and secondly in a sort of high-pitched whine. When Senator McCain is delivering a statement that we should take at face value, he should speak in his normal voice. When Senator McCain doesn’t want his statement to be taken literally, he should use a different voice that can easily be distinguished over AM radio.
Without question, I have said things that I didn’t want to have taken literally. Each and every one of us will be required to clarify now and then. However, I am not a politician setting the tone for my potential presidency.
I applaud Senator McCain for using complete sentences, proper grammar, and real words, something which the current POTUS and I fail to do on occasion. But, for those times when the meaning is so subtle, John McCain needs to find a way to let his listeners know, or somebody might just might get it wrong.
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