Beware of Politicans Using Passive Voice

There is a lot not to like about Alberto Gonzalez. There is his creative, dare I say fictitious, interpretation of the Geneva Convention in his defense of America's right to torture prisoners. There is his asinine assertion that there is no expressed grant of habeas corpus in the Constitution. There is his criminal refusal to answers questions about his actions posed by Congress. There is his blatant purge of honest U.S. District Attorneys because they did not use their offices as Republican Party brute squads. But, this latest is, for me, the worst.

I acknowledge that mistakes were made here. ~ Alberto Gonzalez (3/13/07)
Mistakes were made. And I’m frankly not happy about them ~ George Bush (3/13/07)

The passive voice is the last refuse of the political scoundrel and the passive voice became the universal talking point yesterday. When the dishonest politican can no longer find even a twisted logic to justify his actions, he hides in the passive voice.
The honest man says, "I made a mistake, I was wrong." To the dishonest politican the mistake just occurred, like magic. Bush and Gonzalez are actually trying to paint themselves as victims of these magical mistakes and are appealing for sympathy.

English has no word to describe Bush and Gonzalez. Hubris is insufficient. Fortunately, Yiddish provides Chutzpah - traditionally defined as "A boy on trial for murdering his parents who begs for leniency because he is an orphan."

Petition to Impeach Alberto Gonzalez.