Suitably Flip

Obama Coins a New Term To Replace "Kinsleyian Gaffe"

"Rhetorical flourish."

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden predicted "an international, a generated crisis to test the mettle" of his running mate to supporters in Seattle on Sunday evening.

"Joe sometimes engages in rhetorical flourishes," Obama said this morning during a press conference in Richmond, Virginia.

That he does.

Assuming this new term of art applies only to true Kinsley gaffes (wherein Senator Biden inadvertently opens his mental kimono), we can't retroactively reclassify all of his greatest hits.

While this one would certainly qualify...

• "Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me."

Most are mere stupidity gaffes...

• "When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television..."
• "Chuck, stand up.  Let 'em see ya."
• "A three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S."

Comments

Obama Coins a New Term To Replace "Kinsleyian Gaffe"

"Rhetorical flourish."

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden predicted "an international, a generated crisis to test the mettle" of his running mate to supporters in Seattle on Sunday evening.

"Joe sometimes engages in rhetorical flourishes," Obama said this morning during a press conference in Richmond, Virginia.

That he does.

Assuming this new term of art applies only to true Kinsley gaffes (wherein Senator Biden inadvertently opens his mental kimono), we can't retroactively reclassify all of his greatest hits.

While this one would certainly qualify...

• "Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me."

Most are mere stupidity gaffes...

• "When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television..."
• "Chuck, stand up.  Let 'em see ya."
• "A three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S."