New-Clear? Palin Speechwriter Still ‘Hooked on Phonics’

Timothy B. Hurst — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:21:07 +0000

If you think about it, “manure” is really not that bad a word. I mean, it’s “newer,” which is good, and a “ma” in front of it, which is also good- “ma-newer.” - George Costanza (1990)

In what is either another sign that the McCain camp is angling for more distance from George W. Bush or that strategists are trying to reframe the nuclear issue in a more positive light, speechwriters for Alaska Governor Sarah Palin inserted the phonetically modified neologism, “new-clear,” in place of the word “nuclear,” at the vice-presidential nominee’s acceptance speech on Wednesday night. I should also mention that Ms. Palin’s speech was written by one of President George W. Bush’s speechwriters, Matthew Scully. Perhaps Mr. Scully was so accustomed to writing for the President - whose pronunciation of the word “nuke-u-lar” has become stuff of legend - that he forgot to ’smarten it back up’ for a person who can pronounce such tricky words.

>>More on the Republican National Convention at RG&B

Green Options » acceptance speech

New-Clear? Palin Speechwriter Still ‘Hooked on Phonics’

If you think about it, “manure” is really not that bad a word. I mean, it’s “newer,” which is good, and a “ma” in front of it, which is also good- “ma-newer.” - George Costanza (1990)