Humpty Dumpty Lives
Chuck Todd, host, “Meet the Press,” NBC: “You did not answer the question of why
the President asked the White House Press Secretary to come out in front of the
podium for the first time and utter a falsehood. Why did he do that? It
undermines the credibility of the entire White House Press Office on day one.”
Kellyann Conway, Senior Trump Adviser: “No, it doesn’t. Don’t be so overly dramatic
about it, Chuck. You’re saying it’s a falsehood, and Sean Spicer, our press
secretary, gave alternative facts to that, but the point . . .”
Todd: “Wait a
minute. Alternative facts? Alternative facts. . . . Four of the five facts he
uttered were just not true. Look. Alternative facts are not facts. They’re
falsehoods.”
—On “Meet the Press,” Sunday, Jan. 22. See transcript and video clips here: “Chuck Todd Obliterates Kellyanne Conway For Claiming White House Lies Are “Alternative Facts,’” PoliticsUSA, Jan. 22, 2017.
• Editorial Comment: Invoking Humpty Dumpty: “‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’”
PeezPix by Ted Pease
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“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard
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