neo-neocon » How to talk to the enemy: first, understand it’s an enemy

re: From April 3: "I’ve been perplexed by the weak reaction of so many officials in Britain to the ongoing hostage crisis. / Whoops! I used the “h” word. Apparently that’s a no-no; this Time article reports that President Bush was criticized roundly by John Williams, former Director of News for the British Foreign Service, for using the word “hostage” to refer to the—uh, hostages—during a press conference. / Williams prefers that the captured sailors be called “victims of a misunderstanding that could be resolved.” How nice. This was the way a far more minor incident occurring under his watch in 2004 was treated, and the hostages were released within days. / Williams shows a fundamental lack of comprehension of some basic differences between the two incidents. For starters..."...