"Mistakes were made." Note the passive voice.

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

Gonzalez keeps repeating those words. Now even bush** is using those words as he faces a new reality. I bet Luntz the Language Man put that in his memo.

But note the passive voice. There is no subject. It escapes responsibility. No accountability.

"Mistakes were made."
Think about that every time you hear those words.




Edit to make more grammatically accurate.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

1. Was it CNN that went into that last night? It seems that Miles O'Brien of CNN

was the only one who could get Gonzo to admit that he, himself made a mistake.

[Orrex]

2. That's lesson one from the Playbook of Corporate Non-Accountability

You're quite correct to point it out--it's a trick of equivocation and moral dishonesty, and anyone who attempts to use it should be called on it.

Lesson Two, by the way, is the Apology Without Admitting Fault, as in "I'm sorry if anyone was offended." The careful reader/listener will identify that this formulation places the blame on the person to whom the apology should actually be made, rather than on the person who committed the fault.

[Lex]

3. Directly from the lips of Richard Nixon during Watergate

if I recall correctly.

[HereSince1628]

4. Or one can assume that the agent in every statement is he who puts his voice to it

As we certainly do here with respect to those in the WH who would prefer to remain nameless.

The basic rule of accountability is that those who are responsible must be held to be responsible, especially when you cut out the possibility for responsible people (read here members of the senate) participating because of political advantages snuck into the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act.

[Igel]

5. Not 'tense'.

'Voice' is ok. Even 'diathesis'.

Please keep tense, mood, aspect, and voice separate.

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

8. You are, of course, correct.

and I edited my text.

For someone degreed in engineering, my grammar and spelling is better than my peers, IMHO. But I'm not perfect. :P

[Igel]

10. Sorry for being snarky.

I'm a linguist. I've gotten over my grammar-Nazi phase, but I'm still a linguistics Nazi of sorts.

(I started out as an engineering student ... never really liked statics/strength of materials, didn't get the math behind phasors for my required EE class until after the class ended, and decided perhaps I liked science and languages better than reaction vessel design and fussing over non-laminar fluid flow.)

[gasperc]

6. like slipping in the no senate confirmation required rule

ooops that was a major fuck up

[MissMillie]

7. it's all doublespeak anyway

one the one hand he says the prez can fire any prosecutor at any time for any reason... if that's the case, what were the "mistakes"?

[npincus]

9. it's those invisible hands again...