The ‘slog’ of war

Rumsfeld’s memo, and choice of words, raises hackles

ANALYSIS
By Michael Moran
MSNBC

Oct. 24 — Ever the clever raconteur, Donald Rumsfeld reached deep into Oxford University’s dictionary for an alternative definition of the word “slog” this week to justify his use of the word in an internal Pentagon memo describing what the United States is facing in Iraq. But as any squinting lexicographer will attest, no one takes a “slog” in the park or “slogs” through the tulips. The defense secretary’s choice of words, however casual or deliberate, has provoked a rash of hand-wringing and references to Vietnam just as the administration is completing a two-week “public relations” campaign aimed at emphasizing progress in Iraq.

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