A question about Governor Palin.
Let's begin today with a definition from Merriam Webster:
- Main Entry:
- iro·ny
- Pronunciation:
- \ˈī-rə-nē also ˈī(-ə)r-nē\
- Function:
- noun
- Inflected Form(s):
- plural iro·nies
- Etymology:
- Latin ironia, from Greek eirōnia, from eirōn dissembler
- Date:
- 1502
1: a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed in order to make the other's false conceptions conspicuous by adroit questioning —called alsoSocratic irony2 a: the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b: a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony c: an ironic expression or utterance3 a (1): incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2): an event or result marked by such incongruity b: incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play —called also dramatic irony, tragic irony
I wonder if, in any of her voluminous reading of newspapers and magazines, Governor Palin ever came across the above term, either in context or in such a way that would make her grab a concordance dictionary to see what it means. I ask this because Governor Palin made the following statement in Erie, PA:
Palin said it was possible for the 47-year-old Obama, a first-term Illinois senator, to be "admirable in many ways" but he was not yet ready for the most important job in the world.
"Rousing speeches that can fill a stadium, perhaps cannot keep this country safe," said Palin, who has revved up the conservative Republican base but failed to win over many more moderate and independent voters.
"For a season, a man can inspire with his words. But for a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his heroic and trustworthy deeds. And in five days, it will all come down to a choice between these two men, Barack Obama and John McCain," Palin said.
(Palin: Obama incapable of handling security issues, Reuters)
That whole second sentence just reeks of Irony, especially as the article needs to close with the observation that McCain expresses "confidence in Palin's ability to handle any crisis, dismissing critics who say her two years as Alaska governor and earlier stint as a small town mayor were not enough to prepare her to become the country's second in command." The fact that he has to do that says a great deal about what has gone wrong with his campaign.