European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 12, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Words and wit pulling meanings from campaigns Oral struggle William Safire a b on language ill Clinton is Good at sophistry Quot sneered Jerry Brown who surfaces every 16 years to win a few late primaries on the solipsism platform. Quot it Means a to make the weak word stronger a a he added to reporters unfamiliar with coverage of a Vocab Larian. A look it  i did. Sophistry Means a false argument fallacious  it can be extended to a scholarly sounding deception the abuse of learning to  perhaps some dictionary somewhere can be found to Back up Browne a meaning but that sense is not in the history of the word in the Oxford English dictionary. The sophists a a the word rooted in the greek for Quot Wisdom a were ancient greeks who imparted instruction for pay. They were often contrasted with the philosophers a rooted in Quot love of Wisdom a who handed out their learning free of charge. A modern example of sophistry is a logical sounding explanation of Why a Flat tax is less regressive than a progressive tax candidate Clinton slammed Back with several colourful locutions. He accused Brown who had accused the Clinton of collusion in the awarding of Arkansas Legal business of a jumping on my  there was no sexual innuendo to this charge. The Northern dialect equivalent to jumping on would be picking on meaning a harassing concentrating on  gov. Clinton went on to disparage former gov. Browne a populist message by referring to his opponent As a scion of wealth Quot standing there in your $1,500 suite a decade ago we had a spate of usages about a $400 suit according to a Clinton supporter the governors wife Hillary Clinton took her husband aside just before a debate and told him a if Jerry Brown goes off on some wild Tangent against you just remind him he a from California and what they say out there is chill out. Just Tell him to chill  sure enough As Brown started to Iveigh against the Clinton civil rights record Clinton interrupted cheerfully with a Jerry chill out you re from California a chill out. Cool off a  that became the sound bite used on All the evening news shows the next Day. Note How Clinton slipped in the definition a to Cool off a so that non californians would understand. Troublesome to Clinton is a sobriquet that has followed him for years Slick Willie made famous by the Bank robber William Sutton presumably so called because he slicked Down his hair though it May have been because he was a smooth talker. When asked Why he robbed Banks Sutton replied Quot because that a where the Money is a an answer of such stunning clarity it is still cited in finance courses Slick As Well As its variant sleek is rooted in the greek leis a smooth a and has two connotations a Well groomed and  a politician worries about the latter. A some of my critics say that i m Slick a said Clinton taking the charge head on and turning it against his primary opponents Flat tax proposal. A til Tell you what if anybody can pull this proposal Over the eyes of the voters of new York  be the Slickest politicians to Ever come along. We can grease the wheels of the Long Island rail Road from now to kingdom come with the slickness it would take to shove this Down the throats of the american  the new York times Linton s pot answer must be a smoke screen Tony Kornheiser at last All of us baby Boomers have been Given an All purpose response for those embarrassing moments when we re confronted with certain teens Weensy indiscretions of our past. Bill a i Only played 9�?� Clinton gave it to us when he was asked if he Ever smoked pot. Yes but. 1. Only a couple of times. 2. Only in England. 3. He did t like it. 4. He did t inhale. Nowadays everybody running for office says they smoked pot once or twice and did no to like it. Anything More than once or twice and a subcommittee is checking your attic for Cream albums a Only in England is amusing like it does no to count because they drive on the wrong Side of the Road. No. 4, however is a show stopper. He did no to inhale. This is even More unbelievable than Dan a Waudie Murphy Quayle saying the reason he joined the National guard at the height of the Vietnam War was because he was such a Patriot a like the Viet Cong were about to storm the Beach at Indianapolis. Billy sweetheart its the late �?T60s, and you re in England the Center of the pop culture. The marijuana Haze is so thick you can to see big Ben which is just As Well because if you ask what time it is some stoned out kid is Likely to say Quot a Quarter past 14.�?� you re a Rhodes scholar so you re smart enough to know marijuana is taken internally not sprinkled on like Talcum powder. And you did no to inhale who were you doing a Doobie with Alistair Cooke ill bet you  like ice Cream either a if you stuck a spoonful in your ear. What was Clinton thinking when he took hold of that joint hmm id better not inhale this because i want to be president some Day see draft availability letter circa 1969and not inhaling will play better than taking a monster Toke and singing foxy lady in Spanish. So he had plausible deniability. Us maybe not plausible. But deniability. He Hadnot smoked pot. Head puffed pot. He hardly even puffed it. He More or less lipped it. This must have gone Over huge with the other Rhodes scholars. A Billy when we pass around the hash brownies you can just lick  it makes you wonder Why Clinton bothered coming Back for a second try. Did he think head get High from tonguing the Zig Zag paper if he wants to represent the �?T60s generation this Isnit the hippest profile. Will he say he thought along comes Mary was about an Ocean liner Clinton had never admitted smoking pot before. Whenever he was asked he said he never broke any . Law. Finally someone asked if head Ever broken any International Law Bingo Clinton explained that nobody asked him the Correct question before. What is this jeopardy Clinton for $200, a i wish to study in England so i can practice Safe drugs and still win the Michigan  q. What did Bill Clinton write on his Rhodes scholar application Clinton for $400. Quot running for prime  q. What would Bill Clinton be doing if head inhaled and liked it Clinton for $600. A far in this is really Grooby a q. What did Bill Clinton say that made his friends wonder if head inhaled As for Jerry Brown maybe someone should ask about those wild parties with Linda Ronstadt and the eagles. The Guy wears a Turtleneck. What she hiding a Doo Dah Man Tattoo the fixation on sniffing out As it were marijuana use by �?T60s generation political candidates is disturbing. How come nobody asks Bush if he smoked pot is it so unimaginable that the Bushman would get the Blind munchies and yell a a done to Bogart those Mal Lomars a How come nobody asks h. Ross Perot if he Ever took acid of Bush and Perot Are from a previous generation in Perot Scase the palaeolithic but Why Arentt they asked if they Ever drank Bathtub Hootch and danced the Fandango f 1 Ca for the first presidential candidate from the 80s generation. Rhey11 ask him did you Ever engage in insider trading a once or twice a hell say. A but i was High on cocaine at the time and never made any Money a Clinton for $800. A vote for me. I done to  q. A hat a Clinton a position on pollution creators Syndicate Page 20 a sunday april 12, 1992