In season 4 of 24 there’s an excellent exchange between a politician and one of his former aides. I’m going to leave out the character names so this won’t serve as a spoiler to anyone who still plans to see the series.
Aide: … I know you believe my actions during your term in office amounted to a personal and political betrayal.
Pol: It’s not something I believe. It’s a fact. Get to your point.
The aide was trying to weasel out of his responsibility toward his former boss. The boss wouldn’t let him get away with it.
Which brings me to one of my pet peeves about reporting from the Middle East. In Israelis Cool To an Offer From Hamas On a Truce Isabel Kershner writes the tired line:
Hamas, which was at the vanguard of a suicide bombing campaign in Israel in recent years, calls in its charter for Israel’s destruction. Israel, like the United States and the European Union, classifies Hamas as a terrorist organization and refuses to deal with it.
Hamas is a terrorist organization, not because anyone classifies it as such, but because of how it operates. So to paraphrase the character from “24” – it’s not a classification, it’s a fact.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
