Rumsfeld won't have the guillotine "float down"?

[Joel S. Berson]

Did Donald Rumsfeld really say in his press conference yesterday
(Oct. 26), after commenting that he would not impose deadlines on
Iraq, something like "would you have the guillotine *float down* on
them"?  Either I missed a clever, subtle metaphor for imposing
deadlines slowly (unlikely from Rumsfeld?), or this image is
(another?) indication of his disconnect from reality.

I could not find a transcript on-line ... but Rumsfeld is associated
with the guillotine in "about 35,800" web pages.  Is it a symbol he
has used before?

Joel

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org