her and Bush

[Your Name]

"When I speak, you will know my heart"
     George W. Bush

As difficult as it is for me to believe, I just read the acceptance speech GW
Bush delivered at the Republican National Convention.
More surprising to me than Bush's laying claim to a Democratic agenda of social
justice and environmentalism is GWB's use of "her" as a generic pronoun.  See
the passage below. GW has two daughters, so the pronoun works on a personal
level for him, and I suppose that absolves him from making a political point
with his pronoun.  Usage fans might note also his comparative use of "equally."
Does "more" here mean "not quite"? How much can be read between the lines of
this speech! Code words galore!

And what limits did you test, George?



My generation tested limits--and our country, in some ways, is better for it.
Women are now treated more equally. Racial progress has been steady, if still
too slow. We are learning to protect the natural world around us. We will
continue this progress, and we will not turn back.
At times, we lost our way. But we are coming home.
So many of us held our first child, and saw a better self reflected in HER eyes.
And in that family love, many have found the sign and symbol of an even greater
love, and have been touched by faith.


Joe Pickett