Poster Boy (was "begging the question")

[Herb Stahlke]

This evening on The O'Reilly Factor, during a discussion of Greenspan's role in slowing the economy, Brenda Buttner responded to O'Reilly's blaming Greenspan by saying, "Everybody's looking for a poster boy."  In the context, she must have meant something closer to "scapegoat."  This near reversal of meaning is very much like that of "begging the question".  Anybody else heard this usage?

Herb

<<< Mark_Mandel at DRAGONSYS.COM  7/ 6  1:14p >>>
Responding to George Thompson, Peter A. McGraw writes:

>>>>>
Using "beg the question" synonymously with "raise the question" seems
pretty widespread in broadcast journalism.  It certainly isn't confined to
sportscasters: I hear it all the time on ABC News and I think also NPR.  I
think this usage was discussed awhile back on this list.
<<<<<

Not just in journalism. I noticed it this week in Steven K.Z. Brust's
newest fantasy novel, _Issola_ (Tor Books, July 2001. ISBN: 0-312-85927-9).

ObDis: I have no commercial connection with Steven Brust or Tor Books.
I am just a serious fan of his writing:
 http://world.std.com/~mam/Cracks-and-Shards/

   Mark A. Mandel : Dragon Systems, a Lernout & Hauspie company
          Mark_Mandel at dragonsys.com : Senior Linguist
 320 Nevada St., Newton, MA 02460, USA : http://www.dragonsys.com
                     (speaking for myself)