semantic drift: "office/ power"

[Jonathan Lighter]

In the old days, national leaders of constitutional democracies were uniformly said to "take office." From that point on, they were "in office."

  Dictators of the Hitler-Stalin-Mao type were said to "take power" and be "in power."

  Well, voters, the allegedly pro-Republican Fox News Channel describes George W. Bush as being "in power." Prime Minister Gordon Brown is said to have "taken power" this week.

  I've been noticing this usage for a number of months. Means nothing, of course....


  JL


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