"stilted"

[James A. Landau]

On Tuesday 03/06/07 at 12:00 AM Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU> wrote:

<q>
A syndicated "opinion" column by Michael Goodwin of the _NY Daily News,as printed in the _Athens (GA) Banner-Herald_ this morning, contains this clause:  ". . . Bush's failed presidency has stilted all debate into a knee-jerk response." "Tilted"? "Stifled"?
</q>

Maybe he meant to say "stilted".  It fits the context about as well as your two suggestions.  "(of speech or writing) stiff and self-conscious or unnatural".  The way candidates and their supporters are being jumped on for what they say (McCain and Biden, Geffen and Coulter come to mind), debate is definitely starting to sound stiff self-conscious and perhaps unnatural.

   - Jim Landau

If Obama is NOT "African-American", then may I still insult his Democratic opponents by calling them "white trash"?




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