"laying a predicate"

[Laurence Horn]

>  >From today's interview of John McCain by Chris Wallace.
>
>"We know that when you have unlimited amounts of money - in this
>case $200 million unreported - and there's already been stories of
>people who have made small contributions multiple times and all
>that. I'm saying it's laying a predicate for the future that can be
>very dangerous," McCain told host Chris Wallace in a live interview
>from Ohio on Sunday morning, blasting the Illinois senator for not
>voluntarily disclosing his small donors, as McCain has done.
>
>Any help on what John really meant to say?
>
>Sam Clements
>
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>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

"laying a precedent", I assume, although I'm not sure that's the
verbe juste.  Maybe he's hoping a sex scandal will break during the
next fortnight.

LH

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