Beyond the Pale: White House Hanukkah invite is actually Christmas card

[Dennis Baron]

There's a new post on the Web of Language:

Beyond the Pale: White House Hanukkah invite is actually Christmas card

In one well-known West Wing Thanksgiving episode, Pres. Jed Bartlett  
pardoned a Turkey and granted asylum to a group of Chinese victims of  
religious persecution. But this week in the real west wing, besides  
barbecued turkey, two wars, and a financial meltdown, George W. Bush,  
another president whose series has been canceled, seemed intent on  
playing to his base one last time by making his legacy the long- 
awaited conversion of the Jews.

At least that's what it seemed like to Jewish leaders who received  
invitations from the White Houseto this year's annual menorah  
lighting. On the inside of those Hanukkah invites, George and Laura  
Bush request "the pleasure of your company at a Hanukkah reception."  
But the outside of the card features a horse-drawn wagon carrying the  
White House Christmas tree up to a snow-clad White House, and to drive  
home the White Christmas message, a sign on the side of the wagon  
reads, "White House Christmas Tree 2008."

Find out more about George and Laura, the Hanukkah Bushes. Read the  
rest of this post on the Web of Language.

http://illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage


Dennis Baron
Professor of English and Linguistics
Department of English
University of Illinois
608 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801

office: 217-244-0568
fax: 217-333-4321

http://illinois.edu/goto/debaron

read the Web of Language:
http://illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage







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