"Mistakes Were Made"

Arab grammarians call the passive voice the majhoul, the hidden or unknown voice. It is a perceptive name. A speaker can use the passive voice to say words that sound honest while hiding the truth and implicating others.

Listen to how Republican Representative Tom Reynolds cleverly employs the majhoul as he "apologizes" on TV for hushing up the Mark Foley scandal: "This Spring, I was told about odd, but not explicit e-mails between Mark Foley and a Page... Even so, I reported what I had been told to the Speaker of the House... Looking back, more should have been done--and for that, I am sorry." Who told Reynolds about the e-mails? Reynolds is silent. Who should have done more? Reynolds implies it was Hastert.

Now listen to how Speaker Hastert weasels his way around the same issue: "I'm deeply sorry this has happened and the bottom line is we're taking responsibility." What has happened for which he is sorry? Who did that for which Hastert purports to express remorse? Hastert avoids those unpleasant questions with the majhoul.

Equally hollow is Hastert's de rigueur remark that, "we are taking responsibility." Apparently, Hastert's version of "taking responsibility" does not include accepting any blame or punishment: Hastert continues to insist he did nothing wrong and he won't even resign his post.

It's just like President Bush's phoney mea culpa for Katrina: "I take full responsibility for the federal government's response." Oh really, Mr. Bush? Then why is it that someone else ("Brownie") resigned--not you? Name a single thing you did to show remorse or do penance! What does it mean to "take full responsibility" when you do not hold yourself the least bit responsible?

The Republican culture of corruption is also a culture of unaccountability. The Republican Congress has offered no meaningful oversight of the most secretive, most power-hungry Executive in history. Let us all hope that the Democrats regain one or both Houses of Congress so we can finally hold this corrupt administration responsible for when, "mistakes were made."