Truth from the NYT

David M. Herszenhorn from the NYT hits the nail right on the head, not sure if it was intentional:

In his speech to Congress at 8 p.m. Wednesday, President Obama will press his case for major health care legislation, not just with lawmakers in the audience, but also with a deeply wary public watching at home.

And while Mr. Obama will probably talk in clear, plain-spoken terms, decoding his remarks and the reaction he gets will require both a careful ear and a keen eye.

This is quite the issue that grates when it comes to our political betters. The attempts by political hacks (at any level) to talk in clear, plain-spoken terms yet having to decode remarks is precisely the problem. If the terms are clear and plain-spoken, why any need to decode?

Perhaps because the political hacks are not talking in clear, plain-spoken terms?

Update: So the clear, plain-spoken terms will be the "more people will die" routine? Does anyone even fall for that one anymore? It seems like just the other day that Americans (normal ones, not the "free" healthcare drones) were celebrating:

Americans are living nearly two-and-a-half months longer, according to new life expectancy statistics released today. In 2007, life expectancy in the United States reached a high of nearly 78 years, up from 77.7 a year earlier.

Life expectancy in the United States has been on the rise for a decade, increasing 1.4 years — from 76.5 years in 1997 to 77.9 in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The life expectancy data, compiled by the agency’s National Center for Health Statistics, are based on nearly 90 percent of the death certificates filed in the United States.