shock and awe – noun

The reaction of civilized peoples to military aggression backed by overwhelming force.

collateral damage – noun

1. Unintended, therefore morally negligible, slaughter or maiming of civilians in a military operation.

2. Military destruction which occurs parallel to, but outside of, the frame of the camera or newspaper column.

News: Terrorist attack at Gitmo

Digby has the details.

neoliberalism – noun

A political doctrine or attitude that favors the promotion of freedom throught the coercive power of markets and the military.

News: "enhanced interrogation techniques"

Andrew Sullivan discusses the origin of the phrase.

Hint: Think Germany, 1937.

stop-loss – adjective

Designed to prevent the excessive loss of investment assets.

USAGE: President Bush's stop-loss order forced the soldiers to remain in the military.

levee – noun

An ineffective governmental program for preventing floods.

News: Safire trivializes Global War on Terror

In his recent "On Language" column for The New York Times Magazine, Safire writes about how his attempts to understand "benchmark" and "timetable" met with resistance:

To try this in today’s poisonous atmosphere is to strike a match in a room filled with gasbags. One source I approached for definitions and distinctions castigated me for trivializing the war.

Indeed. Why split hairs over artificial timetables for defeat and subjective benchmarks, when we're about to make our move on Iran? Doesn't Safire know that the GWOT is a generational conflict to rid the Earth of evil once and for all?

stress position – noun

A yogic posture (asana) taught to imprisoned terror suspects as a substitute for outdoor exercise.

COMMENT: Stress positions are popular with movie stars for their promotion of a healthy body and mind.

privatize – verb

1. To triple the cost of a basic governmental service and share the difference with cronies.

2. To steal governmental property and give it to a friend.

whistleblower – noun

Member of the political opposition who infiltrates a governmental agency to publicize a faux scandal.

compassionate – adjective

1. Appearing to share the suffering of another, so that one may win the attention given to the sufferer.

2. Tending to take photographs with impoverished black children.

NOTE: The word is paired with conservatism and rarely seen independently of the pairing, since compassion itself is a defunct concept.

privacy – noun

The mythical state of being free from surveillance.

neoconservative – adjective, noun

1. Of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or disposed to neoconservatism.

2. Jewish Republican.

3. Tending to see the Sept. 11th attacks neither as a tragedy nor as a crisis, but as an opportunity.

neoconservatism – noun

A political doctrine or attitude that favors the promotion of freedom through the coercive use of military power and the curtailment of civil liberties.

sound – adjective

Biblical.

USAGE: The President said government policy should be based on sound science.

benchmark – noun

A standard for measuring the success of a project that invariably confirms both the optimistic hopes of its supporters and the dire warnings of its detractors.

News: Bush receives bad auspice

ABC reports that a sparrow shat on Bush at a news conference, right after he said "I've got confidence in Al Gonzales doin' the job." Crooks and Liars has the video.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Dana Perino immediately noted that "everyone knows that's a sign of good luck."

I'm sorry, I'm not an augur, but I can't imagine how a bird shitting on you is lucky.

Yes, that pretty much sums up the Bush administration: a bird shits on the President, and the press secretary says it's a sign of good fortune.

leak – noun

A governmental press release that is published anonymously to increase the likelihood of its general acceptance.

COMMENT: Officials use leaks to skirt speaking to the public directly or using press spokesmen, since neither mode of communication enjoys crediblity.

waterboard – verb

To save a captured suspect from drowning as a way of building rapport.