The most interesting fact about yesterday’s Condolezza Rice testimony before the 9/11 commission? Of the 25000 or so words exchanged, Ms. Rice — whom the commission insisted needed to testify publically lest Truth be throttled — spoke only 15000 of those words, or sixty percent. The other forty percent of the time, television audiences were treated to Bob Kerrey throwing a salty, context-challenged testosterfit, or to Richard Ben Veniste attempting to play headline gotcha like some bitter, nerdy hall monitor avenging a G. Gordon Liddy wedgie.
Grandstanding? The hell you say.
I’d like to see each participant’s words fed through an analyzer that tells you at what grade level the person is speaking.
”…like some bitter, nerdy hall monitor avenging a G. Gordon Liddy wedgie.”
“Like?”
Cordially…
Ben-Veniste’s whole “just answer my question with a yes/no… have you stopped beating your grandma?” tact had me gritting my teeth. The tone of voice, the line of “questioning,” the playing to the audience (audience??WTF?) was so reminiscent of the two-bit, $5000 tailored suit, criminal defense attorneys I have the :::ahem::: pleasure to watch “work.” What a shock, shock I tell you when I reacqainted myself with his background; a attorney, former prosecuter also private defense practice of civil and criminal, Watergate prosecuter …. In light of BV’s snarling maddogging of Dr. Rice, I find this comment out of Ben-Veniste in 1998 before the House Judiciary Committee considering Billy Jeff’s impeachment most ironic:
Fielding’s opening statement before asking a question: 460 words.
Lehman’s opening statement before asking a question: 400 words.
Thompson’s opening statement before asking a question: 400 words.
Treats, all. Beyond that, I don’t know what it proves.
Well,can’t remember the show I was watching, but one of the analysts—a judge—said in situations wherein testimony is called for you’d expect the split to be closer to 90-10 between respondent and questioner. Also, because Rice was the one under oath (and so potentially subject to perjury), she had an absolute responsibility to get her complete answers on the record. Again, in such a situation, you’d expect a greater divide in the distribution of verbiage between respondent and questioner.
While statistics like this are good to hear, what I want to know is, WHO IN HELL SAT THERE COUNTING WORDS FOR 3 HOURS?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to count words!
Perhaps they hired The Count from Sesame Street
Uh John, text processing that can count words has been around longer than UNIX. That kinda speeds things up.