Timeless morsels are, well, timeless. Hence, I bring to your attention this phase from an early-March article in the New York Times. The reporter, writing about the Iraqi elections, noted
[T]he elections may be a cautionary lesson, as politicians struggle to cobble together a coalition to rule. Iraq’s politics are more vibrant than the institutions meant to gird them, threatening the support of the people they have enfranchised and a nascent, if flawed democratic experiment that has yet to take root.
Try that same statement out with just a one-word change. I’ll highlight that word to make it easier for you to spot:
[T]he elections may be a cautionary lesson, as politicians struggle to cobble together a coalition to rule. America’s politics are more vibrant than the institutions meant to gird them, threatening the support of the people they have enfranchised and a nascent, if flawed democratic experiment that has yet to take root.
Is that statement not relevant at home? Maybe the secret is to always pretend you are a foreign correspondent, wherever you are.
