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From an article on Jeb Bush:
In a 1989 Washington Post article on the politics of tennis, former President George Bush was quoted as threatening to ''unleash Chang'' as a means of intimidating other players.
(I looked up the article; it's actually Bush 41's description of his allegedly unhittable serve.)
The saying was apparently quite popular with Gov. Bush's father, and referred to a legendary warrior named Chang who was called upon to settle political disputes in Chinese dynasties of yore.
The phrase has evolved, under Gov. Jeb Bush's use, to mean the need to fix conflicts or disagreements over an issue. Faced with a stalemate, the governor apparently "unleashes Chang" as a rhetorical device, signaling it's time to stop arguing and start agreeing.
Brad de Long has figured this oddity out: the elder Bush was actually saying "I unleash Chiang" [Kaishek], the right-wing cliche of his time. I share his perplexity that Jeb, who speaks of Chang as " a mystical warrior.... somebody who believes in conservative principles, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism, believes in moral values that underpin a free society" does not appear to have caught on to what his father was saying; certainly the reporter hasn't.The phrase has evolved, under Gov. Jeb Bush's use, to mean the need to fix conflicts or disagreements over an issue. Faced with a stalemate, the governor apparently "unleashes Chang" as a rhetorical device, signaling it's time to stop arguing and start agreeing.
Yo, gotta get dis ta wright good spam!!*!
My hat's off to Andrew Sullivan; eventually the ghosts of Strunk and White will forgive us (well, maybe only E. B. White).
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