Originally Posted by ratbastid

Nothing back-handed about it. What it EXPLICITLY SAYS is that Bush is NOT as bad as Hitler. I don't understand why this is hard to understand, but evidently it is.

The statement asserts that nobody SINCE Hitler has been worse for America than George Bush is. But that the comparison ENDS with Hitler, since Hitler was WORSE. That's actually what the WORDS MEAN.

Originally Posted by me, Page 1

Nonetheless, a "reasonable observer" is going to take it in the simplest sense - a direct comparison between Bush and Hilter.

Originally Posted by me, Page 1

Just like the policitian who was recently asked to resign for using "niggardly" when describing low-income families, people took it for what they thought it meant, not what it ACTUALLY means. If you're going to say "worst thing since Hitler" about anything or anyone, you'd better be prepared to have it heard as a direct comparsion.

Originally Posted by me, Page 2

You can, and will be held responsible for people's misunderstandings in a world populated by other people. I view it is just as much a failure of the speaker as the receiver is the meaning is unclear. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY as the speaker to anticipate how the recipient will misunderstand or misinterpret what you've said and speak clearly enough to avoid such things.