Bush and Co. are using the phrase ""the American people" quite a lot these days. Generally, it seems like the Bushies want to tell you what you know, think, understand or feel, which is really swell of them -- who wants to think for themselves anymore? Of course, I could be wrong. As Dana Millbank notes,
 The American people do not know for sure why the president keeps saying this. But the president and his aides have used some variation of the phrase hundreds of times, to defend the administration's policies on everything from the Middle East to income taxes.
This is no verbal tic. By invoking the American people (not the informal "Americans") when confronted with a thorny issue or a hostile question, Bush and his aides give the impression that the matter is some inside-the-Beltway intrigue that is out of step with public opinion.
"It's an effective shorthand," said Jeff Shesol, a former Clinton speechwriter who taught a course in presidential rhetoric at Princeton University this year. "It's suggesting that in fact you may have an argument but we've got the people." Shesol admits Clinton speechwriters used the phrase, too. "We're not proud of it, but the American people know our heart was in the right place," he said. 
I bet I could make a bunch of money if I trademark the phrase, then charged Bush and Co. (and all future public servants who want to express such presumptuous contempt for their constituents) a buck for every time they try to tell the American People (TM) what they think. If you want in on the deal, just let me know -- maybe we can make a deal.
9:51:59 PM 
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