Under the heading 'faint praise for Obama and some advice', Jeb Bush to Charlie Rose:

quote:

Any time an elected official in the world we're in today that appears so dysfunctional challenges a core constituency not of their opponent but of their own political base, I think we should pause and give them credit," Bush said.

On first reading I thought he was calling Obama 'so dysfunctional'. This is spoken English, so awkward constructions can be overcome with tone and phrasing. Is there something 'wrong' with the sentence or is it just me?

A comma after "dysfunctional" in L1, makes the whole paragraph much easier to understand.

ah, that does it. He probably said it that way, but the transcription missed it.

Isn't it interesting that one tiny comma can make so much difference? Until I read it Richard's way, I had no idea what was meant.

From news reports I've read about this interview, Bush was praising Obama for his handling of education policy. Yesterday on MSNBC, the commentators were remarking that Jeb Bush may say anything he likes, as he has decided not to run for office, or to accept the VP nomination if offered. One of them remarked that Bush, in backing off and speaking his mind, was doing so, because he "does not want to have to pay the crazy tax" that seems to be the requirement of this year's far right. Not that I'm looking forward to another six months of this palaver, but ol' Jeb sounds like an extremely reasonable soul. He wouldn't stand a chance right now.

WM