"Facile"

[HFishbine]

"One of the more important things we're doing in this administration is transformation. There are some really interesting technologies.

For instance, we're flying unmanned vehicles that can send real-time messages back to stations in the United States. That saves manpower, and it saves equipment.

It also means that we can target things easier and move more quickly, which means we need to be lighter and quicker and more facile and highly trained."

- George W. Bush, Second Presidential Debate, Oct. 8, 2004

fac·ile
adj.

Arrived at without due care, effort, or examination; superficial:
Readily manifested, together with an aura of insincerity and lack of depth.

[Roland99]

1. Facile - accurate depiction of the entire Bush administration & its record

[donco6]

2. What word was he going for, there?

Or did he think facile meant something else?

[PurityOfEssence]

7. Oh, I don't know; "nimble", "flexible" or something similar

This guy should be subtitled in English; it's shocking sometimes.

It is rather shocking that he doesn't understand one of the best words to describe himself. I wonder if he can define "vapid" or "pusillanimous"?

[HEyHEY]

3. En Francais - Easy

[K8-EEE]

17. What??? He's Speaking FRENCH?

He's a cheese eating surrender monkey?? LOL.

[NMDemDist2]

4. LOL thanks for reposting this--- it's worth another look

Bush is a moran

[HFishbine]

8. Didn't know it was previously posted

I tend to agree that he got the word wrong (maybe not though, who knows). I think he probably put fast and agile together, with an unfortunate consequence.

[aden_nak]

5. I thought he meant "fast" but just said it wrong.

[unblock]

6. agile?

but then, who cares what he thinks?

[factcheck]

10. Why not just

include the ENTIRE definition:

fac·ile ( P ) Pronunciation Key (fsl)
adj.

1. Done or achieved with little effort or difficulty; easy. See Synonyms at easy.
2. Working, acting, or speaking with effortless ease and fluency.
3. Arrived at without due care, effort, or examination; superficial: proposed a facile solution to a complex problem.
4. Readily manifested, together with an aura of insincerity and lack of depth: a facile slogan devised by politicians.
5. Archaic. Pleasingly mild, as in disposition or manner.

[gcomeau]

12. I thought he included the appropriate one.

If we're being honest about what Bush's actual approach is anyway, rather than what he wants to portray it as.

-Grant

[factcheck]

13. Sorry

we are being honest with a slant rather than just honest. Thanks for clearing that up. :)

[gcomeau]

16. "with a slant"?

You do understand that that word has no place in Bush's original statement AT ALL right? That he didn't mean ANY of those definitions? That he probably doesn't even know what the word means?

-Grant

[factcheck]

19. Well, I don't know

he could have meant:

Ready; quick; expert; as, he is facile in expedients; he wields a facile pen.

or he could have meant:

Easily persuaded to good or bad; yielding; ductile to a fault; pliant; flexible.

Since Adam, and his facile consort Eve, Lost Paradise, deceived by me. --Milton.

I am sure HE meant the former, but we like to apply the latter.

All in all, this is such a non-issue to waste time on. Sort of like the bulge in the back thing. The opposition just loves to see you all wasting time on things like this. Time spent writing letters to journalists about the word 'facile' could be much better spent IMO.

[HFishbine]

14. And you think that clears things up?

Thanks for stopping by, bye.

[factcheck]

20. Right

... what was I thinking? We can so easily cloud our eyes with what we want to believe rather than the truth and then sit around with confused and dejected expressions on November 3rd wondering what the hell just happened.

[gcomeau]

9. Priceless... the guy *accidentally* accurately describes his policies.

Now we just need to write some letters asking the journalists if they know what "facile" means... and if so, whether they were actually listening during the debate last night.

-Grant

[madmom]

11. Freudian slip?

[Rose Siding]

15. Bush: "...And the world would be a lot better off" (with Saddam in power)

The truth of that matter is, if you listen carefully, Saddam would still be in power if he were the president of the United States, And the world would be a lot better off.

way down on this page
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/08/politics/main648311.shtml

[K8-EEE]

18. Weren't Our Troops "Vociferous" The Last Debate?

This guy is on around a 4th grade vocab level.

[arwalden]

22. Hooked On Phonics And The "Word-A-Day" Calendar

has helped him a little bit too.

Perhaps Condi is reading to him the "It Pays To Enrich Your Word Power" column in Reader's Digest.

-- Allen

[JPJones]

21. Poor choice of words, usually has a negative connotation

but it sounds just like military speak to me. Definition 3 is the sense it would be used in. It sounded funny to me too, but this is a losing battle, IMHO.

Main Entry: fac·ile
Pronunciation: 'fa-s&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle French, from Latin facilis, from facere to do -- more at DO
1 a (1) : easily accomplished or attained <a facile victory> (2) : SPECIOUS, SUPERFICIAL <I am not concerned ... with offering any facile solution for so complex a problem -- T. S. Eliot> b : used or comprehended with ease c : readily manifested and often lacking sincerity or depth <facile tears>
2 archaic : mild or pleasing in manner or disposition
3 a : READY, FLUENT <facile prose> b : POISED, ASSURED
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=facile&x=0&y=0