Great article by Annabel Crabb, Aurelius1.The use of euphemisms...

Great article by Annabel Crabb, Aurelius1.

The use of euphemisms (or weasel words) is interesting,
transition is great it can mean whatever you want it to
mean, as Annabel writes in her article partially quoted:

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"And the latest one is "transition".

"Transition" is what "Retreat" used to be until it was moved forward.

The United States and its allies in Afghanistan no longer discuss an exit strategy.

They discuss the "transition" to Afghan independence instead, because it sounds more constructive. It also buys them a few extra years, because "transition" is a process, while "exit" used to be a deadline.

And a certain person who was this week depicted in Seoul as a milkmaid seems to have grabbed the new word with both hands.

In her Sunday morning interview, there were several feats of conjugation.

"The talk in Afghanistan is all about transition, the way in which transition will occur, the conditions that will lead to transition," Ms Gillard began.

The Prime Minister quickly dispelled any irrational fears in the minds of Sunday-morning viewers that transition might be hasty, or ill thought-out.

"I dealt with this matter in the parliamentary debate and I've made it very clear that transition needs to be conditions-based," she told Oakes, whose famously impassive features did not betray even a hint of the relief that must have been coursing through his frame at the news.

But there is much more to transition than might have met the eye of a casual observer.

For instance, it can be a verb, as the PM effortlessly demonstrated.

"We should transition at a point that we are satisfied that Afghan security services can take the lead and that lead can be sustained," she said.

"I've been very clear. I think it would be a bad error to transition out only to have to transition back in."
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Does this mean our troops will be staying on permanently,
with all that this implies ?