Media Criticism, Political Commentary

The “John Yoo Trap”

9 Comments

…that might await Elena Kagan.

This is a little off topic, but the author is guilty of one of my pet peeves:

[Ed Note: or will she be called “General Kagan”?]

I sure hope not. Because a solicitor general is not a general. An attorney general is not a general. I cringe whenever I hear a reporter or pundit talking about “General Reno,” or “General Holder” (of all the people to not call a general, Eric Holder should be at the head of the line — he wouldn’t even rate as a PFC).

The “general” part of the title is not a noun. It is an adjective, modifying “solicitor,” or “attorney.”

I understand the urge to come up with a shorter means of address than “Solicitor General Kagan,” but it’s important to remember that she is a solicitor, and not a member of the armed forces.

[Update late morning]

Separated at birth? Now that’s just mean. Funny, but mean.

9 thoughts on “The “John Yoo Trap””

  1. I believe there is a lot of precedent for this. The first time I heard it was in a taped phone call between LBJ and RFK. I looked it up and apparently it was common usage.

    Sometimes convention overrides even grammar, compare “it’s me” vs “it is I”.

    As an aside, wasn’t general in the military rank originally also an adjective? It is still used in that way in “general officer”. And of course there is such a thing as substantive usage of adjectives. “Land of the free, home of the brave”.

  4. Although “General Kagan” seems to fit her. With Reno “Obergruppenrecihmarshal” or something like that seemed to fit Jackboots Janet better.

  5. Yes, and the plural of Attorney-General is “Attorneys-General”; e.g., “the Attorneys-General of the various States”.

  6. And yet the Surgeon General IS a General, head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a uniformed service. Maybe the press thinks there’s a uniformed law service….

  7. “As an aside, wasn’t general in the military rank originally also an adjective?”

    I believe so. Long ago you had Captains and a Captain-General.

  9. Bilwick1

    “One was called out to dominate and
    terrorize the populace by a vindictive god,

    the other is a mythological sea monster.”

    I thought this one was good too.

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