Third Rail Watch
August 30th, 2011




Scott Johnson runs an item with the headline “Affirmative Action Baby.” But the real damage is in a letter the Harvard Law Record published from young Barack Obama. Forget the substance. Here’s the first line:

Since the merits of the Law Review’s selection policy has been the subject of commentary for the last three issues, I’d like to take the time to clarify exactly how our selection process works.

The grammar problems continue from there.

Whenever I see people talk about Obama’s native intelligence I’m reminded of a gobsmacking comment Michelle Obama made about her husband during the 2007 primary season. She told a crowd in Nevada, “Barack is one of the smartest men we will see in our lifetime.”



  1. Galley Wife August 30, 2011 at 7:31 pm

    I started my day with this (I know, I know) and nearly spit out my coffee (thank you again, perfect as usual). Once I hit five errors, I had to stop. Ah well, at least there was a disclaimer: “This isn’t to say that our selection procedures are ideal.”

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  3. Galley Friend J.E. August 31, 2011 at 1:35 am

    Apparently that letter was written pre Bill Ayers.

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  5. Dept. of Lazy Speechwriting — Jonathan Last Online September 7, 2011 at 12:28 pm

    […] wouldn’t make such a big deal about it, but you’ll recall that Obama is the finest writer to occupy the presidency since […]

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