Suskind Audiotape Backs Up Anita Dunn in Her Claim To Be Quoted Out of Context
In normal, conversational English, "If not for X, then Y" means: "Not Y, and X made the difference".
Anita Dunn to Valerie Jarrett:
If it weren't for the president, this place would be in court for a hostile workplace, because it actually fit all of the classic legal requirements for a genuinely hostile workplace to women...
Ron Suskind:
"This place would be in court for a hostile workplace," Dunn is quoted as saying in Suskind's book. "Because it actually fit all of the classic legal requirements for a genuinely hostile workplace to women."
Naughty, naughty, Ron. That's not how you quote.
Why oh why can't we have a better press corps?
