The problem is that these things become like the children's game of "telephone"---you pass the word around and by the time it arrives at the end it is quite different than at the start.

The old cliche applies---you had to be there.   One does not really know from second hand reports how much annoyances were propounded by the press---or not propounded---to make the retort made.

I just came back from a confrontational budget meeting about a local organization which I chair. Knowing that we were going nowhere by re-telling the same things I called for a vote--my comment---"let us cut to the chase"---OK perhaps more benign than Ms Heinz-Kerry's remark. But perhaps she had more cause--I do not know. Frankly, I wanted to ask the other to cut the crap already and let us decide---but diplomacy required "cut to the chase".

Bill Hahn