Amusing correspondence

by RoryLitwin

The following is a brief email correspondence that I found amusing. I’m withholding the name and email address of the person who contacted me at Library Juice Press….

I recently borrowed a copy of one of the books you published, Barbarians at the gates of the public library. Preparing the book for Interlibrary Loan distribution, I noticed in the preface an error on page xiii, second paragraph, which reads, “Since the appointment of George W. Bush to the presidency of the United States…” Perhaps your editor did not catch this error and you will correct it to read “Since the election of George W. Bush…” in future printings.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

My response:

Hi, xxx

The author of the preface used the word “appointment” deliberately. It is her opinion that President Bush was not elected by U.S. voters but appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court. It was a subtle statement, and one that perhaps most would disagree with, but not an error.

Thanks for writing to us about it nevertheless.

Kathleen de la Peña McCook is the author of the preface to the book.

One comment on “Amusing correspondence”

  1. Damn Straight. See:
    The battle for Florida : an annotated compendium of materials from the 2000 presidential election. By Lance deHaven-Smith. University Press of Florida (2005).
    “The Battle for Florida combines an analysis of the disputed 2000 presidential election with a broad array of supporting materials, including legal documents and transcripts, government reports, state and federal legislation, and more. DeHaven-Smith addresses troubling questions about American democracy raised by the election in Florida and argues that the true outcome of the election could have been determined despite the controversy, if the laws of the state had been interpreted reasonably and administered in good faith. The derailing of the election system by partisan intrigue is only one of several failures he examines in this concise, readable guide to the events and documents of the 2000 controversy.

    Drawing on classical political philosophy and modern democratic theory, deHaven-Smith traces the election breakdown to partisanship in the system of election administration, flaws in the U.S. Constitution, and weaknesses in the nation’s civic culture. His account of the election and its aftermath provides a closely documented analysis of what happened in Florida and a discussion of critical importance to public officials, election activists, scholars of the presidency, and students of African-American and minority politics.:

    Lance deHaven-Smith is professor of public policy at the Reubin O’D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy at Florida State University.
    http://www.upf.com/book.asp?id=DEHAVF03

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