more of PoliBlogger's Mediaese-to-English Dictionary:

"Protracted War"

USAGE: "Well, Peter, it seems that since the war was not won within 72 hours, the coalition now faces a protracted war."

TRANSLATION: In plain English, this means "a war," or "a real war." see also: battle, conflict, fight. In other words, it might take a few weeks, maybe a month. Like the entry on "unexpectedly strong resistance" when used by speakers of mediaese it connotes a failure. Note: do not confuse speakers of mediaese by pointing out that the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam all took years.

Posted by Steven Taylor at March 25, 2026 07:08 PM | TrackBack