The "E" Word

Regardless of whether he stays, resigns, or is fired, there is universal agreement that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is "embattled." "Embattled Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner's job is safe," the Washington Post reported after President Obama said he would not accept Geithner's resignation. Days earlier, the Huffington Post wrote that John McCain was defending "embattled Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner." News site Raw Story reported that both New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger "stand by the embattled cabinet official." "The Treasury Secretary is now tagged constantly with that hard-won adjective," declared the Atlantic . But what does it mean to be embattled, really? And does being embattled necessarily mean you'll lose your job? Embattled is one of those words that creeps into news reports when a figure reaches a certain threshold of controversy. Neither meaningless nor particularly meaningful, it's a subjective term that, once used, ... (link)