The Illuminated Donkey

Bush to U.N.: Take off the Skirt! With regards to Bush's comments today that the United Nations should "show some backbone" and that giving Saddam Hussein further chances to comply to U.S. demands was as much a test of the U.N. as of Hussein...well, as my old boss Bader could have told him, the correct move for the next few days would almost certainly be the old "silent close."

What's the next thing that you should do, once you've said, "You'll have to do better than that"? You guessed it. Shut Up! Don't say another word. The other side may just make a concession to you. Salespeople call this the silent close, and they all learn it during the first week that they are in the business. You make your proposal and then shut up. The other person may just say Yes, so it's foolish to say a word until you find out if he or she will or won't.

Yes, the silent close, generally far more effective than calling the U.N. a bunch of Nancy-Boys, at least for the first few days.