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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

There

Hi.

"If the President were to just make some decision to strike here or there, there's no backup, there's no 'there' there in the Iraqi government, it could be completely wasted." [John Kerry, the US secretary of state.]

Does the 'there' refer to the phrase "here and there" in the sentence?

Thank you.
  

Top answer

I think he's saying that there's no place to strike that would do any good.

— Philip

  • I think he's saying that there's no place to strike that would do any good.
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8 Answers
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I think he's saying that there's no place to strike that would do any good.
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Thank you, Philip, for your useful reply.
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Try a Google search for the entire phrase "there is no there, there". Quite interesting information.
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Indeed, thank you for the link

It seems that Kerry cited the Gertrude Stein's saying.
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AnonymousIt seems that Kerry cited the Gertrude Stein's saying.
That was my conclusion immediately upon reading the quote.

I believe Stein was the first to use "there" to mean "anything of interest", "anything of importance", "anything of substance".

CJ
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Didn't a recent US president use it? Or am I thinking of "It depends on your definition of is"?
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PhilipDidn't a recent US president use it?
I don't know. That could be, but I don't recall hearing anything about it.
PhilipOr am I thinking of "It depends on your definition of is"?
That would have been Clinton, of course. I remember that one.

CJ
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PhilipDidn't a recent US president use it? Or am I thinking of "It depends on your definition of is"?
That's from the Guardian:

"While consistently declaring that the US will neither choose a new Iraqi leader nor oust Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom US officials consider a failure despite the US helping install him in 2006, Kerry suggested that t
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