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I was drawn to the fact that many newspapers and online news sources quoted in accord Hillary Clinton’s remark in CNN Democratic presidential debate -“I never took a position on Keystone until I took a position on Keystone” in the headline of their news yesterday (October 14th).

Among many articles and video’s reporting Clinton’s riposte to the race rival, Martin O’Malley’s attack questioning her political stance on Keystone pipelines during the debate, www.politico.com describes:

“Martin O’Malley cited Clinton’s stance on the proposed pipeline as one of “a lot of reversals.” It’s an argument often cited by Republicans — and one Clinton will almost certainly face if she becomes the Democratic nominee. But Clinton said she is no flip-flopper. “I never took a position on Keystone until I took a position on Keystone,” she said. http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/hillary-clinton-climate-keystone-debate-214773#ixzz3obxPRttu

What is the plain translation of “I never took a position on Keystone until I took a position on Keystone.”

Is “I never did sth. until I did sth.” a popular pattern of phrase to mean that it is the first time ever someone said or did, therefore is no flip-flop or attitudinal change, and there’s no reason for being blamed? Or is it just a nonce expression?

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    My reading is "I never took a position on Keystone. Until, that is, I did take a position..."
    – JHCL
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 8:49

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I'll take a slightly more critical angle and say that the reason for this expression is to reassert one's own sovereignty and truth-defining power. A very critical view might call it Orwellian.

See, at first glance, the statement is a classic tautology. Of course something doesn't happen until it happens; it also doesn't happen after it happens. Things happen when they happen. However, what this statement really means is that "I didn't take a position until I took a position-- which was exactly when I say it was." Thus, you take the identity-truth (A=A) of the original statement, and modify it -- pervert it, if you like -- to mean what you wish it to mean. Someone who simply wants to make a correction can say "I left work on Wednesday at five o'clock, and not sooner". To say "I left work when I left work" has different connotations entirely. (And it is, by the way, not an advisable way to talk to your boss.)

Hey, these people are politicians, by the way.

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    “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.” Humpty Dumpty, there - the great politician of his day.
    – Spratty
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 11:11
  • Yes. I find it a simple patern of tautology. She is saying her latest position is only position she ever took on Keystone in a flashy way.
    – Yoichi Oishi
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 20:36
  • @Spratty Perfect! I always go "doh!" when I see something like this that I didn't remember.
    – Albatrosspro
    Commented Oct 16, 2015 at 4:31
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It is rather a plain construction which is very similar to "It ain't over until it is over". She wants to emphasize the fact that she didn't take any postion on it until recently.

Plain translation would be:

"I never expressed my opinion on Keystone in my life time. I recently took a position on Keystone and that is the only position that I took on this issue. There is no flip-flopping on this. It is my husband who might have supported it. Not me!!! Please don't confuse me with my husband!!!"

The link shows what Bill Clinton remarked regarding the Keystone pipeline project in 2012 when Hillary was Secretary of State.

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  • can it be summarized in short as just a way of emphasizing something that you did?
    – user13267
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 12:29
  • @user13267 Sorry, can you rephrase your question?
    – user140086
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 13:37
  • I have found that often this construction is used for emphasis, as in: I never took a position on Keystone until I really took a position on Keystone. Or in other words, I didn't really have a passive opinion but withheld judgment until I could form my own strong opinion.
    – called2voyage
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 14:15
  • @called2voyage Yes, the whole purpose of the construction is to emphasize what she did and she didn't. I just wanted to put a context in there.
    – user140086
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 14:24
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The sentence is just be taken literally, she is saying that she had never taken a position on that issue before, that is until the moment she took it.

The following extract explains the story behind it:

  • Hillary Clinton defended her changing political stances by saying that everyone on the stage at one point in time had done the same thing. Clinton also said that the changes occurred because of new information that had been released.

  • While Clinton campaigned she was asked about the Keystone XL pipeline; she would defer to her time as secretary of state, where she had launched a review. Clinton said that she did not want to interfere with the ongoing decision making between the president and Secretary of State John Kerry. Clinton finally took a stand on the issue on September 22, saying she was against the pipeline.

  • “I never took a position on Keystone until I took a position on Keystone,” Clinton said.

(freebeacon.com)

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    Super off topic, but I read the website as free bacon and got really, really excited.
    – Sipty
    Commented Oct 19, 2015 at 11:26
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I think it is the same as saying "I never took a position before I took a position." I.e.

For all times t when I took a position,
    there does not exist a time u when I took a position such that
        u is before t

That is logically equivalent to saying that there is at most one time when I took a position.

See also Politics and the English Language

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