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By CJP | April 8, 2008
 We’ve had a few reader questions lately about the meaning of the term “Shemanesque” or “Shermanlike.” These are words you’ll almost always hear in conjunction with a rumored political candidate. Today’s use of “Shermanlike” comes from a column in The Washington Post called, “Run, Condi, Run!” In it, Gene Robinson writes that in response to rumors that Condoleezza Rice is actively campaigning for the slot as John McCain’s vice president, “Rice doesn’t go all the way and make an airtight, Shermanlike statement” that she’s not running.
The Sherman in question is THE Sherman, William Tecumseh Sherman, Civil War Union hero and Arsonist of Atlanta. When Sherman was rumored to be a possible Republican candidate for president in 1884, he unambiguously declared, “”If drafted, I will not run; if nominated, I will not accept; if elected, I will not serve.” Ever since, reporters have clamored for such clarity, and been disappointed at many turns.
Expect many-an-un-Shermanesque statement from here through the parties’ national conventions, as guessing possible vice-presidential candidates becomes the parlor game of choice in Washington and beyond.
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