‘It Is What it Is’ Confuses Congress to No End

By Chris Mottram
As we discussed earlier, we were surrounded by the Clemens hearing today. Aside from Roger’s penchant for using the word “misremembered,” the most discussed topic seemed to be the meaning of the saying “it is what it is,” which Brian McNamee used repeatedly.
Any creature that hasn’t been extinct since dinosaurs roamed the Earth has heard this expression at one time or another. (I personally can’t stand it, but that’s beside the point.) In fact, in 2004 it was voted as the sports cliche of the year by USA Today. But of course, these old white men in Congress just can’t wrap their brains around this crazy slang:

“That is a New York expression.” Yes, Mr. Souder, that expression is about as specific to New York as the words “the,” “of” and “to.”
If a “parliamentary inquiry” about the meaning of the saying “it is what it is” is not a sign that the end of the world is near, then I don’t know what is. Seriously, go out tonight and live it up, because the sun may not rise tomorrow. But hey, it is what it is, man.
(Thanks to our own Brian Powell for the video.)↵