The English language badly needs a new word: "Specterism."

The word derives its origin from "Bushism," a word coined by Slate's Jacob Weisberg, which means an incoherent statement by the most powerful man in the world.

What is a "Specterism"? Here's the proposed dictionary entry:

Specterism n. A threat to stand up to Bush that is never meant to be acted upon and withdrawn at the very first opportunity.

Here is the latest Specterism:

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday he might seek to block funding of a domestic eavesdropping program in an effort to force the Bush administration to answer lawmakers' questions about the operation.

In a warning to the White House, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said he planned to introduce legislation that would cut off funds for the surveillance program, which he described as a threat to civil liberties and a violation of domestic espionage laws.

OK, so Specter threatened to stand up to Bush. Or did he? Not so much.

Specter said he was not yet prepared to support a cutoff of funding, which he said would be a measure of last resort. But he warned that if the Bush administration was unwilling to comply with existing laws or help draft new domestic surveillance legislation, the only way for Congress to exercise any control might be to deny funding.

"What's the use of passing another statute if the president won't pay any attention to it?" Specter said. "When you talk about withholding funds, there you're talking about a real authority."

Steve Benen of Carptebagger Report provides a concise history of Specterisms:

Specter had grave concerns about warrantless searches, before he backed down during a hearing with Alberto Gonzales. Specter was going to give Samuel Alito the grilling of a lifetime, before he backed down during conformation hearings. Specter was publicly uncomfortable with Karl Rove and James Dobson cooperating on judicial nominees, until he backed down. As Harry Reid said a few weeks ago, Specter is a "moderate Republican…whenever you don't need him."

Are there any others?