So instead of acknowledging legitimate grievances of citizens, he blames outsiders like the foreign news media.
Instead of acknowledging that he had slipped on a banana peel, he offered explanations.
But why the need to exaggerate the sales pitch instead of acknowledging the more complex, challenging picture?
Instead of acknowledging that the dire predictions were overblown, both Wall Street and the media have adopted a revisionist spin.
Instead of acknowledging that a ransom had been paid or simply refusing to comment, it deliberately sought to mislead.
Instead of acknowledging the obvious — and perhaps explaining how they would build on the president's success — they change the subject.
Instead of acknowledging anxiety or depression, for instance, older people may complain of having a headache, a bad stomachache or some other physical ailment.
But instead of acknowledging this and taking corrective action to sell a better product more responsibly, food processors played innocent by blending in with the crowd of causes.
It did not go the way they'd hoped; instead of acknowledging the Sioux grievances, the government took back half their reservation, and opened it up to white settlement.
Instead of acknowledging the seriousness of these mix-ups, Mr. Kobach called those on the list "mostly casual registrants, many of whom do not intend to vote".
By preserving only the gadgetry, or by lionizing the atomic scientists, we pay homage to nuclear hubris instead of acknowledging its monumental errors.
