I've got the goose bumps

This is so fantastic. From today's NYT story on the Dalai Lama's visit to Rutgers:

Nearby, a former flight attendant, Kathleen Davis, squealed. She had been taking notes on a pink piece of paper and pointed to the words "attachment" and "compassion." "That's it!" she said. "It's one or the other. I've got the goose bumps."

Now, that's just gilding the lily. "Squeal" joins such other verb luminaries as "insist," "deny," and "ramble" as surefire ways to make the journalistic subject seem like a complete ass. I also like "clutch" and "jab."

"Clutching her scented pink stationery, the flight attendant pranced about, repeatedly jabbing at a pair of words scrawled in an unsteady hand. 'Attachment and compassion!' she shrieked, her eyes widening violently. She then delivered a lengthy, rambling speech about goosebumps."

"Mincing and prancing about, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff clutched his notes with fat fingers. 'There is no timetable for withdrawal,' he mewled, his tongue nervously moistening his palate. He continued keening and lisping before shuffling away from the lectern."