Remembering Howard

townhall.com ^ | 12/18/03 | Emmett Tyrrell

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

to compare President Bush to Hoover

I think people are misreading the author's meaning. The writer is a conservative and cannot be taken to mean that Bush actually is what Howard Dean want to portray him as being.

[FastCoyote]

"... mired the country in economic gloom..."? Come again? "...FAILED to confront tyrants from afar.."? Say WHAT?

Yeah, what's with Tyrell? He seems to have taken a header into the mud.

[oblomov]

It's sarcasm... he is making fun of the Democratic rhetoric.

[AmishDude]

I couldn't figure out that sentence, either. There are many avenues of criticism one could take toward George W. Bush, but failing to confront tyrants isn't one of them.

My guess is that R. has a particular tyrant in mind and a particular axe to grind.

He probably posts to FR.

[AmishDude]

No question. What is R. going to "reveal"? "Dean didn't want any brown M&M's in the green room." "Dean used to secretly whisper that he was a right-winger through and through and this whole Democrat thing was an act." "Dean brought a purse to the debates. He was metrosexual before metrosexual was `cool'."

Yeah, R., we'll watch the debates and draw conclusions for ourselves.

[AmishDude]

Sarcasm, eh? I didn't read it that way. R. should stick to editing and stop thinking he's Mark Steyn.

[TigersEye]

Will it be the discretion of a gentleman or the excess of a blabber mouth?

Zip it, Ty. As we found out with Clinton it's best not to know anything about a man before he becomes President. Hopefully the press will live up to its past performances and squelch any revealing information on Dean.

[lepton]

"... mired the country in economic gloom..."? Come again? "...FAILED to confront tyrants from afar.."? Say WHAT?

I think he's mocking. As I recall this author was the editor of "The American Spectator" - which used to specialize in skewering the Clinton Administration.

[Prime Choice]

Emmett Tyrell, leftist?

Sounds like one in that article. I call 'em like I see 'em.

Eh...maybe I'm getting reactionary.

[John Valentine]

I believe Tyrrell means that this is what Dean thinks. The first part of that sentence; f he has his way

Actually the sentence that begins "If he has is way..." is the previous sentence.

As I read the offending sentence, semantically and syntactically, it looks like it is supposed to be Tyrell's voice, not Dean's.

Perhaps those who see this as Tyrell's satirical voice are right, but I have to say that if this is satire, it is totally ineffective. Satire relys on distortion and inflation of truth, not on its negation. This sentence just comes off sounding dumb.