Tom Shales: Bush, "Scary"; Ted Kennedy Worthy of Mount Rushmore

MRC ^ | Thursday January 22, 2004 | BrentBaker

[fight_truth_decay]

Bush: "Scary," Ted Kennedy worthy of Mount Rushmore. Reviewing President Bush's State of the Union address, nationally syndicated Washington Post television reviewer Tom Shales complained that "Bush had too many moments of cockiness" and fretted about how "the fact that Bush appeared to be so happy, so elated, so giddily primed for another political slugfest was a little bit disheartening, and even a little bit scary." But citing Senator Ted Kennedy's head-shaking, eye-rolling dismissive reactions to Bush, Shales gushed: "Kennedy looked great, like he was ready to take his place next to Jefferson on Mount Rushmore."

An excerpt from "State of the Union: Long on Long, Short on Lofty," the review by Tom Shales in the January 21 Washington Post:

We like a confident president, but we don't like a cocky president, and George W. Bush had too many moments of cockiness last night as he delivered his third State of the Union address to both houses of Congress and the viewing nation. Often the words of the speech were written to sound lofty, but Bush had such a big Christmas-morning grin on his face that they came out sounding like taunts -- taunts to the rest of the world or taunts to Democrats in the hall....

The speech was pretty much so-so, and Bush's gung-ho delivery -- something approaching the forced jollity of a game show host -- lacked dignity and certainly lacked graciousness. Bush has never been big on those things anyway.

Dan Rather of CBS News, who sometimes goes out of his way not to upset the Bush people -- since they are all ready to pounce on him for what they perceive (or claim to perceive) as a bias against their exalted glorious potentate -- said afterward that Bush's was "a strong speech, strongly delivered." It was one of the few times Rather sounded less than astute.

Over on the Fox News Channel, Fred Barnes, sounding as if he had walking pneumonia, allowed as how he'd heard George W. Bush deliver many an important and eloquent speech over the years, "and this was not one of them." It takes courage to say something like that on the Fox News Channel, normally a Bush cheering section. Someone noted that Bush is considered a master of the half-hour speech and State of the Union 2004 had dragged on for twice that length....

The best reaction shots were those of Ted Kennedy, whose stature seems to grow right along with his nose year after year after year. Kennedy has now reached a grand moment in the life of a senator; he looks like Hollywood itself cast him in the role. Seriously. With that waving mane of bright white hair, he evokes memories of Claude Rains looking distinguished as all get-out in Frank Capra's once- controversial, now-classic movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Never mind that the senator played by Rains had some shady dealings in his repertoire.

Kennedy looked great, like he was ready to take his place next to Jefferson on Mount Rushmore. He gives off the kind of venerable vibes that some of us got from an Everett Dirksen way back when, or a Charles Laughton -- oh wait, Laughton was a make-believe senator, too (in "Advise and Consent")....

One of the bigger surprises of the night was instantly evident, even as Bush made his tedious way down an aisle before delivering the speech. Though he's favored blue ties (sometimes baby blue) throughout his presidency, Bush wore a red necktie last night. Could this signify a change in terrorism alert status? Or maybe just the fact that Bush is now in full ramming mode, not merely a president but a politician again, up to his collar in the rigors of an election year?

It was obviously the latter, and the fact that Bush appeared to be so happy, so elated, so giddily primed for another political slugfest was a little bit disheartening, and even a little bit scary.

END of Excerpt

For the Shales review in full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33872-2004Jan21.html

[Henchman]

Kennedy's cockiness got one woman killed! How will they chisel the blood shot eyes onto Rushmore?

[mattdono]

Well, Shales is smoking something, namely Ted Kennedy's pole (apparently).

[Luke]

Yep! Only after his murder trial.

[hattend]

Proof positive that Ted "The Swimmer" Kennedy is skewing the "obesity in America needs to be legislated" research.

[Jaxter]

"Ted Kennedy worthy of Mount Rushmore."

Mount Rushmore? You couldn't fit that big, fat head on the Rock of Gibraltar.

[clintonh8r]

Ahoy! Moby Dick!

[Ragirl]

...he was ready to take his place next to Jefferson on Mount Rushmore

BWAHHAAAA! The only thing alcoholic murderer Kennedy has in common with Mount Rushmore is that he's stoned most of the time.

[Viking2002]

Ted Kennedy isn't even worthy enough to drive past Mount Rushmore. To even suggest that that fat, drunken Marxist's face should defile a national monument next to men much greater than him is a travesty.

[Mr. Buzzcut]

The only thing alcoholic murderer Kennedy has in common with Mount Rushmore is that he's stoned most of the time.

Hahahahaa!

[leprechaun9]

Mt. Rushmore is smaller than the Whale from Taxachusetts! His face wouldn't fit.

[BigSkyFreeper]

There isn't room up there on Rushmore for Teddy's fat mug. On a related note, The Old Man On The Mountain that crumbled down a year or two ago in New Hampshire, reminded me of Kerry.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Even if Fat Teddy were to croak, he shouldn't even get his name plastered on a post office building let alone the main office of the Massachusetts Dept. of Motor Vehicles. Teddy is a fat, bloated, morbidly obese, classless jerk.

[fight_truth_decay]

Kennedy? Mt. Rushmore?
NOT IN MY BACKYARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cape Wind Associates, a wind energy company, would like to put up 130 turbines off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in the Nantucket Sound.

Kennedy? Martha's Vineyard?
NOT IN MY BACKYARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aruanan]

Tom Shales: Bush, "Scary"; Ted Kennedy Worthy of Mount Rushmore

Yeah, if they needed a model for a big gob of snot for one of the stone noses already there.

[TC Rider]

The one time the camera cut to Teddy when he wasn't shaking his head, he seemed to be motioning to someone off camera. The wife and I simultaneously said, "He's ordering another drink"!

Shales is a Clymer.

The one big difference we noticed between Bush and Clinton, was that Clinton took credit for everything good, personally. Bush was happy to give credit to Congress for passing his tax cuts, etc.

[Democratshavenobrains]

Maybe the Left just feels guilty for doing NOTHING to help liberate Iraq or boost American honor.

[colorado tanker]

Shales is a liberal movie critic. Why would anyone take his political commentary seriously? He obviously hates Bush with every fiber of his chardonney and brie infused body.

[I_be_tc]

Now wait a minute. Didn't Cher tell us all that Mt. Rushmore was a natural wonder? So wouldn't it take a whole bunch of water and wind to create his feature there. (Maybe the old "windbag" could etch it himself...and we all know he is good at shedding water.)

TC

[lilylangtree]

Consider the source: Tom Shales of the Washington Post. The Post has always been a RAT-supported newspaper. Plus, anyone who thinks Ted Kennedy, the cowardly murderer of Mary Jo Kapechne and a notorious womanizing drunk, should be on Mt. Rushmore needs his head examined for missing brain cells due to lack of oxygen.

[okie01]

"The best reaction shots were those of Ted Kennedy, whose stature seems to grow right along with his nose year after year after year."

A most unfortunate turn of phrase by Mr. Shales, who accurately -- though certainly not intentionally -- likens Teddy The Hut to Pinocchio.