Posted on 01/20/2005 9:33:31 PM PST by RWR8189
Was the president's speech a case of "mission inebriation"?
It was an interesting Inauguration Day. Washington had warmed up, the swift storm of the previous day had passed, the sky was overcast but the air wasn't painful in a wind-chill way, and the capital was full of men in cowboy hats and women in long furs. In fact, the night of the inaugural balls became known this year as The Night of the Long Furs.
Laura Bush's beauty has grown more obvious; she was chic in shades of white, and smiled warmly. The Bush daughters looked exactly as they are, beautiful and young. A well-behaved city was on its best behavior, everyone from cops to doormen to journalists eager to help visitors in any way.
For me there was some unexpected merriness. In my hotel the night before the inauguration, all the guests were evacuated at 1:45 in the morning. There were fire alarms and flashing lights on each floor, and a public address system instructed us to take the stairs, not the elevators. Hundreds of people wound up outside in the slush, eventually gathering inside the lobby, waiting to find out what next.
The staff--kindly, clucking--tried to figure out if the fire existed and, if so, where it was. Hundreds of inaugural revelers wound up observing each other. Over there on the couch was Warren Buffet in bright blue pajamas and a white hotel robe. James Baker was in trench coat and throat scarf. I remembered my keys and eyeglasses but walked out without my shoes. After a while the "all clear" came,
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
I'm bleeding profusely from your razor sharp quips! ;o)
Well, you say LBJ as if that were obvious but your comment that I asked about was one in reply to a post about Reagan.
It isn't my comprehension that is deficient.
http://www.nationalreview.com/novak/novak200501211031.asp
E-mail Author
Author Archive
Send to a Friend
Print Version
January 21, 2005, 10:31 a.m.
Bush Bids for Greatness
An interview with the Slovakian Tyzden.(Michael Novak)
Editor’s Note: This interview appears in the Slovakian publication Tyzden.
TYZDEN: Is George Bush going to be one of the greatest presidents in American history? Why?
A different view..and how!
My father did when I was 4-years-old (more accurately, 'the moon with a fence around it'). I waited all day for him to return with my 'moon set'. :o)
And before you get all in a tizzy about my Reagan observation, no, I did not think you were referencing Reagan but your "read the posts" taunt, as if that would illuminate to whom you were referring is not applicable in this case.
I wish you well, I'm sincerely concerned about you.
As usual, you do a fine job of sneering. I'm weary of your high-and-mighty viewpoint, oh great W fan. Go play Pharisee with someone who cares.
I'd question Peggy's motives too, since her haranguing about the God references seems out of character.
In truth, Bush mentioned God infrequently in the 21-minute address. Instead, the text was larded with phrases and allusions that would resonate with believers of several faiths. In speaking of "a day of fire," Bush was describing the 2001 terrorist attacks in language commonly associated in Christianity with Judgment Day, according to Deborah Caldwell, senior editor at Beliefnet, an online magazine about religion and values.
"It had so much layered meaning," Caldwell said, noting there is also a Christian rock band called Day of Fire.
The phrase "ennobled by service and mercy and a heart for the weak" was aimed at Catholics, whose liturgy and prayers often use such language, Caldwell noted. Catholics also would recognize Bush's use of the phrase "human dignity," which is a term Pope John Paul II frequently uses in speaking against abortion and euthanasia.
A memorable line from Bush noted that "no one is fit to be a master and no one deserves to be a slave," a reference to the Apostle Paul, who said in the Bible that there is "no slave or free" and all are one under Christ.
Declaring that "evil is real," Bush gave a nod to Evangelicals and others who disdain moral relativism, Caldwell said.
When he alluded to "the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Quran, and the varied faiths of our people," Caldwell said, Bush was moving "seamlessly to liberal God-talk that will soothe modern Americans and will thrill the nation's Muslims."
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3003570
Gosh, I can't wait to hear from you again, either.
Let me know when you post something I should care about.
Very interesting piece..and more balanced than I would have expected. Thanks!
I think you misunderestimate the power of nuclear and/or biological weapons.
One rogue nation, such as Iran perhaps, or North Korea, or Syria, could develop a virulent undefensible strain of smallpox, bubonic plague, and send it into each American city.
We could all be dead within a month.
Or perhaps Pakistan gets taken over by radical Islamofascists, and sends agents armed with miniature nuclear bombs into the biggest 25 American cities.
Maybe the blasts would not "destroy" us as you say, but the resulting fallout would stop all civil liberties, not to mention free travel between the states.
Need I paint a more dire picture of what ONE single rogue nation could unleash on America.
I bet that was a last-minute insertion to take a crack at Barbara Boxer and Robert Byrd for their ill treatment of Condi Rice at the hearings.
To: All
Knock off the personal attacks.
757 posted on 01/22/2005 5:33:07 PM CST by Admin Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 756 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]
Well, thank God! Another realist on this thread.
>I see in your profile that you love "the moon and the stars"<
Thank you for the welcome, Palladin.
Yes, I do, but those little stars are not in my eyes. I can see beyond them when I have to. Keeping our country free and healthy is one of those times.
My reference to the moon and the stars just means that I take the time to think, analyze, pray and even dream a bit.
Aren't you just too cute to ask?
Well articulated, irrefutably proven, and deeply troubling to those of us who were hoping George Herbert's vision for a 'New World Order' wasn't going to be facilitated by one George Walker.
"You should be what your Founding Fathers cautioned you to be. Vigilant, suspicious, and demanding."
Hear hear!
Reminds me of that old Dean Martin song:
"Don't let the stars get in your eyes,
Don't let the moon steal your heart."
HELL NO!
Let the nukin' and pavin' begin!
I yield to you, MojoWire, should we proceed through the ME west to east or east to west? (/sarcasm)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.