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'The Hug' was defining moment of Bush speech
Corpus Christi Caller-Times ^ | February 7, 2005

Posted on 02/07/2005 12:04:16 PM PST by SwinneySwitch

President Bush's State of the Union address was crafted to address an array of challenges and boost administration strategies for dealing with them. That, after all, is what this affair - the political equivalent of the CEO's report to the stockholders - is all about.

But for all the programs Bush outlined, all the initiatives he touted, the one moment indelibly etched on the consciousness of every viewer was a wordless one. It instantly became known as The Hug. It deeply touched even the flintiest of hearts among the assembled politicos, and reached everyday Americans with stunning impact.

President Bush invited Janet and Bill Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, whose son, Marine Sgt. Byron Norwood, died in battle in the Iraqi city of Fallujah. Pausing in his address, he asked them to rise. It was a poignant moment when the Norwoods, obviously struggling to maintain their composure, stood up - but its emotional impact shot up even more dramatically when another presidential guest, Iraqi pro-democracy activist Safia Taleb al-Suhail, rose to embrace Mrs. Norwood.

They clung to one another for what seemed like minutes, each seeming to draw strength from the moment. No amount of oratory could have communicated what that silent moment - against a backdrop of thunderous applause - did so eloquently. Here was a woman who had lost a son, and here was a pro-democracy activist intent on recognizing what Byron Norwood and his comrades had done for her cause.

This being America, of course, the last echoes of the applause had scarcely died away when cynics began speculating aloud that the moment was not spontaneous at all - that it had been scripted by White House functionaries intent on scoring political points.

That is going to take a lot of selling. Whatever scripting, if any, went into The Hug, no amount of stage management could have given this moment its magic. In an instant, it captured both the pain and the hope experienced by all who have been directly touched by this war being fought in a faraway place


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: bush43; byronnorwood; sotu; stateoftheunion; thehug
"....the last echoes of the applause had scarcely died away when cynics began speculating aloud that the moment was not spontaneous at all...."

I heard Brit Hume challenge Juan Williams on it yesterday! The rats just don't know when to SHUT UP!

1 posted on 02/07/2005 12:04:16 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
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To: SwinneySwitch

Did Juan contend that it was staged?


2 posted on 02/07/2005 12:08:11 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: Mr. Mojo

Juan is one of the dumbest liberals of all. Most others can at least craft words to make an argument sound fancy, juan just bumbles around other peoples talking points and can't defend them, or even pretend to reason.


3 posted on 02/07/2005 12:11:02 PM PST by Jay777 (Gen. Tommy Franks for President in 08)
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To: SwinneySwitch

"when cynics began speculating aloud that the moment was not spontaneous at all - that it had been scripted by White House functionaries intent on scoring political points"

That's because when Clinton was president - the dems did all sorts of staging - and as usual - they assume everybody does this corrupt stuff.


4 posted on 02/07/2005 12:13:57 PM PST by CyberAnt (Where are the dem supporters? - try the trash cans in back of the abortion clinics.)
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To: Mr. Mojo

That moment was what all of it was about & it ripped my heart out. If anyone ever questioned why we went in that moment said it all. The liberals are a bunch of pinched whiney negative jerks that never will get it! How they garner any votes is beyond me. Juan has become much more liberal if that is possible in recent years. Lately most of what he says is laughable and just doesn't make sense and he is constantly shot out of the water on most of it and yet he just sits there clueless.


5 posted on 02/07/2005 12:15:51 PM PST by LYSandra
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To: Mr. Mojo
Why stage something so awkwardly? If it was staged, why have one person behind the other in their seats? Why not side by side? That would have been better, if it was in fact staged.
6 posted on 02/07/2005 12:16:53 PM PST by SMARTY ("Stay together, pay the soldiers and forget everything else." Lucius Septimus Severus to his sons)
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To: SwinneySwitch
That was staged. This was spontaneous:


7 posted on 02/07/2005 1:23:13 PM PST by coloradan (Hence, etc.)
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To: coloradan

8 posted on 02/07/2005 2:04:34 PM PST by SwinneySwitch (America, bless God!)
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To: Mr. Mojo
I heard Brit saying something about there being a big difference between a skeptic and a cynic, and challenged Juan as to whether or not Juan thought the hug was for real. Juan thought it was genuine, but must have been staged, but looked real to him, but was probably....with Brit continuing to press him. Chris Wallace said they had to take a commercial break and Brit and Juan would probably continue their discussion off the air. I had to go and do something else.

Hope they post the transcript of this one.:^)
9 posted on 02/07/2005 3:06:57 PM PST by SwinneySwitch (America, bless God!)
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To: coloradan
Al looks like he's inflating her.

And from the looks of Tipper, he succeeded.

10 posted on 02/07/2005 3:08:59 PM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: Jay777

If Juan had blonde hair, he'd be a dumb blonde.


11 posted on 02/07/2005 4:19:57 PM PST by hershey
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To: hershey

Blonde blacks are rare, but Juan Williams definitely is one, despite his hair color.


12 posted on 02/07/2005 4:24:44 PM PST by Jay777 (Gen. Tommy Franks for President in 08)
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