That's an understatement!
Posted on 02/02/2006 6:11:22 AM PST by areafiftyone
The president's State of the Union Address will be little noted and not long remembered. There was a sense that he was talking at, not to, the country. He asserted more than he persuaded, and he chose to redeclare his beliefs rather than argue for them in any depth. If you believe, as he does, that the No. 1 priority for the American government at this point in history is to lead an international movement for political democracy, and if you believe, as he truly seems to, that political democracy is in and of itself a certain bringer of world-wide peace, than this speech was for you. If not, not. It went through a reported 30 drafts, was touched by many hands, and seemed it. Not precisely a pudding without a theme, but a thin porridge.
It was the first State of the Union Mr. Bush has given in which Congress seemed utterly pre-9/11 in terms of battle lines drawn. Exactly half the chamber repeatedly leapt to its feet to applaud this banality or that. The other half remained resolutely glued to its widely cushioned seats. It seemed a metaphor for the Democratic Party: We don't know where to stand or what to stand for, and in fact we're not good at standing for anything anyway, but at least we know we can't stand Republicans.
There was only one unforgettable moment, and that was in a cutaway shot, of Hillary Clinton, who simply must do something about her face. When the president joked that two people his father loves are turning 60 this year, himself and Bill Clinton--why does he think constant references to that relationship work for him?--it was Mrs. Clinton's job to look mildly amused, or pleasant, or relatively friendly, or nonhostile.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
I wonder about Pres. Bush's comments about Clinton occasionally, but I really think he is just being civil and polite.
When he ignores all the horrid comments and insults levied against him on a daily basis, it shows what a gentleman he is - the ability to rise above that sort of thing is something I wish I could cultivate myself.
Whatever Peggy, I think you will be litte noted and not long remembered.
Bingo!
That's an understatement!
It's not hate to refuse to wear kneepads.
You're right about Biden, he's right up there with J. F'ing Kerry in that department. I used to watch Imus but I have to turn him off so much, after he has these bozos on, both of whom just love to hear themselves so much that they don't know when to shut up.
Between them and his other guests, such as Carville, Begala, Frank Rich, etc etc. on I can't stand it anymore (I gave him a wide berth because of his trashing of Bill Clinton, in person, but he's used up that ticket.
Is Peggy upset because she did not get to write the speech?
Hold video for the NY election campaign. "Who do you trust with the defense of your country?"
NY deserves who they elect. I, however, will not accept this contemptuous low life as someone who is in charge of anything...including my trash pick up.
I wonder what's happened to Peggy that she has become so far removed from the people that she thinks this speech wouldn't connect with us?
True enough. My mom's 54, and looks about her age. My dad is also 54 but looks about 45. I'm 28, and with a baseball cap on I can pass for 18, but without it I could say I'm 35 and people would also believe me with the shaved head/goatee look I am sporting.
One 'whiff' of the stuff on DailyKos proves it.
That whole paragraph was good!!! Looking "mildly amused" = The Queen
Peggy was observing that the way the Congress was responding to the speech was "pre 9/11," not the speech itself.
"It is, and I do."
"No. 1"?? Since when??
The No. 1 priority for the American government is to maintain security, liberty and opportunity for it's own citizenry and interests -- always has been.
Any "nation building" or "spreading democracy" should be done with extreme prejudice based on humanitarian and security factors and some kind of consensus.
The world is moving more and more left each day...
Quite right.
I no longer watch nor listen to Don Imus. His program has turned into a forum for lots of folks who do not like America, and are anxious to tell everyone why our nation is always incorrect in everything it does.
I looked up her bio (born in 1950).
@@@@@
Are you sure about that? She graduated from college in 1969. I think she was born in 1947. Can't she even tell the truth about her age?
She's still a hottie in my book, but then again I'm as far away from being young as she is.
I'll bet he has a lot to say about the Toles cartoon then. We are not supposed to have heroes that they don't give us. We are stupid, emotional, incapable of knowing our own minds and hearts. We don't get to say what should be historic, we are just dumb idiots, like our leader, easily moved by stupid things like love of country, admiration for courage, faith, family, friends.
Peggy is a geat writer, tho, and I think her issues with W come from her perspective as a speech writer. I like to think of her as Modo on estrogen. She has a lot of cat in her, and a depth thats Modo lacks, which make her scratches deep and more lethal. IMHO.
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