Posted on 01/20/2002 5:04:30 PM PST by Pokey78
GEORGE BUSH Jr might have as his motto: never knowingly overestimated. It is a principle that has served him well during his first year in office.
Rarely has a leader of the Western world started out with lower expectations among opinion formers; rarely have the latter been proved wrong so thoroughly and so soon. Taking Ronald Reagan as his model, rather than his own father, Bush the younger has cultivated an unpretentious image which has deceived many of America's enemies.
Yet the Left-liberal caricature of President Bush as a bumbling idiot suited him just fine. His shrewd and energetic pursuit of the most conservative programme for a generation was likewise underestimated. Political passions rose to fever pitch under Bill Clinton, almost entirely revolving around the former president's personality.
The Bush administration has pursued far more radical policies at home (tax cuts and education reforms), abroad (abrogating the ABM Treaty in favour of missile defence), and on the environment (Kyoto).
It has also prosecuted the war against terrorism with a steely determination unthinkable in the America of the 1990s. That all this has been accomplished with so little controversy is in part due to the widespread perception of the President as an unsophisticated Texan.
Nobody has so far judged Mr Bush interesting enough to make him the subject of a roman a clef. Cosmopolitan he is not. But the President likes it that way. So, apparently, do the American people.
There may be a lesson here: charisma is a liberal virtue but a conservative vice.
That reminds me of something a Clinton flack said at the end of his residency (I think it was DeeDee Myers): "Say what you will about him, but he certainly brought pizazz to the presidency". Kinda like describing an ugly person as 'having a nice personality'.
Dubya is a GOOD GUY who wears a WHITE HAT! Do y'all have anyone in Euroland who can claim the same?
Don't ever, EVER, misunderestimate the fellow. You do so at your own peril.
I guess they're just doing what they have to do.
You mean someone in the media finally admits that "opinion formers" (whatever, whoever they are) were wrong rather than saying that President Bush changed?!
WOW! That's progress!
I will be even more pleased when they refer to him as President Bush rather than Mr. Bush ......
No, Dee Dee! He brought pizza to the presidency! And left pizza and other stains all over the White House!
Some people will never get it. Passions didn't rise to a fever pitch because of the Evil Teenst Bent One's personality.
They rose because Bill and Hillary Clinton are deeply evil, and reduced this country immeasurably for 8 long years. I couldn't give a flying liberal f*** who he was copping BJ' from, or even what financial morass he constantly involved himself in.
Americans hates Bill and Hillary because they tried their best at every turn to destroy America. They have partially succeeded (check out Dasshole, Mcauliffe, Waters et al), but good always defeats evil. And this country will defeat the rest of the Clinton C*****ers comers.
Some people will never get it. Passions didn't rise to a fever pitch because of the Evil Teenst Bent One's personality.
They rose because Bill and Hillary Clinton are deeply evil, and reduced this country immeasurably for 8 long years. I couldn't give a flying liberal f*** who he was copping BJ's from, or even what financial morass he constantly involved himself in.
Americans hates Bill and Hillary because they tried their best at every turn to destroy America. They have partially succeeded (check out the bathtub rings--Dasshole, Mcauliffe, Waters et al), but good always defeats evil. And this country will defeat the rest of the Clinton C*****ers comers, I'm sure.
Boy, that's the truth! But do you think the American press will ever be brave enough to admit how wrong they were about President Bush??
btw, I find him very interesting, whether the Europeans call him cosmopolitan or not. And why, may I ask, did they find that sleazy ill-bred bumpkin from Arkansas interesting and cosmopolitan, and not the well-bred, high class Harvard MBA? .........Because they're bloody fools perhaps? :o)
He is also far smarter than he lets on. Lanny Davis even remarked upon this...way back at Yale, when he commented that W let everyone think he was dim.
Exactly. And you can see it everytime he's around people, young or old. There's a magnetism to his personality, and a winsomeness that's driving the media-types crazy! They so desperately want him to be a dumb cowboy!
Hey, Miss Marple, if you're still up, there's a special on Fox at midnight on the President's first year in office. What an amazing year it has been!
I just realized that, so I'm calling it a night, too.
Do you think that anyone really found X42 appealing? I think it was just the power that women were attracted to. I've said it before, but as far as I'm concerned, both Xlintons are about as sexy as slugs. Now the George and Laura on the other hand............. :o)
Certainly not I. Now W on the other hand....yes!. Glad to see the British press fess up how wrong they were. Now if only ours would.
I guess I'm just very touchy about it because of all the people on American tv who still say Mr. Bush.
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