Right or Wrong, Bush is a True Big-Picture Guy

Op/Ed My Yahoo ^ | 1/11/03 | Richard Reeves

[ohioWfan]

By Richard Reeves

WASHINGTON -- When he was still a governor in 1999, George W. Bush came to Los Angeles to speak to a polite but skeptical crowd of movie executives. Suspicions that the man from Texas was dim and uncertain seemed confirmed when he could not remember the name of a Californian he said he had worked with closely.

Bush snapped the tension with a crack: "Hey, I'm a big-picture guy."

Who knew he wasn't kidding? I have told that story before, but it seems appropriate right now. This president has knocked the wind out of Washington with his ambitions to change the rules of the world and the tax code of the United States. "Big" and "bold" are the words of the day, as in this headline over a Washington Post analysis: "Bush Goes With the Bold Stroke."

"Call it boldness, audacity or even chutzpah ..." begins the piece by Dana Milbank, which continues, "President Bush twice stunned the capital with proposals far beyond what was considered workable."

The heavy breathing began last Tuesday, when the president called for tax cuts that doubled even what many of the most anti-government Republicans expected -- and they were cuts that proudly favored the so-called "investing class." Rich people, families with incomes above $375,000 a year, the top 1 percent of earners, would get more than 30 percent of the new tax breaks.

Then a few hours later, the president followed with another right cross to the town's solar plexus. The conventional wisdom was that after the racial flap over Sen. Trent Lott's praise of segregationists past, Bush would look for more moderate conservatives to nominate for federal judgeships in the South. Wrong again! Bush once again nominated federal District Court Judge Charles Pickering to fill an appeals court vacancy. Pickering, a Lott protege from Mississippi, was rejected last year by the Senate Judiciary Committee (news - web sites) because of his record on racial matters. That was when Democrats controlled the Senate. Now Republicans are in control, so Bush stuck it to the new minority.

In case the Democrats did not get the message, he also renominated Texas Supreme Court Justice Patricia Owens for the same appeals court. She had been rejected in committee because Democrats believed she was determined to push a personal anti-abortion agenda on the bench.

Our president is a very tough guy, an in-your-face politician far tougher than people on both sides thought. "In for a penny, in for a pound," was the comment by one Republican in Congress. The idea, which surprised most people around here, was that if Bush is going to lose on some of his programs, particularly tax cuts, why not lose big?

Many in his own party, some of them uncomfortable with this boldness -- thinking it irresponsible -- believe that the president is haunted by his father's easygoing reputation. The conventional wisdom is that George H.W. Bush lost re-election in 1992 because he did not cash in the political capital (his own high standing in polls) after the first Gulf War (news - web sites) against Iraq. The political cliche on that one is, "Not like father, like son."

All of this happened, of course, while the president was threatening war in a couple of venues, old and new, and as the federal budget (and the budgets of state and local governments) were plunging once more into deficit because of relatively lower tax revenues. We've been there, done that, haven't we? The fact is that younger Bush is not like his father. He is like his father's old boss, Ronald Reagan (news - web sites). Borrow and borrow, spend and spend -- and ignore criticism.

He is, right or wrong -- and he certainly is convinced he's right -- a true big-picture guy. He may be riding for a fall, but he is trying to change the world and the country. Bush, right now, is moving to remake the world in an American image -- institutionalizing an American empire -- and remake the country in a conservative image with government power reduced by cutting its funding. And if people don't like it, they can go to court and appeal to the judges he picked.

[admiralsn]

Use vinegar!!!!!!!!!!

[nopardons]

You stored the linens in a cedar chest ? No wonder you have rust like stains and yellowed linens ! Never store them in a cedar chest !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brad’s Gramma]

Oh never mind.

[Brad’s Gramma]

I DIDN'T!!!! I just got them a week ago!

I was just asking about the paper, the necessity of it, if stored in a cedar chest, which I can tell by your answer (gulp) is NOT the place to put old linens.

[admiralsn]

That's usually what Heloise suggests- vinegar.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Brad’s Gramma]

I know.

I WAS going to make a smart alec comment earlier....regarding something else, that's why I wrote Oh never mind....

but I should've just let it go.

Now I'm REALLY feelin' stupid.

[nopardons]

Acid free tissue paper is used by museums and just folks ( though I don't and should...she admits and hangs her head in shame ) when storing old , fine fabrics of any sort. I just keep mine in a linen closet and/or my tablecloth/napkin drawers.

I grew up with cedar closets and have a HUGE walk in one, in this house. I've never owned a cedar chest, but assume that the reaction of the oils ( in the wood ) would be the same in a chest, as it is in a closet. They are meant to house wools; clothing, blankets, and the like. Never ever store a fur coat, jaket, or any other item that has fur on it, in a cedar closet. Never ever store linen or cotten therein either.

BTW, lemon juice won't do the job; IRON OUT will and I have absolutely NO conection with the company that makes it, I just know what works. I also know how to get spilled candlewax out of a carpet or fabric covered furniture. :-)

[baseballmom]

From Google, a link. Sorry, I don't know how to link - I'm sorry, I'm not Hilliary, the smartest woman on earth.;_)

http://www.tipking.com/Tips/publish/tip_62.shtml

In case you don't wan't to look right away, a mixture of lemon juice & salt, and hang the item in the sun to dry. Another is,cover the stain with cream of tartar, roll up tight and soak in hot water. Then wash as normal. I have had great success lately with Calgon water softener liquid and cold water for stains. That is one of Graham Haley's tips for lots of stains. Happy Laundry

[nopardons]

Whislt vinegar works wonders on crystal, mirrors, and glassware, it won't remove stains from linens. I don't care WHAT Heloise says.

[Once-Ler]

"Is Guido's (sp) Restaurant still there?"

Hi Brad's Gramma.

I can't find him listed in the phone-book and I can't say I'm familiar with the place, but that is not saying much.

Although I work 4 blocks from State St. I rarely frequent it's shops.
Something about getting shaken down by panhandlers, bumped into by drunks coming out of the 15-20 bars on the 7 block street, listening to Punk or Rap blaring from boomboxes in 0 degree weather, and getting hit on by guys(I'm a guy) just doesn't appeal to me like it did when I did drugs.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

If I'll run into Guido I'll send your regards, and you have mine.
Freegards

[Deb]

Catching up on back issues of the Wall Street Journal yesterday, I found an article in the "A" section of the paper from last week that quoted "an administration insider" as saying, "The Pickering nomination is dead."

When will they learn? This White House don't LEAK!

[justshe]

I SERIOUSLY thought about joining you two.....lol. BUT....I just KNEW I couldn't do it. If WE don't respond logically......AT LEAST ONCE....and then let it go, we allow the inmates to run the asylum. But there are enough of us....that if we ALL just respond once (or maybe twice)...it will at least show there ARE sane people on FR....LOL!

[Brad’s Gramma]

Aha! I'll bookmark that one!!!!!

Thanks. I've used the lemon juice on other things, and it HAS worked well.

(What WAS this thread all about when it started???? LOL!)

[Brad’s Gramma]

Thanks.

I lived there in the late 60's and the restaurant was off of State street, FAR away from the Capitol Building. If you were walking AWAY from the Capitol, it was on a side street, to the left. The restaurant was in the basement. And the sandwich was to die for.

Madison was fun, then, I'm so sorry to hear what you've written. It doesn't surprise me though. Is Oscar Mayer still based there?

[Brad’s Gramma]

I thought you WERE Heloise?????

J/K

BTW, where do you buy that paper? And the Iron What'sIt'sName?

[nopardons]

IRON OUT can be bought ( here at least ) in most grocery stores and even at some nurseries/garden shops and buiding supply stores.

I don't have a resource for the tissue paper. I bet you can find it on line; however, since I don't ever browse the net, I haven't a clue. SORRY.

I don't even know who Heloise is. This is VERY funny. LOL

[Brad’s Gramma]

HOWLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She doesn't even know who Heloise is!!!!!!

"Hints from Heloise"! What a fantastic lady!!!! NOTHIN' like Martha. She and Erma Bombeck RULE.

[Brad’s Gramma]

http://www.heloise.com/

[nopardons]

Erma is dead, she didn't give helpful household hints, and I haven't read anything by her ( I've read a few of her books ) in 30 years. LOL

My household helpful hints are mostly all family hand-me-down wisdom and what I've learned from trial and error. :-)