BUSH AND THE ART OF ROPE-A-DOPE

nationalpost.com ^ | 2/8/03 | Matt Welch

[Jim Noble]

GWB is a master of this form of strategery, which is actually not rope-a dope (as Matt Welch acknowledges in his last paragraph), but rather is from "Uncle Remus".

I don't think the Old Europe has ever heard of B'rer Rabbit.

[Valin]

From Todays Red Star Tribune letters to the editor
History's little joke

Isn't it rather odd that America is being lectured on arrogance by the French and pacifism by the Germans?

-- Isaac Fox, Maplewood.

[Samurai_Jack]

Well said Grampa,

I have seen this strategy from the beginning from the bush administration they have repeatedly ripped the arms of their opponents and beat them with the bloody stump. (pardon the gross analogy)

This administrations genius in politically manuvering their opposition is astounding, and is so very surprising. I had thought for the longest time that the Left was just 'better' at the game of politics than those of us in the camp of the patriot. It is so refreshing to see the conservative movement has finally abandoned the victorian principles of political rules of engagement. To see the conservative movement finally engaged with the strength and resolve that has for the past decade been neutered by the democrats victory over Bush 41, and the subsequent bludgeoning of Newt Gengrich.

[Grampa Dave]

Besides the great strategy in getting the Rats to provide their own rope for Rope a Dope, we have something else that GW's dad and other conservatives did not have in the past.

The left wing no longer has total control of the news. Thanks to Fox News, Rush, Sean and other conservative talk show hosts and of course Free Republic, we can get the truth.

No longer can the Da$$hole, Gephardt, Pello$i, the HildeBeast and the mediots lie to us or spike the news. Thanks to Free Republic we will have the news, dissect it and come up with POA's before Rush, Sean and other conservative talk show hosts even realize what is happening.

So we have great leadership from the White House, predictable suicidal behavior from the Lefties and the collapse of the total control of news by the Lefties. This is a perfect three way win for our side.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this incredible one line of reality and truth:

Isn't it rather odd that America is being lectured on arrogance by the French and pacifism by the Germans?

-- Isaac Fox, Maplewood.

[Kip Lange]

Strategery.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[JohnHuang2]

*Smiles* and G'morning to ya

[MeekOneGOP]

Gotta love it...

Bush has used this method to spectacular effect, over and over again, by threatening unilateral action. If there is anything that can unify Midwestern congressmen, French Gaullists and New York newspapers, it's indignation at the very notion that great decisions can be made without consulting them first.

On Aug. 26 of last year, for example, White House lawyers issued an opinion that Bush could go ahead and order an attack on Iraq if he wanted to, without Capitol Hill's blessing. "The President has to get congressional approval," shot back Dick Gephardt, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives. "He must have a debate on this issue and a vote in the Congress."

Ten days later, Bush suddenly announced he would do just that, then scheduled the vote smack in the middle of the congressional election campaign. By November, Bush had his approval, and Gephardt was forced to resign as party leader after getting thumped at the polls.

---

Soul Mates: The Meltdown Continues
Tom Daschle calls Dick Gephardt
his "partner and soul mate" in the
afterglow of his mid-week meltdown.
This is too good...
Week of 9-23-2002

[Wait4Truth]

Wow! There are so many replies to me now that I can't respond to them all! Just know that I have enjoyed every one of them - I just hope the RATS don't catch on to the President's "strategery" too much.

[MeekOneGOP]

On Aug. 30 of last year, after hearing a summer's worth of go-it-alone honkings, Jim Winkler, the general secretary of the United Methodist Church, warned that the Iraq conflict "can and should be dealt with by the United Nations. ... No member nation has the right to take unilateral military action without the approval of the UN Security Council, approval the United States has not received."

Two weeks later, Winkler's worst hopes were realized when Bush spoke in front of the General Assembly, asking for a resolution that he would later receive, and portraying Iraq as the UN's most important test of credibility to date.

As Jonah Goldberg of the UN-hating National Review put it, "Somehow, Bush managed, once again, to do exactly what his critics wanted him to and defeat them entirely in the process."

This tactic has come to be known, by critics and admirers alike, as the "rope-a-dope" strategy, in honour of the novel way boxer Muhammad Ali defeated heavyweight champion George Foreman in Zaire 28 years ago. Faced with a much more powerful opponent, Ali taunted him before the fight ("You have heard of me before you were young. You've been following me since you were a little boy. Now, you must meet me, your master!" according to Norman Mailer's The Fight), surprised everyone by aggressively attacking Foreman in the first round, then spent the rest of the night leaning defensively against the ropes, deflecting and absorbing punishment, and successfully counter-punching with precision and surprise when the big man wore himself out.

---

[MeekOneGOP]

Wow! There are so many replies to me now that I can't respond to them all! Just know that I have enjoyed every one of them - I just hope the RATS don't catch on to the President's "strategery" too much.

I understand, lol ! Good article. Don't worry, the 'RATS won't figure it out. They have no 'vision', as in 'the vision thing'...

I'm a Dirty 'RAT !

[MeekOneGOP]

Which all begs the question: Is Bush bluffing?

NOOOOoooooo !

[BOBTHENAILER]

Their rope a dope opponents smell and look like they stood for days under flocks of pigeons and seagulls after the birds gorged themselves with food.

What a great description. This is gonna be a great week. The press is already showing their panties in their glee at the Franco/Germanic appeasement plan.

Russia is climbing on board and China, Kennedy, Levin and numerous other RATS will begin drinking from the kool-aid offered. IMHO

[bert]

I think the Cheny reference is to the fact that he served as Secretary of Defense.

I won't argue whether this does or does not make him "militery"

[redhead]

Bump!

[Admin Moderator]

LOL! We'll add it to our Adm Mod profile

[Admin Moderator]

scroll to the bottom

[blackie]

GWB Is The Man!

Be Well - Be Armed - Be Safe - Molon Labe!

[BOBTHENAILER]

It's not Ali-Foreman, it's Gulliver against a hundred Lilliputians.

Thought this line might ring a bell.