Thinking it over, I have come to the tentative conclusion that Bush’s greatest virtue as a two term president of the United States of America was his verbal dyslexia.Huh?
I ask readers to imagine for a minute what it would have been like if a president with Bush’s character, values, instincts and agenda had had the silver tongue and soaring rhetoric of a Barack Obama.
Doesn’t really bear thinking about, does it?
Now we have a president with the silver tongue and soaring rhetoric of a Barack Obama: we have Barack Obama.
We still don’t have a very clear or precise idea what his character, values, instincts and agenda are yet, because he has only been in public life for a short time and during the campaign he ably triangulated his positions.
But, of course, in time, we will.
Perhaps it is just as well.
In my opinion the USA is presently in “Humpty Dumpty” mode, where “all the King’s horses and all the King’s men” etc, etc. And with Barack Obama, at least this shattered mishagoss will be packaged with elegance and taste.
For it is one thing to hear Paul Anka sing, “I did it my way” and quite another to hear Frank Sinatra sing it. It’s still the same tacky song, but something of the depth and saudade of the world’s greatest saloon singer puts it over.
F’yaknowhaddamean. DS
4 comments:
You seem to have accepted the notion of George Bush as the actual, and not the virtual principal. Twice in my lengthy life Republicans have put forward a relative simpleton who was then elected twice and manipulated like a ragdoll by shrewder men. I see no sign that this could be the case with Obama, and the virtue of all this might be that at least we'll have a (virtual) notion of the origin of policy.
I think Bush is more complex then many of his detractors, of whom I am of the most vehement, give him credit for. Without getting too deep into psychobabble, I see a dry, but untreated, alcoholic with very dark, destructive impulses. He naturally is repelled by introspection of any sort. His problems are too close to the surface to bear looking at closely
His verbal dyslexia should not be confused with stupidity... he is a very cunning politician, as all those who have run against him have learned.
I repeat that I think it is his inner destructiveness that have led him and the rest of the world down this path. He has destroyed his family's good name: former president, senator, governor. He has destroyed his country's good name. He has destroyed its economy and thousands of lives.
If he were just dumb he couldn't have done so much, I don't think.
The Bush family had a good name? I realize W. has made his dad look better in retrospect,but his father was quite as cunning and conscience - free as the son.
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200901/hitchens-obama
I'm assuming you've read this article...
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