No substance, just a soap box for Dick to rewrite history. The clincher came when Schiffer asked, "10 Seconds, what is next for you?" With the usual smirk on his face the Vip replied "Don't know yet!". Well, I see Dubai and visits to Haliburton in his future.
Then I saw this article by Frank Rich titled: A President Forgotten but Not Gone.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/opinion/04rich.html?emc=eta1
Frank Rich is probably one the most intelligent commentators of our time. He gave a brilliant lecture about his book titled "Greatest Story Ever Sold" about the Iraq War and Bush Presidency and is not a ideologue who changes his stance easily based on the public opinion.
But using one of famous Bushisms, there are two things the article "misunder-represents" (I think the word Bush actually used was misunderestimate):
First, Rich actually assumes W was in fact in charge. A president that does not read news papers, does not use internet, or watch or listen to news was... well a puppet with strings pulled by those feeding him policies. Not once did this historical clown (whom the American people chose to put across the table from the likes of Putin, Blair, or Sharon) disagreed with the policies set forth by Rumsfeld and DICK Cheney.
Harsh? May be. But remember that the same people who chose Bush up, recommended and got Palin for VP. A woman with almost identical depth of experience as the shrub. Ignore the pedigree and she was the closest thing you would get to George W Bush except in skirts and lipstick.
Second, Bush is not a narcissist either. He may be a born failure, a pathological liar, an inarticulate ex-drunk, but not a narcissist. He had 4 failed businesses, and got bailed out thanks to his Dad and friends. He failed as a military person and not bothering to show up. As an academic, he did not get into a law school in Texas, but did get into Yale and Harvard Business School as a legacy and again thanks to his Dad. One may say that poor W arguably failed as a son. But hey, he excelled when he lied his way through it all -- a life unexamined and made for movies.
Lets also face it, to his credit in 2000 he started as a reluctant presidential candidate -- at least until George Schultz stopped by to visit. (Schultz, from my Alma Matre Stanford no less).
Bush did have an accomplishment too. He learned to speak English... weeeeell, almost so just give it to him as "the most improved" president.
Frank Rich is probably one the most intelligent commentators of our time. He gave a brilliant lecture about his book titled "Greatest Story Ever Sold" about the Iraq War and Bush Presidency and is not a ideologue who changes his stance easily based on the public opinion.
But using one of famous Bushisms, there are two things the article "misunder-represents" (I think the word Bush actually used was misunderestimate):
First, Rich actually assumes W was in fact in charge. A president that does not read news papers, does not use internet, or watch or listen to news was... well a puppet with strings pulled by those feeding him policies. Not once did this historical clown (whom the American people chose to put across the table from the likes of Putin, Blair, or Sharon) disagreed with the policies set forth by Rumsfeld and DICK Cheney.
Harsh? May be. But remember that the same people who chose Bush up, recommended and got Palin for VP. A woman with almost identical depth of experience as the shrub. Ignore the pedigree and she was the closest thing you would get to George W Bush except in skirts and lipstick.
Second, Bush is not a narcissist either. He may be a born failure, a pathological liar, an inarticulate ex-drunk, but not a narcissist. He had 4 failed businesses, and got bailed out thanks to his Dad and friends. He failed as a military person and not bothering to show up. As an academic, he did not get into a law school in Texas, but did get into Yale and Harvard Business School as a legacy and again thanks to his Dad. One may say that poor W arguably failed as a son. But hey, he excelled when he lied his way through it all -- a life unexamined and made for movies.
Lets also face it, to his credit in 2000 he started as a reluctant presidential candidate -- at least until George Schultz stopped by to visit. (Schultz, from my Alma Matre Stanford no less).
To me the real crime is to blame it all on a fool and a scape goat and letting people like Dick and Rove off the hook. This would be the greatest injustice and a total recipe for future disasters. History has proven it. It happened with Nixon, and Reagan (who tripled the US National Debt in 8 years -- a record, and then passed the disaster to Bush Sr.). People forgot, Fox News equivalents rewrote history, and we ended up with Dick and Rove in Washington.
Bush did have an accomplishment too. He learned to speak English... weeeeell, almost so just give it to him as "the most improved" president.
Lets teach our children power through justice and PEACE.
E
PS. OK sciences and Math first, but then power through justice and PEACE :-)
PS. OK sciences and Math first, but then power through justice and PEACE :-)
