I tried to watch our only president’s Phoenix speech a couple of times and couldn’t stomach it, but I ran across a quote in the Washington Post’s coverage and had to check it out to see if the written word accurately reflected the tone in which it was said. (Spoiler alert: It did.)
I did the same thing with the “That’s too bad” quote when that guy who lives in the White House was asked about the cargo ship collision with the USS John McCain. In that case, too, reality was just as bad as the text.
So here’s the Phoenix quote: “We’ve ended the war on beautiful, clean coal. And it’s just been announced that a second, brand-new coal mine where they’re going to take out clean coal, meaning they’re taking out coal, they’re gonna clean it, is opening in the state of Pennsylvania.”
The narrowly elected one was “completely misrepresenting what clean coal is,” as the Post reporter dryly noted.
What the hell? Are these the new mining jobs promised by our nimrod-in-chief? Legions of clock-punching workers armed with Ajax, sandpaper and paper towels, wiping down the coal?
American coal, buffed smooth like a baby’s bottom! So shiny you can see your reflection!
Please tell me, at least, that there’s an alternative universe where none of this is happening.