Apropro nothing in particular, but I was checking out various blogs, as we are all wont to do, and on Salon, I came across a reference to a rightwing blogger who had spent 40 minutes in bush's company. Now, since I haven't yet found a rightwing blogger who wasn't an ultra rightwing hack who had drunk the koolaid, I was expecting him to be in awe of his "great leader." But, even prepared like that, I was awestruck by what I found. I hate to link to the guy because he is clearly deranged and obviously any extra views will just encourage him. But, still, it is really beyond expectations what his blog on his visit spewed.
Having been a big Clinton supporter, I would expect that if I had had 40 minutes in Clinton's presence in the Oval office, I would be excited. (Hey, now, try to keep the sleezy stuff out of your minds!) But, I still believe that I would have been able to keep his fallabilities somewhere in my mind. This guy, obviously, is so far gone that he would given bush a BJ, if he was alone with him. As it is, I'm sure that bush
farted in his face and he liked it.
I read this like I was reading a train wreck. I had this voice in my head begging me to stop. That it was going to be very ugly. That bad things were going to happen. But, I had to keep reading. I had no choice. I had to follow through to the absolute conclusion. And, it was worse than I expected. Which, considering I do make it a habit to go read these rightwing blogs occasionally, and they are very scary, is hard to do.
Here's the link, if you feel you must -> Rightwing hack blog entry
I had the opportunity this afternoon to be part of a relatively small group who heard President Bush talk, extemporaneously, for around forty minutes. It was an absolutely riveting experience. It was the best I've ever seen him. Not only that; it may have been the best I've ever seen any politician. If I summarized what he said, it would all sound familiar: the difficult times we live in; the threat from Islamic fascism--the phrase drew an enthusiastic round of applause--the universal yearning for freedom; the need to confront evil now, with all the tools at our disposal, so that our children and grandchildren can live in a better and safer world. As he often does, the President structured his comments loosely around a tour of the Oval Office. But the digressions and interpolations were priceless.
The conventional wisdom is that Bush is not a very good speaker. But up close, he is a great communicator, in a way that, in my opinion, Ronald Reagan was not. He was by turns instructive, persuasive, and funny. His persona is very much that of the big brother. Above all, he was impassioned. I have never seen a politician speak so evidently from the heart, about big issues--freedom, most of all.
I've sometimes worried about how President Bush can withstand the Washington snake pit and deal with a daily barrage of hate from the ignorant left that, in my opinion, dwarfs in both volume and injustice the abuse directed against any prior President. (No one accused Lincoln of planning the attack on Fort Sumter.) Not to worry. He is, of course, miles above his mean-spirited liberal critics. More than that, he clearly derives real joy from the opportunity to serve as President and to participate in the great pageant of American history. And he sees himself as anything but a lame duck, which is why he is stumping for Republican candidates around the country.
It was, in short, the most inspiring forty minutes I've experienced in politics.
One can only laugh at such a pathetic fool. And, laugh at him, I did. Again and again. It makes one wonder how low an IQ must be to be able to hold these "thoughts" in one's head.