George W. Bush isn't a big reader. We all know this. This is a well-established fact. He brags about it, in fact. When asked during his first run for President in 2000 what his favorite book was as a child, he responded "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," which wasn't published until he was in college.
So, for some reason, CNN has decided to run an article attempting to counter this image. They want you to believe that, because Bush has been talking a lot about Natan Sharansky's book "The Case for Democracy" that he's a real big time reader. It's pathetic.
Bill Clinton read widely and voraciously, sampling and skimming ideas like a whale does plankton. Bush is more particular, and when he locks onto a book, he shows his trademark discipline, almost always reading it to the last page. When Sharansky stopped by, Bush sheepishly pointed out in his copy that he was only up to page 211 --but said he would finish the remaining 92 pages soon.
Did you read that? He had the author come to visit him at the White House and he hadn't finished the book yet. And the book is under 325 pages total! And this is an article that's supposed to counter the popular notion of Bush as anti-intellectual. And, you've got to love the metaphor they chose for Bill Clinton: a whale gobbling up plankton. How dignified.
Also, this is a paragraph essentially praising our President for reading a fucking book. Has it really come to this? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy have held this office, and now we've got a major news source pissing themselves with glee because Curious George got through 3/4 of a paperback. I'm officially depressed.
The stupidity continues:
Soon after the attacks of 9/11, he read the Civil War history April 1865, and the example of Lincoln's strength left him even more convinced that he should not change direction.
"Lincoln set the goal and stayed the course," he wrote to author Jay Winik. "I will do the same."
You think author Jay Winik pointed out to our President that Lincoln's goal was the continued existance of the United States, not the random murdering of brown people? Also, I'm glad the President made time for Civil War history right after 9/11. You know, what with him not having time to read a newspaper. At least it's not "Dukes of Hazzard" re-runs 24/7, that's all I'm saying.
"...you've got to love the metaphor they chose for Bill Clinton: a whale gobbling up plankton. How dignified."
ReplyDeleteClinton was many things to many people but one thing he was not, was dignified.
"...random murdering of brown people...."
That is not true.
"You know, what with him not having time to read a newspaper."
The Old Press is starting to be obsolete, mainly because of its leftist bias.
Ugh. Once again, mynym, your arguments are not so much pursuasive as annoying.
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't Bill Clinton allowed dignity? Because he got a blowjob once? From someone who wasn't his wife? Haven't a whole lot of American men done that? And don't we afford most of them some level of dignity?
And as for your rejection of my "random murdering of browns" comment, there is no evidence that invading Iraq was anything other than random. You may WISH this were not true, but I don't take to denial much of my blog.
"Why isn't Bill Clinton allowed dignity?"
ReplyDeleteIt depends on what the definition of Bill Clinton is.
"Because he got a blowjob once?"
Once? He apparently did a lot more than that, with various women.
"Haven't a whole lot of American men done that?"
A "whole lot" of Americans have not had various affairs or used the Presidency of the United States in order to do so.
"And don't we afford most of them some level of dignity?"
Actually, in custody cases and the like their promiscuity can be used against them. But yes, they are afforded "some level" of dignity. But then, so is Bill Clinton.
"And as for your rejection of my "random murdering of browns" comment, there is no evidence that invading Iraq was anything other than random."
Your knowledge is stronger on pop-culture, you're actually a pretty good writer on it. I appreciate your movie reviews.
Hmmm, random? I thought it was about the oil, according to the MTVeee generation and pop-culture. Oil is black....and would you look at that, black people are black too! You seem to be avoiding that. Yeah, so why do you hate black people?
"You may WISH this were not true, but I don't take to denial much of my blog."
Wasn't it all just about the oil and Halliburton. That's not random. Here is the big secret, Dick Cheney has some alien allies who want to make Iraq a landing place for their space ship. Halliburton is just a front, you see. So it's not because anyone is brown, it's because of the aliens. Well, they might be racist aliens.
Damn those racist aliens!
Glad you like the movie reviews. And despite my tone in some responses, I'm glad you like the blog and come comment so often. But your political views are, to my mind, hopelessly naive. All those horrible things you're making fun of me for thinking about our government are true, 100% true. The CIA did sell crack to kids in the ghetto. Bush did go to the Middle East for personal reasons that have nothing to do with (1) oil (2) Halliburton or (3) WMD. And Bill Clinton was railroaded into impeachment based on ludicrous charges resting almost entirely on infidelity to his wife.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't care if Clinton had 100-person orgies while our President. He did a better job than Dubya, and that's all I care about.