World News Trust: They’re Just Not That Into You, George (Mary Lyon)

[Tace]

Mary Lyon, On The Left -- World News Trust

Jan. 18, 2009 -- Mr. Bush, you shouldn’t have bothered. It wouldn’t have mattered what you said on your last Thursday evening as White House occupant. I’m sure many Americans did tune in out of curiosity as to how you were going to try to talk your way out of your mess this time. You used the same familiar tricks -- that right eyebrow cocking in unison with just a trace of smirk, suggesting that this is just all kinda funny and, hey, there were a few little bumps in the road but so what? Love me anyway. It didn’t work. The results, not surprisingly, were underwhelming. Thirteen minutes of “I did TOO do a good job” loaded with vague nothings, every sentence of which made you stop, scratch your head, and say “huh???”

It really made me stand back a moment and marvel. The final public address by the man departing the Oval Office, especially after eight long years there, ought to have received a bigger fanfare. For example, although we were pretty tired of Ronald Reagan too, by the end, people still made a big deal out of his finishing touches. Quite the opposite for the feckless Dubya, except maybe among the dwindling number of denial-steeped extremists who still love him, of course. I couldn’t help noting how decisively his important farewell speech sank from the top of the average evening newscast -- almost faster than that US Airways jet sank out of the sky into the Hudson River. Irrelevance, anyone?

There’s a reason why we couldn’t, and still can’t, get enough of that other story. What a stark contrast with the cool-headed, well-trained, veteran pilot/hero and every last one of his passengers’ swift and successful rescue. How many other happy endings have we had in the past eight years, anyway? Do we even remember what a happy ending is -- after Junior’s reign of terror? It was certainly a dramatic and wonderful story, and what could have been another dreadful tragedy turned into an inspiring saga of bravery, quick wits, razor-sharp expertise, rapid and effective response, and a firm hand at the cockpit controls. When have we seen THAT in the past eight years -- from the gang that not only couldn’t shoot straight (unless it was at the face of a quail-hunting buddy) but prized disengagement, neglect, ideological purity over competence, thievery, and corruption?

This one didn’t have to be spun anywhere by anybody, for a change. This triumph didn’t need any fix-it strategies or PR or hard-sell or agenda-driven talking points to convince that this was some sort of clean victory. When have we had one of those in the past eight years -- besides perhaps the Obama triumph in November? Certainly neither of Bush’s election “wins” was clean, or unquestionable.

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http://www.worldnewstrust.com/wnt-reports/commentary/they%E2%80%99re-just-not-that-into-you-george-mary-lyon.html

[Old Codger]

1. Hear Hear n/t

[FrenchieCat]

2. My sentiments, precisely!

Thanks! :thumbsup:

[Kahuna]

3. Wow! She certainly nailed my sentiments..

:applause:

[JeffR]

4. That was excellent.

As I knew it would be.

[DemReadingDU]

5. Excellent read

Thank you!


:applause:

[bleever]

6. I agree with the pretty lady.

Very nice job of contrasting the "broken-shoulder speech" with the Miracle on the Hudson.

And I like the rhetorical twists, like how regulatory protections were "short sheeted", and the reprise of "guys -- and gals".

Incisive and poetic all at the same time.