WP: The Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Now the Bushes

[kskiska]

Second Term Firmly Establishes a Dynasty and Eases Sting of '92 Loss

Monday, January 17, 2005; Page A01

Amid the celebration and crowds of Inauguration Day came a surprisingly intimate moment between father and son. As John F. Kennedy's parade passed the reviewing stand where Joseph P. Kennedy was watching, the new president looked up and tipped his hat -- a gesture of affection and gratitude to the patriarch who had dreamed for years of putting a son in the White House.

Forty-four years later, as President Bush prepares to launch his second term, it might be the father who should tip his hat to the son.

One of the 43rd president's achievements in winning reelection, according to Bush family friends and historians, is to ease the sting of the 41st president's failure to do so a dozen years earlier. The president's victory also establishes firmly a fact that earlier was open to dispute: The Bushes now belong in the top tier of political families in U.S. history.

(snip)

In the Time interview, the former president said he bridles at periodic speculation that he is at odds with his son on policies -- speculation that was fueled anew this month when his former national security adviser, Brent Scowcroft, with whom the 41st president remains close, struck a pessimistic note about the course of events in Iraq. The senior Bush also said "perhaps the most hurtful" aspect of having his son in the White House is commentary suggesting "he's dumb, that he's some know-nothing cowboy from Texas."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14032-2005Jan16.html

[candy331]

1. How long before the msm folds? crap, crap, crap. n/t

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. The Whorington Post is pure crap to compare the....

Roosevelt's and Kennedy's to the Bush Family! The Bush's have done nothing for America. All they have done is steal and steal!

:mad:

[whistle]

3. The Bush family can in no way be compared to the Roosevelt

...and Kennedy families. The articles further claims:

<snip>

"The Bushes are not a very charismatic family," said Victor Gold, a veteran political hand who has been friendly with the family for three decades and helped the 41st president write his memoirs. "When you are around them, you don't get the feeling of a political family the way you do with the Kennedys. . . . There's no glamour, and they do not market themselves that way."

The result is that this president, while inspiring enormous devotion among his supporters, has not transcended politics and infused a certain image and style into the culture in the way that predecessors such as Kennedy or Ronald Reagan managed to do. "His cult of personality is his plainness," said Bert A. Rockman, a political scientist at Ohio State University who has edited an academic book about the Bush presidency. Although the Bushes are a wealthy family, the image they project is that of a "middlebrow family -- this may be a big part of the appeal."

That's correct, the Bush family seems to reflect the succession of Roman Emperors following Augustus Ceasar with Poppa Bush having the role (and the diseased look) of Tiberius, while Dubya has all of the glamour and personality of Caligula. By logical extrapolation shouls Jeb make a bid for the highest office in the land, I'm sure we will see Nero incarnate! Jeb fiddles while Washington burns.

<links to these Roman Emperors short bios and history>

http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/tiberius-index.html

http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/caligula.html

http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/nero.html

[cornermouse]

6. "plainness"? Dubya?

I always considered it stupidity. His dad is much smarter than he is.

Edit: Hmm... Maybe he got his brains from Barbara...

[Cooley Hurd]

8. The Roosevelts shouldn't be considered a dynasty...

The Hyde Park and Oyster Bay Roosevelts were far from close. In fact, almost all of TR's children (Kermit excluded - he remained friendly to FDR and his first cousin Eleanor) vehemently opposed all of FDR's campaigns, from his VP run in 1920, to NY Governor in 1928 and 1930, to all of his presidential runs.

TR and FDR's children never fared well in politics on their own...

[leesa]

14. They just pull it out of their asses, don't they??

"you don't get the feeling of a political family the way you do with the Kennedys." EVERYTHING the Bushes do is political. They live and breathe politics.

What crap!

[Wilms]

4. I love this snip...

-snip-

The senior Bush also said "perhaps the most hurtful" aspect of having his son in the White House is commentary suggesting "he's dumb, that he's some know-nothing cowboy from Texas."

-snip-

Well, we have news for GHW*, having his son, a dumb, know-nothing cowboy from Texas, in the White House is perhaps the most hurtful thing to a lot of people.

[burn the bush]

5. shouldn't you have put some kind of warning in the title

jeeesh...it made me ill. I wasn't prepared for it.

[Art_from_Ark]

7. This is the kind of stuff a pelican feeds its kids

and then comes out the other end
:puke:

[Thor_MN]

9. commentary suggesting "he's dumb, that he's some know-nothing cowboy from

Texas.

If the shoe fits, dumbass.

[Strawman]

10. the truth hurts, doesn't it, Poppy?

it's like he's saying it would be so much sweeter if the kid wasn't an absolute dumbass.

[sidpleasant]

11. OK, he's a know - nothing cowboy from Connecticut, not Texas

Does that make you feel better now, Poppy Bush?

[Catchawave]

12. Poppy reads DU ?

You certainly don't see those comments made in the MSM...LOL.

[Redstone]

13. Well, the father should have had someone

steal the elections for him like the son did. Then he wouldn't have the "sting" of losing.

Redstone

[glitch]

15. Remember the author's name: John F. Harris

sounds like Judith Miller. Perhaps they went to the same school.

[Zenlitened]

16. Dynasties are not measured simply in years. n/t

[Catfight]

17. THe Bush's are from Germany, they have dictatorship in their veins. nt/

[Canuckistanian]

18. One of these things is not like the others...

Everybody sing!

[Megahurtz]

19. What a joke.

:puke:

[indepat]

20. Being labeled "dumb" and "some know-nothing cowboy" might not be so bad

when considering the litany of other labels posterity might well heap upon him, but the proof, so to speak, will be in the pudding he will have cooked up. But dumb he ain't likely to be known.