The Mensch Gap, Paul Krugman, NY Times, 2/20/2006

[Coastie for Truth]

<<<snip>>>
.... ....
Where have all the mensches gone? The character of the administration reflects the character of the man at its head. President Bush is definitely not a mensch; his inability to admit mistakes or take responsibility for failure approaches the pathological. He surrounds himself with subordinates who share his aversion to facing unpleasant realities. And as long as his appointees remain personally loyal, he defends their performance, no matter how incompetent. After all, to do otherwise would be to admit that he made a mistake in choosing them. Last week he declared that Mr. Leavitt is doing, yes, "a heck of a job."

But how did such people attain power in the first place? Maybe it's the result of our infantilized media culture, in which politicians, like celebrities, are judged by the way they look, not the reality of their achievements. Mr. Bush isn't an effective leader, but he plays one on TV, and that's all that matters.

Whatever the reason for the woeful content of our leaders' character, it has horrifying consequences. You can't learn from mistakes if you won't admit making any mistakes, an observation that explains a lot about the policy disasters of recent years — the failed occupation of Iraq, the failed response to Katrina, the failed drug plan.

Above all, the anti-mensches now ruling America are destroying our moral standing. A recent National Journal report finds that we're continuing to hold many prisoners at Guantánamo even though the supposed evidence against them has been discredited. We're even holding at least eight prisoners who are no longer designated enemy combatants. Why? Well, releasing people you've imprisoned by mistake means admitting that you made a mistake. And that's something the people now running America never do.

[Inland]

1. Bush is a mensch in the same way he's a vet and a conservative

All poses, no reality.

[Coastie for Truth]

2. No. Two other Yiddish words are better

Gunniff

Schmuck

[Hand]

3. Goyisch meshuggana. Yutz. Nogoodnik. nt

[cdsilv]

4. I'd prefer 'putz'.

Read or listen to Jimmy Carter's latest book - "Our Endangered Values".

Jimmy really lays it out. BushCo has destroyed america, by using 'Fundamentalist Christian Beliefs", instead of true christian values. The Bushies don't believe in thought, they only believe in faith or belief. Therefore they are disconnected with reality.

In truth, they only believe in money (mammon). They only believe in feathering their and their wealthy friends/famlies, nests. The hell with the american public. We only exist as a serf class.

Whether or not we have a 'stated' state religion is truly moot. We have one now in fact - a fundamentalist state religion, enshrined in our political reality which is attempting to hasten the apocalypse by waging war in the mideast - specifically around Jerusalem.

I am truly appalled at this.

Can we stop the idiots? I don't know. I do know that if I did not have familial ties here in the US, I would be out of here.

The course we are on reminds me of Robert Heinlein's 'Interrugnum' series of stories where the US gets taken over by 'prophets', starting with Nehemiah Scudder, an evagelical fundamentalist Christian.

God save us, because it looks like we are unwilling to save ourselves (the sheep that we are....).

[MurrayDelph]

7. Not "putz": "petsele"

or "Schmendrick"

[OneBlueSky]

5. "how did such people attain power in the first place?" . . .

um . . . they stole it? . . .

[Hand]

6. Here's another link to the full article:

http://www.topplebush.com/oped2549.shtml

[Wordie]

8. OK, Coastie...for the non-Yiddish speakers here, could you please define

the terms used in this thread.

I do seem to remember enough Yiddish to think that one poster used quite a dirty one - you can skip over that it if you like. :)

"Meshugana" means "crazy person," doesn't it?

[Coastie for Truth]

9. Meshugana means crazy person.

A gunniv is a crook - or a fst dealer (at one time, in the 1930's, a "gunniv" was a short basketball player who scored baskets by running around and shooting around the tall guys).

[Wordie]

10. OK...

but what is a mensch? I think I kinda know, but I wouldn't be able to define it. (Kinda crucial for understanding the article.)

[Coastie for Truth]

11. A person of honesty, integrity, generosity, and gentleness --

who makes you feel good just being near them.

Poliically, "mensch" conjures up Paul Wellstone and Hubert Humphrey.

[Demeter]

12. Actually, I Have Doubts that The BushBots and BushCo Flunkies Are Even

human. Or American.