Bush (SOTU): "The forced jollity of a game show host"

[kskiska]

By Tom Shales

We like a confident president, but we don't like a cocky president, and George W. Bush had too many moments of cockiness last night as he delivered his third State of the Union address to both houses of Congress and the viewing nation. Often the words of the speech were written to sound lofty, but Bush had such a big Christmas-morning grin on his face that they came out sounding like taunts -- taunts to the rest of the world or taunts to Democrats in the hall.

(snip)

The speech was pretty much so-so, and Bush's gung-ho delivery -- something approaching the forced jollity of a game show host -- lacked dignity and certainly lacked graciousness. Bush has never been big on those things anyway.

(snip)

Over on the Fox News Channel, Fred Barnes, sounding as if he had walking pneumonia, allowed as how he'd heard George W. Bush deliver many an important and eloquent speech over the years, "and this was not one of them." It takes courage to say something like that on the Fox News Channel, normally a Bush cheering section. Someone noted that Bush is considered a master of the half-hour speech and State of the Union 2004 had dragged on for twice that length.

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[alfredo]

1. Glad someone on the news channels noticed how much

his speech sucked.

[ramapo]

2. Inappropriate Grinning

I watched some of the speech and was struck by Bush's grinning. It was beyond the usual smirk. It really seemed inappropriate.

I was watching ABC's coverage. Right after the speech Jennings remarked how Bush had become such a master at delivery over the past three years. Perhaps he wasn't so good in the beginning but he's "got it" now and nobody can argue that. Barf....

[Aristus]

3. What the hell has happened to Jennings?

He used to be a fair journalist, even leaning a bit to the left.

What happened?

Does Richard Mellon Scaife have black-and-white grainy photos of PJ with a goat?

[asjr]

4. To me, what it all

boils down to is the speech was about himself--not about the country. It was another chance to swagger to the podium and present himself as cock of the walk. And it showed. I didn't watch the speech, but the networks presenting portions of it justified my feelings.

[Bandit]

5. "Bush is considered a master of the half-hour speech "

Can anyone in America actually believe this line of BS. Bush* is the most inarticulate man to ever hold the presidency and they are claiming he is a "Master of speech giving" I guess the bolder the lie the more apt people will say it must be true because no-one would be so lame as to utter such an complete and total untruth.:puke:

[Stephanie]

6. NYTimes, banner headline: "Bush, Somber and Determined, Stresses War

Against Terror"

What speech were THEY watching. That headline is so propagandist I feel sick. Have they no standards? Are you allowed to editorialize in front page headlines??