Newsweek: Tale of Two Presidents

[Pirate Smile]

Tale of Two Presidents

Five difficult years in office have left the White House straining under the weight of its own contradictions. That was abundantly clear in the State of the Union address.

WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY
By Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey
Newsweek
Updated: 11:28 a.m. ET Feb. 1, 2006

Feb. 1, 2006 - The State of the Union was a tale of two presidents. One was gracious about his opponents, seeking common ground for the sake of the nation’s future. The other accused his critics of being isolationists, pacifists, protectionists and unpatriotic.
One wanted the downfall of tyrants and dictators; the other wanted the downfall or transformation of elected governments in Iran and the Palestinian territories.

-snip-
One was determined to promote America as the world leader in science; the other was determined to put strict limits on human-embryo research—restrictions that other countries have rejected.
Both presidents are of course one and the same: the often inspirational, often self-contradicting, George W. Bush. Democrats frequently mistake this split personality as some kind of giant game of bait-and-switch. But it’s more accurate to think of it as the gap between Bush’s idealistic self-image as a leader, and his realistic desire to do whatever it takes to win.

Part of President Bush genuinely wants to be fiscally responsible. Another part of him sorely wants to skewer Democrats on taxes in 2008 if they try to let his tax cuts expire. Part of President Bush genuinely wants to lead a harmonious and united nation in the long battle against Islamist terrorists. Another part of him sorely wants to silence his Democratic critics and portray them as weaklings in November.

Judging by their dozy response, the Democrats are ready to play their part. Many House Democrats on Tuesday could barely focus while their rival-in-chief was delivering his script for unseating them in the fall. Near the back of the chamber, Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Dem from New York, worked on a crossword puzzle as Bush made his way to the podium. Once Bush was on stage, Weiner and several of his colleagues broke out their BlackBerrys and spent most of the speech scrolling through e-mails and muttering to each other under their breaths, prompting Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi to hush them at one point.

-snip-
Whether his party is in top form or not, Bush is returning to familiar ground in this election year. It’s not just the substance of energy independence or health savings accounts. It’s the style of his politics. In two election cycles, President Bush’s combination of soaring rhetoric and street-fighting politics has resulted in victory at the polls. Now President Bush will use the same strategy to fight the 2006 elections—by calling for bipartisan support for the war on terror, while kneecapping Democrats as defeatist simpletons.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11126201/site/newsweek/

[bluestateguy]

1. Another "How can Bush come back?" story from the whore media.

"Jim, what can President Bush do to turn it around?"

"Tom, how can President Bush regain is popularity with the American people?"

"Wolf, what does President Bush need to do to re-connect with the American people again?"

As if Bush failing in the polls is somehow supposed to be a bad thing, and that we should all be rooting for him to succeed. Well, I'm very honest about wanting him to fail, Fail, FAIL in everything that he does. That's no different than what the Right wanted for Bill Clinton for 8 years.

[unblock]

2. no, the right didn't want clinton to fail

they wanted to impose failure on him.
they wanted to sabotage him.
they wanted to destroy his reputation.
THEY wanted the credit for all this.

clinton failing -- on his own, without being shoved into failure by the banana republicans -- would have been rather disappointing to them. those who seek vengeage (in this case for his crime of defeating bush 41) feel the need to actively deliver the harm that would befall their target.

[Catfight]

3. Agreed, the media whores for Bush are exposed. Most everyone

I know don't even watch bush anymore, we've all completely resorted to web news for current events. Once bush nominated Harry-et Myers and then SAlito it was over for me. I could care less what happens to bush, he isn't my president and the sooner he's out the better. You can't make a villain popular, bush and condisleezy are both arrogant anti-american power hungry, rich beyond belief liars.

[Joe Fields]

4. Pardon me, but I don't give a rats anus about analyzing him.

I'll leave that to Dr. Phil. I just want the sonofabitch thrown unmercifully out of office and in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, where he and his cronies belong.

[KoKo]

5. Puff Peace/Aplologia saying: You MUST SUCCUMB TO your Emperor!

What else can one expect from Newsweak....

[Beetwasher]

6. Heh? NOTHING ABOUT CHIMPY IS GENUINE!!!

This article gives Chimpy WAAAAAY too much benefit of the doubt. He does NOT want to be "genuinely fiscally responsible" or "genuinely want to lead a harmonious and united nation in the long battle against Islamist terrorists."

I call bullshit.

[ProSense]

7. This is such BS!

Bush is gracious about his opponents: the isolationists, pacifists, protectionists and unpatriotic (terrrrts enablers).