Quote: chipolata @ January 14 2009, 4:31 PM GMTTell that to the Italians.
I did say "just about".
George Bush's last press conference Page 5
Quote: Curt @ January 14 2009, 4:29 PM GMT3) Just about any form of Proportional Representation A return to absolute monarchial rule is your best option.
Quote: zooo @ January 14 2009, 4:29 PM GMTYes it's true, I do hate all women, and like all men. :/
All the coloureds.
Nah, I'm scared of Bill Cosby. 
One.
Don't bring me into your weirdo race thing!
Quote: zooo @ January 14 2009, 4:43 PM GMTDon't bring me into your weirdo race thing!
Now come on, it's really funny.
Quote: chipolata @ January 14 2009, 4:25 PM GMTChelsea might yet make it into the White House as president. Or one of those sluttish Bush daughters.
Jeb Bush was a very popular governor and I wouldn't be surprised to see him as president in 2013/2017.
Quote: DaButt @ January 14 2009, 5:00 PM GMTJeb Bush was a very popular governor and I wouldn't be surprised to see him as president in 2013/2017.
Nah, I think George Bush is so unpopular he's probably tainted the Bush name forever. Even if Jeb is much smarter and would probably make a better president.
Shouldn't the president (and Prime Minister) be someone spectacular? Not just any bloke who would do, or who would be better than George W. Bush.
Why does that never happen?
Although some people seem to think Churchill was spectacular. (was he?)
Quote: zooo @ January 14 2009, 5:09 PM GMTShouldn't the president (and Prime Minister) be someone spectacular? Not just any bloke who would do, or who would be better than George W. Bush.
Why does that never happen?
Interesting question. I think the electoral system in all countries probably favours the mediocre and bland. The truly exciting and thrilling candiadates are too risky in the long run.
Quote: zooo @ January 14 2009, 5:09 PM GMTAlthough some people seem to think Churchill was spectacular. (was he?)
He was in war time.
Quote: zooo @ January 14 2009, 5:09 PM GMTShouldn't the president (and Prime Minister) be someone spectacular? Not just any bloke who would do, or who would be better than George W. Bush.
Why does that never happen?
Tony Blair was seen as exciting and spectacular in the mid 1990s.
Proof that it means f**k all in reality.
Quote: chipolata @ January 14 2009, 5:13 PM GMTHe was in war time.
Quote: chipolata @ January 14 2009, 2:29 PM GMTThe idea George Bush is quite articulate and it's the beastly press misquoting him is risible. Yes, he has moments of clarity but these moments are few and far between.
Nope, got to politely disagree. I'm only reporting what I saw and heard, live and unedited. What made me sit up was his performance at the press conference. I was expecting a clutz and instead got 50 minutes of wit, charm, and candour. And as I stated before I'm not really a fan of him (or Obama) but he turned in a solid performance that bettered anything I could hope to do. If he really is such a useless prat then over 50 minutes you'd expect the dope to emerge but it didn't.
The difference between my expectation and the reality of his performance was so vivid, it makes me question how I've gathered my impression of Bush (and others) through the years. Because the one time I actually watched him, outside of the news and edited clips, he completely usurped the way I see him. I'm not talking about content, or policy rights or wrongs, but the man.
What prompted me to post this thread were the follow-up news trailers that ignored a very slick public performance. Instead they focused on his 'howler' which was a deliberate and self-effacing joke, in the context of that session. But the media turned it into yet another Bush-ism. It kinda revealed to me how much influence an editorial policy can have on my perceptions of the world and a person.
Let's face it, after 8 years in power and nearly every sentence being recorded and analysed, any one of us could fill a book with howlers. Especially when the context is removed.
Rice or Colin could be ideal president material. Rice would be a real 'genre buster.'
Re: Churchill - as a person, not nice but as a statesman - I think it's no lie to say the whole free world (post-war) was saved by that one man and the way he embodied and galvanised a people.
Quote: SlagA @ January 14 2009, 5:26 PM GMTRe: Churchill - as a person, not nice but as a statesman - I think it's no lie to say the whole free world (post-war) was saved by that one man and the way he embodied and galvanised a people.
So where is this free world? Can you only see it if you put on special glasses?
Quote: SlagA @ January 14 2009, 5:26 PM GMTRe: Churchill - as a person, not nice
Ooh, what was he like as a person then?
Quote: Moonstone @ January 14 2009, 5:33 PM GMTSo where is this free world? Can you only see it if you put on special glasses?
Moonstone, I am so '1984' in my outlook on life that this sentence is inexplicable to me. I can't understand how I came to say it. I must have been brainwashed... I love Big Brother. I love Big Brother...