Quote: SlagA @ January 14 2009, 5:26 PM GMTRice could be ideal president material.
I'd prefer chow mein.
George Bush's last press conference Page 6
Quote: SlagA @ January 14 2009, 5:35 PM GMT
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...
I'm free from that because there's no brain to wash 
Quote: zooo @ January 14 2009, 5:34 PM GMTOoh, what was he like as a person then?
IMO: He was a growler, belligerent, cantankerous (Aaron, spelling please?), prone to violent mood swings, alcohol abuse, depression-ridden, stubborn, but also witty and possessing a sharp mind that could cut through guff to the essential argument. Although his stubborness did cause problems (his continual obsession with the Balkans and the "soft underbelly of Europe" caused problems during and after the war) and his personality 'quirks' made him a sod to be around, but his bad qualities never really hindered his ability to lead. In some ways they added to his greater appeal. Hitler the never-wrong super-human versus Churchill the battered and flawed ordinary human. There was only going to be one winner, eh? 
In all he's one person you can use the phrase 'wonderfully flawed' about. Cf: Me. Flawed but not wonderful.
Quote: SlagA @ January 14 2009, 5:26 PM GMTNope, 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.
He reminded me of a kid from a Glade advert boasting about having a poo.
Ok there were no massive hilarious gaffes (shame).
But he was weasly, snidely semi apologetic and proof he's an insincere shit as oposed to a stupid shit.
Slagg I usually respect your judgement, but what in the hell were you watching?
It certainly wasn't the same show as mine.
The guy may be the worst democratic leader the world has ever suffered.
He's certainly one of the worst 100 human beings of the century.
I hope his dogs get rabies and eat him alive from the crotch outwards.
May he be forced to make an extreme porn film with Sadam whilst burning in hell.
Quote: SlagA @ January 14 2009, 5:46 PM GMTIMO: He was a growler, belligerent, cantankerous (Aaron, spelling please?), prone to violent mood swings, alcohol abuse, depression-ridden, stubborn
Sounds quite like me.
Spelling is correct.
You don't abuse alcohol!
That was the bit that dropped it from a pinpoint description to "quite".
Well, and you don't punch people either.
Well ... no. Not physically violent.
Quote: sootyj @ January 14 2009, 5:50 PM GMTSlagg what in the hell were you watching? It certainly wasn't the same show as mine.
Maybe I was watching a rerun of The Good Life? I have been getting confused lately.
Yay, I'm not alone... in being misguided and duped and gullible and...
**SlagA wanders off into the darkening night, alone, yet not alone, but still slightly sad (in the social context)**
Quote: SlagA @ January 15 2009, 7:47 PM GMTYay, I'm not alone... in being misguided and duped and gullible and...
**SlagA wanders off into the darkening night, alone, yet not alone**
In my humble opinion.... Bush is probably a fun and deeper person than most want to see. HOWEVER, I do not believe him to be all that bright in government and 100% believe that the side kick Dick and Papa Bush have made most decisions for him.
For that I detest him.
I read the article, yes he got some things right and bravo to him for doing a little to help out in Africa (and it is not a vast amount).
But the big stuff?