Letters to the Editor
anonny
Published Letters: 124 Editor's Choice: 13
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Bush as figurehead
[Read the article: What "truly motivates" George W. Bush?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The question of what motivates Bush is probably moot. All evidence indicates that he personally is not the force behind the policies and actions of his administration. So attempting to explain those policies and actions in terms of what motivates him is an exercise in futility.
First, consider what we know of Bush the person, based on insider accounts of his administration and of his public appearances -- especially his occasional responses to unscripted questions. The insiders report that Bush is generally a non-contributor in White House meetings, and that when he does speak it is only in general slogans. That there is no depth of understanding or analysis, or interest in same. Then, when one analyses his responses to unscripted questions about, for example, why we invaded Iraq, his answers are not only on an elementary school level, but his manner as though he were talking to a small child. The indication is that this is how these points were explained to him.
So, we know Bush isn't the person making the decisions. His handlers have apparently convinced him that he is some kind of hero, leading an army of good against and army of evil, and he seems to enjoy that role. But unlike Reagan, who also had elements of being a figurehead, there is no evidence that Bush ever asserts himself over his two most trusted advisers: Cheney and Rove.
The question, instead, should be what "truly motivates" those who make the decisions for Bush? That is a complex story. On the one side there is Cheney, who's worldview, based on his written and spoken statements over the decades, is one with a bias towards using military force to assert dominance and to secure what he sees as U.S. interests. His long tenure in the energy industry certainly influences his thinking about the importance of the middle eastern energy reserves. He's also very comfortable with a highly stratefied society, and has never shown even the slightest interest in human rights (consider his vote against the resolution condemning apartheid in the 1980s).
Rove, on the other hand, does not have a history of interest in foreign policy, but does have a long history of successful dirty politics. I say this not as an accusation, but really as a statement of fact -- and his personality is such that he probably would not only agree with that assessment, but be proud of it. As some of the first term Bush administration insiders have indicated, the Bush administration has no policy mechanism, everything is evaluated based on the political equation. Certainly this is by Rove's design.
Together, Cheney and Rove have made a team, and apparently divided the power reigns roughly along the lines of foreign (Cheney) and domestic (Rove). Bush is just their front man.
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Businessmen? Handshake deals? Not in the real world.
[Read the article: Enemies everywhere]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Businessmen, in my experience, are generally more idealistic than politicians. Businessmen really do make deals with a handshake.
This statement reveals a shockingly deep ignorance of the world.
When I was in business school there were a few students who had just received their undergrad degrees and had essentially no work experience. They would make statements like the above and the rest of us would just smile at each other.
In my business we spend a tremendous amount of time nailing down the legal details of contracts because on our planet -- Earth -- businessmen (and women) lie and break promises incessantly.
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Interesting reaction
[Read the article: Paul Krugman criticizes Obama supporters]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wow ... interesting to see how people who usually would be 100% behind Krugman suddenly turn on him when he says something they disagree with.
You can be sure that your negative comments about Krugman's credibility will be cited by rightwinger's for years to come in their efforts to discredit him.
For the record I am pro-Clinton and pro-Obama. I think Obama would probably be a better President, I'm not sure who is more "electable" (these things are hard to predict so far out), and am hoping for a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket.
But I think Krugman's point is on target. Yes, it is true that at the grass roots you can find irrational supporters on both sides. And it is also true that the elite in both campaigns have taken unfair pot shots at the other. However, the Obama campaign's elites have taken to embracing the right winger's anti-Clinton distortions on issues such as the LBJ comment, and *that* is the problem Krugman mentions.
For, as of now, the right wing has been relatively mild about Obama (the notable exception being the email and whisper campaign about Obama being a secret Muslim) while being their usual venomous selves about Clinton. In fact, many right wingers have been positively complementary about Obama. This won't last, of course. If Obama gets the nod as either the President or VP nominee he'll get the full brunt of the right wing Swift Boat machine.
IMHO (and in Krugman's too), it is important that Obama's close friends not feed the right wing attack machine against Clinton, but instead create a united front by repudiating such attacks.
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Avoid close games
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well, I'm all in favor of improved officiating (tennis, for example, is much more enjoyable now that bad calls have been almost eliminated), but perhaps the real lesson here is for great teams to put games away early and avoid close finishes. If the game is close then any fluke can decide it.
Consider the Patriots. For years they got away with winning big games by 3 point margins. But in their *most important game ever* they lost by 3 following perhaps the most unlikely catch in the history of the Super Bowl. If they'd found a way to win big, instead of by the skin of their kicker's foot, perhaps they'd be celebrating 19-0 right now.