President's Bush's debate strategy bore the imprint of his mother,
Barbara. Again and again, Bush lectured Sen. John Kerry on basic precepts
of proper presidential discourse, in the fashion that his mother no doubt
once directed young children to speak politely and cheerfully to their
elders.
Kerry was faulted for disparaging other leaders and for suggesting within
earshot of American troops that the war they are fighting is ill
conceived and poorly executed. "You can't talk that way and be
president," Bush seemed to insist. Presidents must always speak
forcefully, with great conviction and certainty, hammering home one
unvarying message.
But no matter how frequently he invoked these precepts, President Bush
was unable to enact them in the debate. His own statements were
frequently inept and befuddled. Lapses and non-sequiturs punctuated his
answers. It is painful to imagine this president sitting down with world
leaders to conclude agreements to end nuclear proliferation or align
against terrorists. By his own standards, President Bush's discourse is
hardly presidential.
Helen Warren, South St. Paul.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5011510.html
--
Enkidu aa 2165
That wall, embodied in the First Amendment, is perhaps
America's most important contribution to political progress
on this planet.
Lowell Weicker
Republican Senator 1971-1989
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