 | Politics "wid" a taste of Philly, by Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News |
| Politics "wid" a taste of Philly, by Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News |
Apparently, there's a problem with the comment section of the blog (if that happens again, just email us at bunchw@phillynews.com and we'll try to do something about it!) Anyway, Paul Burka, the Texas Monthly executive editor whose Bush quote caused a bit of a stir in the last post, has written us with a clarification.
Here it is, unedited:
Well, of course, I was more specific, but the reporter didn't see fit to give my reasons. He asked me why Bush was drawn to Alberto Gonzales, since they came from such different backgrounds, Bush from privilege and Gonzales from poverty, and I said that Bush didn't see their relationship that way.
The reporter kept on asking the question, and finally I told him that Bush doesn't see himself as a child of privilege at all, he sees himself as having overcome disadvantages, just as Gonzales had, although different disadvantages. I told the writer that Ann Richards always said that Bush "was born on third and thinks he hit a triple," but that Bush doesn't see himself in that light at all. He sees himself as having had to struggle all his life. He wasn't thought of as smart, he didn't make good grades, he was rejected by the University of Texas law school, he was a playboy before he met Laura, and something of a ne'er do well afterward: he lost a congressional race, he didn't make it in the oil business, and he drank too much and goodness knows what else.
At age 40 he was the archetypal unsuccessful son of a successful father. Then he stopped drinking, overnight, and took control of his life, and no one did it for him. As I encountered him in his first 100 days as governor in 1995, you could see him evolving into a political force that Texas politics hadn't seen since LBJ, and for the first time in his life (except for marrying Laura) he was pleased with himself.
You may not agree with this self-image, but that's the way he sees himself. He was a nobody (even if he was the son of a president) who was headed nowhere, and he made himself into somebody. Certainly the advantages kicked in at some point--his name, his father's business and political network--but that was after he had turned his life around.
Thanks for writing, Paul. We didn't mean to sound harsh toward you but toward, well, you know.
I was pretty much agreeing with Burka - or at least seeing his side of things - but he lost me with the last line: "Certainly the advantages kicked in at some point--his name, his father's business and political network--but that was after he had turned his life around."
So, his family's influence played no part in Bush's Guard duty? His getting into Yale? Various bail-outs of his failing companies? Dodging various drug & alcohol related criminal charges? It seems to me, all these things (& many more) happened well before GW "turned his life around".
It's absurd to suggest Bush enjoyed no special privilege until after he straightened out. And to equate GW with LBJ? A "political force"? Even while trying to explain himself, Burka can't stop kissing Bush's ass. Pathetic.
Posted by: raff at January 6, 2005 05:16 PMThere are always two views for each of us. One is how we see ourselves and the other is how others see us.
Growing up as the heir apparent of a successful father can be very difficult. Many people don't realize that Donald Trump had an older brother that Donald's father groomed to take over the family business and grow it even bigger.
He drank himself to death. It was Donald, that became the wheeler dealer.
The strongest trees grow in the stongest winds. Those that grow in protected areas, are easily blown over by high winds.
Posted by: Ted at January 6, 2005 09:11 PMNone of that is an excuse for the president's former(?) poor self image to dictate policy or appointments.
To overcome obstacles means you OVERCOME them. Not live as a reactionary to them ie. he's unwilling to hear bad news or opposing views even from his own cabinet.
The biggest mistakes in his presidency seem to have encouraged him to promote the people who were responsible for those mistakes.
The people who dared to give him the correct advice?
They're now in private practice.
I would argue that we delegate the hiring and firing of cabinet positions to the president. I believe the president is judged on the policies he implements and how successful they are – not who he hires and fires. We do not micromanage the presidency.
I am results oriented, not process oriented. I don’t care if he hires Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and the three stooges, if he implements polices I think are moving the country forward.
But then, my politics are a little to the right of Attila the Hun.
Posted by: Ted at January 7, 2005 07:37 PMI must admit, this blogging is very fun.
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