BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 05:35 PM

Amos: So true. The one transplanted Texan I know---"good ole boy" now who grew up in the Bronx with me tries to outdo the Texans at being a Texan. Even to the extent of overdoing an accent we all know one does not acquire when one moves to a place after the age of 12---this person did not move there until age 30.

       You will notice if you listen closely to Bush that the dialect and the expressions he uses change from audience to audience---whatever you like---he's got it for you. Sounds like snake oil salesmanship to me

Bill H

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: Amos
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 04:28 PM

of a phony Texan from Kennebunkport

A phony Texan from Kennebunkport brought up in Greenwish, Connecticut, isn't it?? The Texans I know want nothing to do with him, but they are the creme de la creme of intelligent Texans.


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: GUEST,Frank
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 04:26 PM

I have heard Kerry speak in person a couple of times and not as reported on the dubious journalism of the media. He has been forceful, clear, intelligible,sensible and forthright.

If the public is confused on what's going on in Iraq you can look to the leadership of the Bush Administration for obfuscating, confusing and lying to them.

The point is this, no one has the complete answer as to how to clean up Bush's mess. It doesn't require another Bush soundbyte but a policy that is flexible and not stubborn. Everyone is looking for easy answers. That seems to be the American way at the moment. Remember Bush says "We don't do nuance in
Texas." He speaks with the authority of a phony Texan from Kennebunkport who mangles his words to try to reach the "common people". His simplistic view of the world leads him to a failed policy in Iraq and four more years of him will make the matter worse. As they say in the stock market, no use throwing good money after bad.

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Sep 04 - 02:35 PM

It is important to remember that BillH. Every business venture Dumbya was ever involved in was set up through his father's surrogates, and he ran all of them into the ground.

It's shameful, what passes for leadership in the US, isn't it?

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 06:04 PM

Kerry may not be the most dynamic speaker, but, at least, he speaks in paragraphs and not in one liners.

Would that the public realize that a "nuanced" person rather than a speaker would make a good leader. Unfortunately, from observation on my part that is surely not a good cross section, I think that in the TV oriented age of soundbytes (I said all this before) that is what wins. We can only hope that in the debates Kerry can do to him--verbally--what Bentsen did to Quayle--who's intelligence was, to me, on a par with Bush.

Respect and not fear is what we should want from the rest of the world---and you don't get it by shooting from the hip. The hypocrisy of his lecture today at the UN is symbolic of his arrogance.

Philip Roth in an essay in the NY Times Book Review this past Sunday (re: his new book--The Plot Against America---nothing to do with 9-11 or such) ended with a great line which I paraphrase here re: Bush---"...someone who is not capable of running a grocery store we expect to be running our nation.....".



Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 05:49 PM

I don't think he is inept because of the polls. I have always felt he would make a poor president. And I saw him speak two weeks ago. He is an inept speaker. Pretty damn awful. It isn't just the media. It's him.

Also, the public is already totally confused as to what Kerry's position is on Iraq. It is highly questionable whether "coming on strong" in the final 6 weeks of the campaign, while being assaulted again and again with the charge from the Bush/Cheney bullypulpit with the charge of "flipflopping", will be enough at this point for him to win.

The Kerry camp only has a few more weeks to get the flipflopping thing to "unstick". Time enough to turn things around for him, but only if pretty much everything goes his way.

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: GUEST,Frank
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 04:03 PM

Those who think Kerry is inept because the polls (which don't really mean anything) have not been following his campaign. They see what they are allowed to see by the news media which have become so fearful that they give Bush a pass whenever they can.

Now, Kerry is starting to come on strong. His differences from Bush over how Iraq is to be handled are striking. His reputation in the world community is already vastly better than Bush and when he is president, America will be thought of as being a responsible nation once again.

Frank

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Sep 04 - 03:59 PM

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 20 Sep 04 - 08:54 PM

Afterthought!!   Bad sentence---acting like Lincoln. Would that he did---not just look like him.   


Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 20 Sep 04 - 08:35 PM

My point exactly.   Would that he stopped looking like Lincoln and acting like him.   Probably best if Edwards did most of the talking---charisma and a born killer and closer in an argument. Makes me happy to award that 2 million dollar settlement---or the vote.

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Sep 04 - 08:28 PM

Glad you enjoyed the piece. One of the problems with what is happening with the Kerry campaign right now is, the only people who seem to know the score aren't able to get Kerry on the right page with the American people. I honest to god never thought Kerry could blow the lead he had so effortlessly, and six weeks out, look so much like the loser. His ineptness steals the breath away.

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 20 Sep 04 - 05:21 PM

Excellent piece. Thanks for the link. Made me wish for the people who spoke in full paragraphs and had substantial things to say---Stevenson, JFK, and also some Republicans of times gone by.

Unfortunately our TV oriented society lives on sound bytes. Right up Geo. Bush's alley.   

I must agree with the point about being respected rather than feared (you don't have to be loved) and we should have found out from Viet Nam that we had best think of the dead on all sides---and stop trying to create other cultures in our image. They just try to do the same then---in reverse.


Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Sep 04 - 08:22 AM

Subject: BS: The Berry/Kush Quagmire
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Sep 04 - 04:25 PM

As is so often the case these days, the most accurate punditry seems to be coming from north of the border. From today's Toronto Star comes this deft article on the Berry/Kush Iraq quagmire plan.