[Newspoetry] Bush writes NewsPoetry

[DL Emerick]

>From President Bush Visits East Grand Rapids, Discusses Global War on Terror.
East Grand Rapids High School
East Grand Rapids, Michigan
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/04/20070420-6.html

THE PRESIDENT: Well, he is -- I don't know, I think he's concerned about his own
country's patience, first and foremost. He's having a tough time. I will give
you my take on patience. I think that if the American people fully understand
the stakes of failure, they'll understand why we're doing what we're doing. And
my own view of patience is that a President -- and I believe Tony Blair agrees
with this -- must make decisions on certain principles, and not try to chase
opinion polls. If you make decisions based upon the latest opinion poll, you
won't be thinking long-term strategy on behalf of the American people.
(Applause.) 

And Tony Blair understands that, as well. At least that's what I get from him.
That's -- when I talk to him, that's the impression I get. 

There weren't opinion polls when Abraham Lincoln was the President. Believe me,
I'm not comparing myself to him, but I just don't think a President like Abraham
Lincoln made a decision about whether all men were created equal based upon an
opinion poll. (Laughter.) Nor do I make an opinion about my strong belief that
freedom is universal, and there's no debate. I believe in the universality of
liberty, and I believe liberty has got the capacity to help transform parts of
the world into peaceful parts of the world. 

That's what I described to you at the end of -- what happened at the end of
World War II and at the end of the Korean conflict. I firmly believe in the
power of freedom, and I firmly believe that everybody wants to be free. As a
matter of fact, to take it a step further, I believe there's an Almighty, and I
believe a great gift to each man, woman and child in this world is freedom.
That's what I believe. It is a principle from which I will not deviate. 

People said to me -- the guy asked a question the other day, you don't like the
opinion polls and all that stuff -- I said, any politician who says they don't
want to be popular, you know -- you can't win if, like, 50-plus-one don't like
you for a moment. (Laughter.) You can't make your decisions, however, based on
something that just changes; it just, poof. And when it's all said and done, I
fully understand that some of the decisions I have made have created a lot of
national debate. But I want you to know something, that when I go home and look
in the mirror in Crawford, Texas, after my time, I will be able to have said, he
didn't change his principles to be the popular guy, you know, he stood for what
he believed. (Applause.)

 

Laughter and Applause greeted Mr. Bush latest ventures into NewsPoetic
remarkings, as part of the canned script, of course, all carefully planned and
executed.

Obviously, the laughter in the line "I'm not comparing myself to {Abraham
Lincoln} was well nigh universal, deeply felt and sadly felt to be all too true
- even though they both held the same job.

The most striking contrary to fact newspoetic remark of the President occurred
in this same context, of Lincoln, when Bush asserted he and Lincoln alike stood
up for principle.  He said Lincoln stood for the idea of freedom, holding that
all men were created equal, when critics wanted to end Mr. Lincoln's war.  In
fact, Mr. Lincoln said, of the war and such "principle", roughly this: "If I
could free some slaves, and end the war I would.  If I could free all of them,
and end the war, I would.  If I could end the war and free none of them, that I
would do as well."

The principles for which Mr. Lincoln appear to have stood were for peace and the
unity of the people.  This lesson, like most lessons of history, is subtly
mocked by the newspoetry of President Bush, every time Bush speaks.  Some may
say of President Bush that he is a liar, but I prefer to think of him as a hack
newspoet, advancing abstract values that no normal person would advance by the
outrageous means he uses to turn his words into the most frightful of realities.

 

 

 

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