Author Topic: "An American Tragedy"  (Read 2909 times)

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yellow_crane

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Re: "An American Tragedy"
« Reply #15 on: August 12, 2007, 11:36:02 PM »
The art of overkill -- Michael's forte -- is on full display in his previous post to me here. These wackos (much o the time), which clearly includes Lanya as well, have to be chastened or expurged before we enter a critical election phase. But as the lines are now drawn in this post, the segment of the "reality spectrum" appears as it should to the independent observer, the internecine Democratic agony over killing our own (Bush and his followers) or making peace for unity and progress's sake in the face of a palpable set of external threats.

gipper

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Re: "An American Tragedy"
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2007, 04:20:07 PM »
Mea culpa.

_JS

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Re: "An American Tragedy"
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2007, 05:03:28 PM »
Quote
he is a man who rose to a great position at what proved to be a crucial time, was unmatched for it, tried manfully (within his limits) and failed miserably. Like Johnson. The Civil Rights Act etc. were just illustrations of goodness in the face of a far worse fuck-up, not by any means intended to be read (other than by a political hack of no intellectual distinction) as a judgment on GWB's character, the point of the comments

I think there are similarities to be sure, but unfortunately for Bush he neither had the agenda, ability, or wherewithal to make the historically memorable and parallel legislation to LBJ's Civil and Voting Rights Acts. I do not say that with ill intent, but just simple fact. He'll be noted for adding the prescription drug benefit to Medicare I suppose. No Child Left Behind is known as a disaster by Governors that have had to implement it. Some of it may be saved. He worked hard to privatize part of social security and failed badly even within his own party.

I think that he and Johnson suffered from the same view of American military invincibility and lack of care or understanding for the people they were fighting against. As history has shown (over and over again - even Sun Tzu recorded it) this is a very dangerous way to set foreign policy.

Tragic figures? Or leaders who made their own beds and had to lie in them? I'm not sure that your post doesn't raise a good question opposed to making a simple statement.

As for calling Lanya names and purging parties...I'll show myself out.
I smell something burning, hope it's just my brains.
They're only dropping peppermints and daisy-chains
   So stuff my nose with garlic
   Coat my eyes with butter
   Fill my ears with silver
   Stick my legs in plaster
   Tell me lies about Vietnam.

Religious Dick

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Re: "An American Tragedy"
« Reply #18 on: August 14, 2007, 12:06:10 PM »
George Bush as Clyde Griffiths? Saddam Hussein as Roberta Alden?

Meh.
I speak of civil, social man under law, and no other.
-Sir Edmund Burke