Maybe they don't usually write about these things or put them on TV -- or maybe we've long ago tuned them out. I don't think most of us have a proper appreciation of how completely whacked out the man with his finger on the nuclear trigger is these days. From CBS News:
The man is obviously off his rocker. He scares me, appropriately I think.
"Bush: I'm Still Here!" ... He dismissed concerns about lack of political progress in Iraq, saying people there are still recovering from the brutal rule of Saddam Hussein. Then, pounding his lectern, the president said, "I heard somebody say, 'Where's Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas." The actual former South African president, of course, is still very much alive. ...
Ken Herman of Cox Newspapers, who's covered Mr. Bush since before he became governor of Texas, put it to him: "Mr. President, for Republicans seeking election next year, are you an asset or a liability?"
The president didn't hesitate.
"Strong asset," he shot back.
And there's no doubt in the minds of those who cover him that he believes it.
2 comments:
It's clear from the transcript that the literal meaning of the question "Where's Mandela?" GWB was asked is "Where are the Iraqi leaders who will play the same role that Mandela played in the rebuilding of South Africa?" GWB's response was a pithy metaphor summarizing the situation there.
Apparently, GWB's critics are either (a) so dishonest as to give a false spin on the statement, (b) too lazy to check out the context before reporting it, or (c) too stupid to understand the analogy.
Or perhaps, cj, Bush doesn't know who Mandela is and is repeating something someone said to him, without comprehension. Just to give the guy the benefit of the doubt.
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