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This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Sunday, July 10, 2005 "We'll all be dead" I missed any mention of this interview with Bob Woodward on 60 Minutes when it took place in April of last year. I'm not sure why all the bloggers I read didn't comment on it, and perhaps many of them did. That was a busy time of year for me. But I did come across it today while looking for something else, and I'm floored. The article on the 60 Minutes website mentions key moments in the program about Woodward's new book, "Plan of Attack," described as "the first detailed, behind-the-scenes account of how and why the president decided to wage war in Iraq." Bush agreed to allow Woodward to directly quote him, and has not, to my knowledge, refuted any of what Woodward attributed to him."Plan of Attack" should be required reading for anyone who is still on the fence about the war in Iraq—it spells out when and why Bush decided to initiate a pre-emptive war for the first time in American history, and who knew about it in advance.But what really caught my attention in the article was this excerpt:How deep a man is President George W. Bush? “He’s not an intellectual. He is not what I guess would be called a deep thinker,” says Woodward. “He chastised me at one point because I said people were concerned about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. And he said, ‘Well you travel in elite circles.’ I think he feels there is an intellectual world and he's indicated he's not a part of it … the fancy pants intellectual world. What he calls the elite."The defensiveness in the president's response is staggering, if you really listen to it.Why don't you like Billy?Aw, he thinks he knows more than I do!People are concerned about your war, George.Aw, they think they know more than I do!It sounds like mere arrogance, and it is that too, but it's also the deep underlying insecurity of someone who secretly, in the recesses of his heart, knows perfectly well that a lot of other people know more than he does—and hates them for it.It was the conclusion to this article that seems to have garnered the most attention. I found it quoted in numerous blogs, and in the Manchester UK Guardian.How does the president think history will judge him for going to war in Iraq? "After the second interview with him on Dec. 11, we got up and walked over to one of the doors. There are all of these doors in the Oval Office that lead outside. And he had his hands in his pocket, and I just asked, 'Well, how is history likely to judge your Iraq war,'" says Woodward."And he said, 'History, and then he took his hands out of his pocket and kind of shrugged and extended his hands as if this is a way off. And then he said, 'History, we don’t know. We’ll all be dead.'" Some of the comments I read found apocalyptic overtones in "We'll all be dead." Because of his links to pre-millennial fundamentalism, it was suggested that Bush thinks "History" isn't going to be around to judge him. I didn't necessarily read it that way, but if he didn't mean that the rapture is going to carry him off to paradise and send his enemies to hell, thereby leaving no one around for Tuesday-morning quarterbacking, then his response has to have been one of the most arrogant statements ever made. "It doesn't matter what anyone thinks of us in the future," he seems to be saying, "because I and my associates won't be around to hear it."I don't want to believe that he is simply so mentally challenged that he's incapable of imagining how the future might judge him. But I'm not sure which of the possibilities is worse. posted by Liz @ 8:13 PM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
I missed any mention of this interview with Bob Woodward on 60 Minutes when it took place in April of last year. I'm not sure why all the bloggers I read didn't comment on it, and perhaps many of them did. That was a busy time of year for me. But I did come across it today while looking for something else, and I'm floored. The article on the 60 Minutes website mentions key moments in the program about Woodward's new book, "Plan of Attack," described as "the first detailed, behind-the-scenes account of how and why the president decided to wage war in Iraq." Bush agreed to allow Woodward to directly quote him, and has not, to my knowledge, refuted any of what Woodward attributed to him."Plan of Attack" should be required reading for anyone who is still on the fence about the war in Iraq—it spells out when and why Bush decided to initiate a pre-emptive war for the first time in American history, and who knew about it in advance.But what really caught my attention in the article was this excerpt:How deep a man is President George W. Bush? “He’s not an intellectual. He is not what I guess would be called a deep thinker,” says Woodward. “He chastised me at one point because I said people were concerned about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. And he said, ‘Well you travel in elite circles.’ I think he feels there is an intellectual world and he's indicated he's not a part of it … the fancy pants intellectual world. What he calls the elite."The defensiveness in the president's response is staggering, if you really listen to it.Why don't you like Billy?Aw, he thinks he knows more than I do!People are concerned about your war, George.Aw, they think they know more than I do!It sounds like mere arrogance, and it is that too, but it's also the deep underlying insecurity of someone who secretly, in the recesses of his heart, knows perfectly well that a lot of other people know more than he does—and hates them for it.It was the conclusion to this article that seems to have garnered the most attention. I found it quoted in numerous blogs, and in the Manchester UK Guardian.How does the president think history will judge him for going to war in Iraq? "After the second interview with him on Dec. 11, we got up and walked over to one of the doors. There are all of these doors in the Oval Office that lead outside. And he had his hands in his pocket, and I just asked, 'Well, how is history likely to judge your Iraq war,'" says Woodward."And he said, 'History, and then he took his hands out of his pocket and kind of shrugged and extended his hands as if this is a way off. And then he said, 'History, we don’t know. We’ll all be dead.'" Some of the comments I read found apocalyptic overtones in "We'll all be dead." Because of his links to pre-millennial fundamentalism, it was suggested that Bush thinks "History" isn't going to be around to judge him. I didn't necessarily read it that way, but if he didn't mean that the rapture is going to carry him off to paradise and send his enemies to hell, thereby leaving no one around for Tuesday-morning quarterbacking, then his response has to have been one of the most arrogant statements ever made. "It doesn't matter what anyone thinks of us in the future," he seems to be saying, "because I and my associates won't be around to hear it."I don't want to believe that he is simply so mentally challenged that he's incapable of imagining how the future might judge him. But I'm not sure which of the possibilities is worse.
How deep a man is President George W. Bush? “He’s not an intellectual. He is not what I guess would be called a deep thinker,” says Woodward. “He chastised me at one point because I said people were concerned about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction. And he said, ‘Well you travel in elite circles.’ I think he feels there is an intellectual world and he's indicated he's not a part of it … the fancy pants intellectual world. What he calls the elite."
How does the president think history will judge him for going to war in Iraq? "After the second interview with him on Dec. 11, we got up and walked over to one of the doors. There are all of these doors in the Oval Office that lead outside. And he had his hands in his pocket, and I just asked, 'Well, how is history likely to judge your Iraq war,'" says Woodward."And he said, 'History, and then he took his hands out of his pocket and kind of shrugged and extended his hands as if this is a way off. And then he said, 'History, we don’t know. We’ll all be dead.'"
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
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PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
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