Friday, January 14, 2005
President Bush Inherits Genes Of Regret And Apology
Breakfast with Bwana
JANUARY 14, 2005
PRESIDENT BUSH INHERITS GENES OF REGRET AND APOLOGY:
You know, it's positively hereditary, or else, it must be infectious. I'm talking about the need to apologize and be kinder and gentler.
Consider that Harry, Prince of someplace or other in Her Majesty's Kingdom is now being told, by his father, to go to Auschwitz. Why? To be a kinder, gentler, Nazi? I mean, what are these people thinking? Of course, in fairness to the young man, he is trying to apologize, sort of. On the other hand, his father, Prince Chucky of Wails is wailing about the incident and apparently believes that a trip to Auschwitz will have a salutary effect on the young man's understanding of the Nazi horror, ameliorate his public humiliation, and, as well, mollify those who believe his Swastika-decorated costume was a gaffe. One wonders who, next to a Jew, should be more cognizant of Nazi horrors than a prince of England? Think of the thousands, upon thousands of Englishmen who died in the Great War to stave off the Hun. I mean, it may have been a mistake for the young man to wear the costume in the first place (although if it were a parody, that's another issue) but the handling of the PR makes one think that instead of being called PRince, these people should be called Wince.
Tom Utley wrote in The Daily Telegraph that the excuses amounted to saying that Harry was stupid. “But if it is true, then we are not talking about an average level of stupidity. We are talking about stupidity on an absolutely monumental scale” he said. Well, I'm not surprised given his genes. After all, if I were prosecuting Chucky for stupidity, I would rest my case after pointing out that he was bowled over by Camilla in preference to Diana.
Harry may have inherited more than stupidity. Chucky has apologized so many times for his own gaffes that it is probably a good bet that Harry got a bit of "I'd like to say I'm sorry" in his genes.
Closer to home, President Bush seems, after all, to be paying attention to rumblings from the people, or at least, feeling the roar of rumblings in the press. He has, apparently without any prodding from his Papa, apologized, or expressed regret . . . sort of. The President says that he was, perhaps, too blunt when he called for bringing Osama bin Laden to justice "dead or alive" and when he seemingly invited insurgents to attack American troops by his use of the "bring 'em on" challenge.
The President also revealed a newly found misenlightenment: ``One of the things I've learned is that words have consequences that you don't intend them to mean.'' See, he misunderestimated the repercussions and misrepercussions of his own words.
" 'Bring 'em on' was a classic example,'' he said. ``Those words had an unintended consequence. Some interpreted it to be defiance in the face of danger. That certainly wasn't the case.'' Now, some of you might interpret that language as coming pretty close to an apology. But, you have to give the President credit. He did not want to leave it to chance this time. I mean, it is not every day that you get misenlightened. So, perhaps a little too misclearly, he said: ``I speak plainly sometimes, but you gotta be mindful of the consequences of the words. What would you call that? A confession, a regret, a something?''
Can you believe it? He actually said: "I speak plainly sometimes. (italics supplied)
But, you see, inside those cowboy boots is, perhaps, lurking a sensitive, understanding, apologetic President.
Actually, I think it is important to recognize that the President's conscripting of two former Presidents, his father, George H. W. Bush 41 and Bill Clinton, was a master stroke of public relations. Some say that the idea originated with former President 42, but whatever, XLIII implemented it. Give him credit for showing a kinder, gentler face. And, the President has promised to be more diplomatic in the future.
That leads me to reflect that our President's genes may be coming into play. On the subject of being more diplomatic, his old man, in his Inaugural Address in 1989 said: "America is never wholly herself unless she is engaged in high moral principle. We as a people have such a purpose today. It is to make kinder the face of the Nation and gentler the face of the world."
The difference may be that this President is talking about a kinder and gentler visage shown to his enemies. His father's comment was with a different emphasis: "My friends, we have work to do. There are the homeless, lost and roaming. There are the children who have nothing, no love, no normalcy. There are those who cannot free themselves of enslavement to whatever addiction--drugs, welfare, the demoralization that rules the slums. There is crime to be conquered, the rough crime of the streets. There are young women to be helped who are about to become mothers of children they can't care for and might not love. They need our care, our guidance, and our education, though we bless them for choosing life."
It is fair to say that the President's leadership on the relief efforts in South Asia, are a reflection of some of these sentiments. It is fair to say, that a kinder, gentler President may have emerged.
The Senior President Bush also expressed his view of the role of faith. He prayed that God would help us to: " 'Use power to help people.' For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord. Amen."
For those who hope that this President's heredity might include some measure of the humility shown in those words, it is also well to remember that the senior President Bush expressed these thoughts too in that Inaugural Address:
"Great nations of the world are moving toward democracy through the door to freedom. Men and women of the world move toward free markets through the door to prosperity. The people of the world agitate for free expression and free thought through the door to the moral and intellectual satisfactions that only liberty allows.
We know what works: Freedom works. We know what's right: Freedom is right. We know how to secure a more just and prosperous life for man on Earth: through free markets, free speech, free elections, and the exercise of free will unhampered by the state. "
If these words were misunderestimated by the current President to mean that he should actively use the might of this nation bring freedom and free elections to the other nations of the world, then we have one of those situations in which words can have unintended consequences that you didn't mean.
However, there is hope. Merely stepping up to the edge of the pool of regret and seeing your reflection in the waters of apology is a good first step even if you don't jump in. Some day, he will learn that you don't drown in that pool merely because you acknowledge a mistake.
Meanwhile, we are left to see what manner of genes are lurking in those cowboy jeans.
Cheerz....
JANUARY 14, 2005
PRESIDENT BUSH INHERITS GENES OF REGRET AND APOLOGY:
You know, it's positively hereditary, or else, it must be infectious. I'm talking about the need to apologize and be kinder and gentler.
Consider that Harry, Prince of someplace or other in Her Majesty's Kingdom is now being told, by his father, to go to Auschwitz. Why? To be a kinder, gentler, Nazi? I mean, what are these people thinking? Of course, in fairness to the young man, he is trying to apologize, sort of. On the other hand, his father, Prince Chucky of Wails is wailing about the incident and apparently believes that a trip to Auschwitz will have a salutary effect on the young man's understanding of the Nazi horror, ameliorate his public humiliation, and, as well, mollify those who believe his Swastika-decorated costume was a gaffe. One wonders who, next to a Jew, should be more cognizant of Nazi horrors than a prince of England? Think of the thousands, upon thousands of Englishmen who died in the Great War to stave off the Hun. I mean, it may have been a mistake for the young man to wear the costume in the first place (although if it were a parody, that's another issue) but the handling of the PR makes one think that instead of being called PRince, these people should be called Wince.
Tom Utley wrote in The Daily Telegraph that the excuses amounted to saying that Harry was stupid. “But if it is true, then we are not talking about an average level of stupidity. We are talking about stupidity on an absolutely monumental scale” he said. Well, I'm not surprised given his genes. After all, if I were prosecuting Chucky for stupidity, I would rest my case after pointing out that he was bowled over by Camilla in preference to Diana.
Harry may have inherited more than stupidity. Chucky has apologized so many times for his own gaffes that it is probably a good bet that Harry got a bit of "I'd like to say I'm sorry" in his genes.
Closer to home, President Bush seems, after all, to be paying attention to rumblings from the people, or at least, feeling the roar of rumblings in the press. He has, apparently without any prodding from his Papa, apologized, or expressed regret . . . sort of. The President says that he was, perhaps, too blunt when he called for bringing Osama bin Laden to justice "dead or alive" and when he seemingly invited insurgents to attack American troops by his use of the "bring 'em on" challenge.
The President also revealed a newly found misenlightenment: ``One of the things I've learned is that words have consequences that you don't intend them to mean.'' See, he misunderestimated the repercussions and misrepercussions of his own words.
" 'Bring 'em on' was a classic example,'' he said. ``Those words had an unintended consequence. Some interpreted it to be defiance in the face of danger. That certainly wasn't the case.'' Now, some of you might interpret that language as coming pretty close to an apology. But, you have to give the President credit. He did not want to leave it to chance this time. I mean, it is not every day that you get misenlightened. So, perhaps a little too misclearly, he said: ``I speak plainly sometimes, but you gotta be mindful of the consequences of the words. What would you call that? A confession, a regret, a something?''
Can you believe it? He actually said: "I speak plainly sometimes. (italics supplied)
But, you see, inside those cowboy boots is, perhaps, lurking a sensitive, understanding, apologetic President.
Actually, I think it is important to recognize that the President's conscripting of two former Presidents, his father, George H. W. Bush 41 and Bill Clinton, was a master stroke of public relations. Some say that the idea originated with former President 42, but whatever, XLIII implemented it. Give him credit for showing a kinder, gentler face. And, the President has promised to be more diplomatic in the future.
That leads me to reflect that our President's genes may be coming into play. On the subject of being more diplomatic, his old man, in his Inaugural Address in 1989 said: "America is never wholly herself unless she is engaged in high moral principle. We as a people have such a purpose today. It is to make kinder the face of the Nation and gentler the face of the world."
The difference may be that this President is talking about a kinder and gentler visage shown to his enemies. His father's comment was with a different emphasis: "My friends, we have work to do. There are the homeless, lost and roaming. There are the children who have nothing, no love, no normalcy. There are those who cannot free themselves of enslavement to whatever addiction--drugs, welfare, the demoralization that rules the slums. There is crime to be conquered, the rough crime of the streets. There are young women to be helped who are about to become mothers of children they can't care for and might not love. They need our care, our guidance, and our education, though we bless them for choosing life."
It is fair to say that the President's leadership on the relief efforts in South Asia, are a reflection of some of these sentiments. It is fair to say, that a kinder, gentler President may have emerged.
The Senior President Bush also expressed his view of the role of faith. He prayed that God would help us to: " 'Use power to help people.' For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord. Amen."
For those who hope that this President's heredity might include some measure of the humility shown in those words, it is also well to remember that the senior President Bush expressed these thoughts too in that Inaugural Address:
"Great nations of the world are moving toward democracy through the door to freedom. Men and women of the world move toward free markets through the door to prosperity. The people of the world agitate for free expression and free thought through the door to the moral and intellectual satisfactions that only liberty allows.
We know what works: Freedom works. We know what's right: Freedom is right. We know how to secure a more just and prosperous life for man on Earth: through free markets, free speech, free elections, and the exercise of free will unhampered by the state. "
If these words were misunderestimated by the current President to mean that he should actively use the might of this nation bring freedom and free elections to the other nations of the world, then we have one of those situations in which words can have unintended consequences that you didn't mean.
However, there is hope. Merely stepping up to the edge of the pool of regret and seeing your reflection in the waters of apology is a good first step even if you don't jump in. Some day, he will learn that you don't drown in that pool merely because you acknowledge a mistake.
Meanwhile, we are left to see what manner of genes are lurking in those cowboy jeans.
Cheerz....
