|
Mark Crispin Miller: This is an excellent question. That Bush speaks clearly when he speaks maliciously is surely pertinent to his success last fall. (I'm referring to his success post-9/13. Before then, as I'm sure you will recall, he did a pretty rotten job behind that bully pulpit.) It was not so much that he spoke clearly in his ad-libbed statements on the threat of terrorism?he was often incoherent even then, as my new book makes clear. Rather, it was his bearing that was strikingly improved by his new role as Kick-Ass President.
In promising terrific payback far and wide, Bush was speaking from the heart, and so he radiated an unusual assurance. It was that quality in his demeanor that so thrilled the national audience, whose members were in desperate need, back then, of a strong father-figure, and took from him what they could get. Although Bush was never as popular as Rudy Giuliani (or, for that, Tony Blair), he still stood taller in the public's estimation than he ever had before, and that had everything to do with the improvement in his style, which was a consequence of his intense enjoyment of his role as God's Appointed Punisher.
And yet often Bush still tended to speak incoherently?especially when trying to talk about our history, or foreign policy, or any other serious subject. When he was simply making threats, or saying no, on the other hand, he was always pretty clear. And he's continued to speak clearly when he's spoken straight from his choleric heart. Just the other day, for example, when he made that resentful crack about NBC's David Gregory, who had spoken to Chirac in French, Bush spoke perfect English.
That's typical. It's mainly when he tries to feign idealism or compassion that the man stops speaking his own native language. There's fresh proof of this tendency of his nearly every day, it seems.
__________________
Brothels and Escorts Worldwide.
|