I think President Bush gave an incredible, passionate address. Intially, he worried me a bit, but lately he's made me nothing but proud, and thankful.

What did you think of his address to Congress, and to us? The new cabinet position? Gov. (soon to be Sect.) Ridge?

And I think it's safe to say that Mayor Guliani could run for just about any office he wants after this.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

Answers

Really quick, because it's a busy morning here at work.

I thought the speech was very good. Part of that's because my expectations were very low (speaking isn't generally his strong suit), and part is because he, as we say in sports, "came strong to the mic." Right now, we're all hurt and scared and looking for leaders, and Bush came across very leaderlike -- which IMO is unusual for him.

Of course, everyone always loves speeches like that at the start of military actions. The big test is where we are next year, when we'll hopefully be less hurt and scared and more willing to ask where we're being led and why we're going there.

I like Ridge.

Guliani could run for anything he wants right this second, but keep in mind that a year ago we weren't sure he could have beaten Hillary in the Senatorial race. He's definitely done a fantastic job since the attack, though.

I'm not sure how I feel about the police badge thing. Part of me was thinking it was a pretty cheap ploy for sympathy, and part of me was really touched. Maybe it was a ploy that worked?

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

Guiliani has definitely redeemed his cheating heart self, indeed.

I was impressed with the speech. C thought he fell flat on some points, which I thought was interesting.

Also, even though I'm not a huge Reagan fan, I couldn't help but think what the same words would have sounded like coming from Reagan.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

That's interesting T, as I've read in not a few places that hew as almost Reaganesque.

The badge didn't seem fake to me, although a lot of people on 3wa are also saying it did to them. I just see no reason for him to be insincere.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

Well, he is still a politician. Insincerity goes with the territory. I mean, if Bill Clinton had done it, everyone would have talked about how hokey it was.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

I think his words were Reaganesque, but I don't think his delivery necessarily was.

Take the powerful words, "Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done." Bush's delivery was strong, but imagine those words coming from Reagan's mouth. I don't think there's any comparison.

I never thought I'd be Little Miss Reagan, and when it comes to much of his policy, I'm not, but that man knew how to be president. Remember when he first met Gorbachev? It was 20 degrees, and the wind was whipping. Reagan waited for Gorbachev on the tarmac, and he wore nothing more than his suit jacket. He stood erect in the wind and greeted Gorbachev, who was bundled in a huge overcoat and a scarf, and Reagan's bare hand shook Gorbachev's gloved hand. It was a stunningly presidential moment, and that kind of behavior defined Reagan's presidency.

Bush has taken clues from Reagan - when he finally arrived at the White House last Tuesday, he left the helicopter with only his wife at his side. He wasn't surrounded by aides or secret service, and he headed to his office the way Reagan had done countless times. Uncanny.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

I know he's a politician, but I don't think it would've been necessary had it only been a ploy. You know? His approval rating is already up, people are already emotional - it wouldn't have been necessary as a "bit." I think he did it for the mother of that slain officer who gave him the badge. I think it did it for her before he did it for him.

I thought his behavior post-speech was also Reaganesque - the way he walked through the chairs, how he threw his arm around Daschle, how he made it at point to reach around and over and through to shake everyone's hand.

People can say he was coached etc., but that was the man I'd seen pre-election. That was the real Bush. It's unfortunate that he had to "hit his stride" so to speak, but he did.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

But I have been called naive before.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

See, I'm worried that the "real Bush" is the one that speaks off the cuff, and says things like he wants bin Laden "dead or alive" like in the Old West.

I mean, obviously that's true, but I'm not sure how many people around the world want a cowboy in the White House.

And to go a bit off-topic, whoever in the gvt. called this a "crusade" against terrorism really fucked up huge.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

Oh, Mike, for real.

Did any of y'all watch the broadcast on NBC? Following the speech, Andrea Mitchell started to say something about word they had just received from Iran, but she was abruptly cut off, and when Tom Brokaw returned, they never referred back to what Andrea Mitchell had started to say. Do any of y'all know what's up with Iran?

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

No. And T, I spent the rest of NBC's broadcast yelling "What the hell is up with Iran?!" at the TV.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

THANK YOU. So did we. I fact, the first thing C said when we turned the news ont hismorning was, "I hope to god they tell us what the fuck is up with Iran."

Have you seen anything about Iran on the wire?

Maybe we should start a new topic: "What the fuck is up with Iran??"

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

No -- not even on MSNBC's website.

It's pissing me off.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

See, that's just odd. And disconcerting. I couldn't even find anything about Iran on Drudge.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

Okay - I found this:

http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/09/20/gen.blair.khatami/index.htm l

but it's from yesterday afternoon. I can't find anything that would have been breaking news last night.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

Partner and I actually applauded after one section of the speech, and I think it was partially due to shock that he was capable of being so presidential. I still don't like him, and at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, this whole thing just stinks to me. To be blunt, I think he's very happy that there's going to be a war. I think he really wants a war, a big one, the longest and best one he can have. That scares the bejeesus out of me.

I really wanted to trust him last night, but I just couldn't. Those little smirks just ruin it all.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

I didn't see it (being in the air at the time). The excerpts I've heard so far have not been particularly impressive, but then again I assume I'd have to hear the speech as a whole to judge it fairly.

As for Tom Ridge, I spent the bulk of four years in Pennsylvania, and I just want to know how he's going to declare family planning services and Mumia Abu-Jamal threats to national security.

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

I didn't see the address Thursday, but read the transcript. And, I have to say this, unfortunately - every time I hear or see that Bush does well in an address, I imagine a marionette with Karl Rove on the strings.

Our president just does not do well "off the cuff". If you saw him Sunday when he landed at the White House, as referenced earlier, it was straight-up depressing. He was taking questions from reporters on the lawn, and they were asking very valid objective things, for which some substance could have been provided, and it was "The evildoers are evil! And America is strong! and we will rid the world of evildoers!"

And see, that is not really an answer to a question like "What was the tone of the conversation you had yesterday with Ariel Sharon?" or "What is the White House position on the latest reports that there were Palestinian nationals in the WTC at the time of the attack?"

BUT! I really don't want yall to be mad at me because you love him and I don't. He's being exactly the kind of president we need right now, and that's all that matters.

As far as the long-term effects of this tragedy on voter opinion, remember that George H. W. Bush lost in '92 after a Desert Storm operation that was very popular with the people (I voted for him too, lest yall think I have been a bleeding-heart Democrat all my life).

-- Anonymous, September 22, 2001

I've never been a big W fan, especially since I lived in Texas and saw who he operated there, but I have been fairly impressed with his hndling of this current situation. He seems to be leader that the American people are looking for.

I am a little concerned that he is taking on too much of the cowboy persona. We are in a situation that, if we proceed incorrectly, could result in a war that looks like the Crusades (we are taking the Holy Land back from the infidels). We need someone who understands the intracacies of foriegn policy and who to work them to our advantage and, unfortunately, I don't think anyone could claim W is capable of that. I even think he knows that, since he seems to want to stay on his soapbox and not get down to some serious planning.

Don't get me wrong, I agree action is necessary and I am impressed with his resolve, I'm just concerned that he is starting to listen a little too much to the American people who ignorantly advocate dropping the bomb on Afghanistan and brushing aside those who favor a more reasoned, measured response.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2001

Oh, I don't like him, PG. I lived in Texas when he was supposedly making all those big strides for education that he talked about in all his campaigning, and I know he was less than factual. I still can't believe he's in the White House.

Because he is, however, I support him as our President. He seems to have a team of advisors who are fully capable of helping him run the country. That's good.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2001

Interesting:

From the Worcester branch of the Global Action Network comes this report: Looking through the congressional records of the discussion surrounding the authorization of force in the face of the horrible tragedy of September 11 at thomas.loc.gov, I stumbled across this.

The meaning is clear.

"...As long as chaos was able to reign and continues in Afghanistan, there will never be a pipeline built through Afghanistan that permits the oil from central Asia. This vast quantity of oil that we know exists in central Asia, it cannot be brought to market because a pipeline will never be built through Afghanistan while the Taliban is in power and while chaos reins. What does that mean? That means oil prices have been much higher, maybe $5 a barrel higher, than they would have been had Afghanistan been under a good king and a stable government and a pipeline built that would have brought that oil out into the world market; and there are vast quantities of oil in central Asia waiting, just waiting to come to market."

--Rep Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) addressing the House 09-17-01

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2001

Well, that makes sense as American oil presence in Saudi Arabia is what originally pissed Osama bib Laden off.

Seriously, everyone needs to watch the "Frontline" piece on Osama bin Laden. It is crucial to understand your enemy's motivation, and the special - it comes on PBS all the time, lately - explains so much.

-- Anonymous, September 24, 2001

The best thing W could do is let his advisors run the actual war and just stand around and memorize his next speech.

...and I voted for the man in hopes that he would pick a good cabinet...he was the lesser of the two evils. Think about this thing from a "President Gore" point of view. *Shudders*

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2001

oh i dunno, with the beard he kinda looks like Riker from ST:TNG

engage!

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2001

Did everyone watch President Bush's live press conference last night? What did you think?

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2001