Powder Blue Persuasion

Over at Ragged Thots, Robert A. George listened unto Dubya's speech the other day and is left wonderin':

Is Congress willing to accept the implications of the paradigm shift George W. Bush is putting on the table?

In addition to "War on Terror I", will George W. Bush want to be responsible for Reconstruction II and War on Poverty II?

Sequels don't often turn out so well.

Whole thing here.

Well, there's always The Godfather Part 2. But yeah.

George also observes:

Appearing in a casual-looking powder-blue (or blue-appearing) shirt -- has a president ever given a prime-time speech to the nation in something other than a normal business suit? -- with New Orleans' Jackson Square emitting a blue-ish hue caused Bush's head to appear disconnected from the sea of blue in the screen.

While it wasn't worn for a prime-time talk per se, Ronnie Reagan (pronounced RAY-gun) once donned an infamous glen plaid suit for a trip to Europe that sets tongues a-wagging. Personally, I think it delivered the message that here was a man who didn't give a shit what Europe thought about anything. Hence, his super-loud suit was a more powerful bargaining tool then publicly musing over the winnability of a limited nuclear war over there. And his penchant for calling his wife "Mommie Poo Pants" continues to make historians' brains hang upside down, discombobulate would-be biographers, and drive home the point here was a guy who meant business.

Comments

The Wine Commonsewer | September 16, 2005, 11:44am | #

I think it delivered the message that here was a man who didn't give a shit what Europe thought about anything. Hence, his super-loud suit was a more powerful bargaining tool then publicly musing over the winnability of a limited nuclear war over there. And his penchant for calling his wife "Mommie Poo Pants" continues to make historians' brains hang upside down, discombobulate would-be biographers, and drive home the point here was a guy who meant business

Funny stuff Nick. Still chuckling even after wiping the coffee off the monitor.

Abdul | September 16, 2005, 11:49am | #

Watched a documentary on Reagan in a liberal law school the other day. My audible chuckling to his old one liner "I've just signed legislation to outlaw the Soviet Union...the missles start in 5 minutes" did not go over well. Love him or hate him, the man really had the original BSD.

SP | September 16, 2005, 11:54am | #

"BSD"?

mitch | September 16, 2005, 12:01pm | #

What, no link to a picture of President Reagan in the plaid suit?

Abdul | September 16, 2005, 12:07pm | #

Big Swinging Dick.

I thought the abbreviation would keep the tone of the comments out of the gutter, but when you're commenting on "Mommie Poo Pants," that's probably an unfounded fear.

Abdul | September 16, 2005, 12:08pm | #

Big Swinging Dick.

I thought the abbreviation would keep the tone of the comments out of the gutter, but when you're commenting on "Mommie Poo Pants," that's probably an unfounded fear.

Abdul | September 16, 2005, 12:08pm | #

Big Swinging Dick.

I thought the abbreviation would keep the tone of the comments out of the gutter, but when you're commenting on "Mommie Poo Pants," that's probably an unfounded fear.

Devin McCullen | September 16, 2005, 12:14pm | #

Jimmy Carter, Malaise, Cardigan? Is any of this ringing a bell?

theOneState | September 16, 2005, 12:14pm | #

Terminator II wasn't bad.

Jason Ligon | September 16, 2005, 12:17pm | #

"Terminator II wasn't bad."

Doomed from the start. The Terminator in which the terminator learns not to terminate is by defnition bad.

Uncle Sam | September 16, 2005, 12:25pm | #

Does anyone give a shit what Europeans thinks?
Sure, some may pretend to when it suits them, but who really cares?

Luca Brasi | September 16, 2005, 12:29pm | #

Does The Godfather II count as a sequel? Both one and two are from the same book...

Jack Woltz | September 16, 2005, 12:38pm | #

Only the Sicily/Little Italy stuff with DeNiro comes from the book. All the Nevada/1950s-60s stuff is original to TGII, which explains why it's the weakest stuff in the first two movies. If you take out Fredo and the Young Don Corleone material, The Godfather II isn't much better than The Godfather III.

mk | September 16, 2005, 1:11pm | #

Appearing in a casual-looking powder-blue

I'm remembering a particularly good episode of Yes, Prime Minister now. Something to do with the political implications of theme music, interviewers and suit color.
Come to think of it, I 'm going to go over to Amazon and order the complete collection. THat show was brilliant.

Douglas Fletcher | September 16, 2005, 1:33pm | #

What, no link to a picture of President Reagan in the plaid suit?

No link here either, but I can remember a few suits that Reagan wore as President that looked like he'd swiped them from Dagwood Bumstead's wardrobe rack.

John | September 16, 2005, 1:52pm | #

I don't want a war on anything other than the coutry's enemies and think all of this is an exceptionally bad idea. If New Orleans is that valuable of a city, then the private sector will rebuild it with no help from the government. If its not, then we shouldn't be subsidizing an unproductive city located up to ten feet below sea-level in an area prone to hurricanes.

That said, George Bush is like any other politician meaning that his survival instincts outweigh any sort of ideological beliefs he may have. Given that universal truth about politicians, how can anyone be shocked by this response considering that the entire media and political culture including many alleged small government libertarians on this blog have spent the aftermath of the storm shouting "George Bush doesn't care!! He is not doing enough!!" Well, you got it. George Bush officially cares and is doing something and we are going to have another wonderful tax payer funded sinkhole and accompanying bureauocracy to show for it.

It would have been nice if people had stopped, tought about things, realized that disasters sometimes happen and that they are basically a state and local problem before they launched the media led jihad that they did. Let it not be said that government is not responsive to the people. If anything the problem is government is too responsive and goes off half cocked to throw money at problems in the hysterical aftermath of a disaster.

Tom Greaves | September 16, 2005, 2:33pm | #

[...]I can remember a few suits that Reagan wore as President that looked like he'd swiped them from Dagwood Bumstead's wardrobe rack.

There's a thought...Dagwood Bumstead for president. If he can hold on to that POA Blondie for 75 years despite being a total loser, he clearly knows something we don't. Plus those big-ass sandwiches would become socially acceptable again.

Tom Greaves | September 16, 2005, 2:33pm | #

[...]I can remember a few suits that Reagan wore as President that looked like he'd swiped them from Dagwood Bumstead's wardrobe rack.

There's a thought...Dagwood Bumstead for president. If he can hold on to that POA Blondie for 75 years despite being a total loser, he clearly knows something we don't. Plus those big-ass sandwiches would become socially acceptable again.

Tom Greaves | September 16, 2005, 2:34pm | #

[...]I can remember a few suits that Reagan wore as President that looked like he'd swiped them from Dagwood Bumstead's wardrobe rack.

There's a thought...Dagwood Bumstead for president. If he can hold on to that POA Blondie for 75 years despite being a total loser, he clearly knows something we don't. Plus those big-ass sandwiches would become socially acceptable again.

ralphus | September 16, 2005, 2:35pm | #

Rocky III.

The Empire Strikes Back.

Wrath of Khan.

Back Door Bettys 4.

Hello?

ralphus | September 16, 2005, 2:44pm | #

What about Fat Fuckers 6? It was far superior to the original.

John | September 16, 2005, 3:51pm | #

Well John sucks,

You can't very well scream for action because it fits your own personal politcal prejudices and then act shocked when that is exactly what you get. People in general libertarian or not are generally more interested in scoring points and continueing political vendetas than they are in the long term consiquences of what they are advocating. People were too busy smelling blood in the water to recognize or care that what they were really asking for was more federal control, a bigger bureauocracy and a lot of wasted tax dollars. The very things that they claim to be against. Now that have it. Bush cares. Are we all so much the better for it.