TOPIC: Re: Any truth to the rumor...

If it's not a misunderstanding then it's something quite a bit more serious. Believe me, 'misunderstanding' was the benefit of the doubt in this case. The point isn't to address any similarity or lack thereof between Obama and Bush but instead to point out the speciousness of the argument that the award was and should be given out as a carrot for potential favorable acts in the future.

history has a way of putting a different slant on things.<br /><br /><br />bush = "one of the worst presidents ever".....this one will be interesting to watch.<br /><br />obama = yippee kie yea.....as i said before, he talks very pretty. lets give him a chance to do something...or nothing. =|

True enough. Most presidents end up shifting one way or the other as the time after their presidency increases. Regan went up big time, enough so that you usually see even libs (short of the crazy diehard ones) praising him. HW also has received a positive uptick, though I think a lot of that is confounded with other issues. If Perot hadn't been in the 92 election, it's a very strong liklihood he would have gotten a second term and then god only knows how history would have viewed him. Being a one-termer always leaves a negative smear of sorts and often times you have nowhere to go but up. Clinton has also been viewed far more positively post-presidency than during it. Off the top of my head, the only recent president who may have gone down in estimation among the average person is Carter. I dunno anyone who has positive reminisces about his presidency or who has even said that 'well, I guess it wasn't that that bad'.

<br />< pardon the soapbox installation ><br /><br />I think the real problem is the tendency for humans to want a leader (and the corresponding team).  We put much too importance on our political leaders and parties, as we jettison any kind of rational thought to support them.  A cursory glance at party platforms reveal a set of discombobulated planks at odds with each other, but nonetheless needed to hold the coalition together.  We seem eager to supplant good sense to our need for the whole leader/group dynamic.  We are like two factions on a sinking pirate ship with both sides fighting for the longest survival by seeking control of the crows nest -- instead of ignoring our leaders' foment and simply patching the hole in the hull.  <br /><br />Most of us are like the aforementioned "damned souls" on the pirate ship who can't seem to see that their salvation won't come from their leaders or group, but it will come if they can resist the leader/group urge so they can think and act to save themselves and their children.  <br />

<br /><br />very true, and Very well stated!

Certainly historically correct that Carter's presidency has come to be seen as a pretty poor one.  But a great ex-president!<br />

Well, unless you're a Jew anyway.

Haha. I just ran across an article in the Chicago Trib that I found hilarious. Here's to hoping that 'Hopium' enters the jargon. Here's an excerpt :<br /><br />Last January, at the beginning of those 12 Amazing Days, thick clouds of Hopium wafted over us. So there is a slight chance I inhaled, repeatedly, and became confused about those early, heady days. Yet through the fog of time and Hopium, I remember it as a time of high adventure; of gentle forest creatures and centaurs banding together to fight cynicism and sprinkle hope upon the people. It was a time of tea and cakes.<br /><br />On the First Day, tens of thousands waited hours and packed the National Mall to hear his inaugural speech. They were so cold, tired and hungry. Obama brought forth two McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and five burger buns, broke them and distributed these among the people. All were nourished, with plenty of scraps left over for the starving Republicans.<br /><br />The next day, Obama journeyed to the tomb of the Republican Party, which had shot itself repeatedly in the foot until it died. There in the shadowy rocks, Barack bent over the corpses of commentators Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh and breathed new life into them.<br /><br />"Rise, my good friends!" cried Barack. "I give you purpose! Rise and flap your gums, call me socialist and enrich yourselves. Blame me, though George Bush started the federal bailouts. Rise and prosper!"<br /><br />And they did as they were told. They had new life and plenty of money.<br /><br />On the Third Day, he bid adieu to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who'd spent the night at the White House to make sure things would run smoothly. This was proper, since years ago, the Daley women found the infant Barack floating in a reed basket along the banks of the Chicago River. They nurtured the crying babe, until he was ready to transcend the politics of the past.<br /><br />Obama spent the Fourth Day pondering getting a dog for daughters Sasha and Malia. Journalists were so enraptured, so turgid with glee about the dog, they forgot to ask if he'd walk Bo and scoop up his legacies with a plastic bag from the Jewel like every other American dad. And things were good.<br /><br />On the Fifth Day, Gov. Blagojevich sent the president a life-size wooden puppet named Roland. Barack placed his palm on the puppet's forehead, and lo, the puppet became a United States senator. And the Democrats, with a solid majority, were amazed.<br /><br />For seven more days it continued, one miracle after another. The president picked the Steelers in the Super Bowl. They won. He submitted an $885 billion stimulus plan to Congress. The money was printed. He nominated a tax cheat for secretary of the Treasury. The tax cheat was confirmed.<br /><br />...<br /><br /><br />Oh, what a time it was. Now please pass the Hopium.<br /><br />Peace. <br /><br />Sadly(?), upon further research, it turns out that Hopium had already entered the lexicon before it was applied to Obama. Some have use it in substance abuse/domestic violence issues.<br /><br />What is the definition of a hopium addict? ‘A hopium addict is someone who puts their own emotional needs on hold, while they wait for their partner to kick their addiction – be it to drugs, alcohol, gambling, or emotionally and physically abusive behaviour – despite all the evidence to the contrary’.<br /><br />The scary thing is, it still sorta applies. I could imagine a hilarious SNL skit where you got all the liberal constituencies together and cast them as Obama's battered spouses. *SMACK* No baby, I'm sorry for what I did. You just made me angry. You know I promise I'll overturn Don't Ask Don't Tell. *WHACK* Gitmo will be closed for sure. Things have just been busy off at work. Come on baby, you know how it is.<br /><br />Too risque?

It's a nice little story. It's all very sad overall. The country I love is slipping away in financial destitution because of selfishness and greed. It's not going to give to my children what it gave to me. It won't be able to. The country just can't take any more. <br /><br />Jeff, I'm not sure I agree with you. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not looking for a leader to adore, solve all my problems, or follow blindly. I just want rational thought, a balanced opinion, a selfless will to do what's best for the country, and an absence of unmitigated greed. Sadly, it's been too much to hope for for many years. <br /><br />That's all the reality I can take. I come here to get away from reality.

<br />It's a nice little story. It's all very sad overall. The country I love is slipping away in financial destitution because of selfishness and greed. It's not going to give to my children what it gave to me. It won't be able to. The country just can't take any more. <br /><br />Jeff, I'm not sure I agree with you. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not looking for a leader to adore, solve all my problems, or follow blindly. I just want rational thought, a balanced opinion, a selfless will to do what's best for the country, and an absence of unmitigated greed. Sadly, it's been too much to hope for for many years. <br /><br />That's all the reality I can take. I come here to get away from reality. <br />

<br /><br />be the change you want to see.<br /><br />want a leader like that in politics?  Run for office.

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<br />It's a nice little story. It's all very sad overall. The country I love is slipping away in financial destitution because of selfishness and greed. It's not going to give to my children what it gave to me. It won't be able to. The country just can't take any more. <br /><br />Jeff, I'm not sure I agree with you. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not looking for a leader to adore, solve all my problems, or follow blindly. I just want rational thought, a balanced opinion, a selfless will to do what's best for the country, and an absence of unmitigated greed. Sadly, it's been too much to hope for for many years. <br /><br />That's all the reality I can take. I come here to get away from reality. <br />

I guess I could count on at least one vote. <br /><br />be the change you want to see.<br /><br />want a leader like that in politics?  Run for office.<br />

<br />be the change you want to see.<br /><br />want a leader like that in politics?  Run for office.<br />

<br /><br />Don't think the thought doesn't cross my mind daily.  Multiple times a day.  And I don't want to be a politician for greed<br />(as far as greed for myself...more greed for my kids and for my nation).<br /><br />I totally agree with DBL.<br /><br />One thing to remember, the President doesn't make the laws, the Legislative branch does.  One thing that currently is "saving"<br />Obama and one thing for which everyone "blames" GWB.<br /><br /><br />

I thought about being a politician once upon a time. But I don't have the right look or personality for it. It would have been nice to use political power to crush my enemies though.