Ruthlessly charming Bush runs rings around Kerry

[Nambe]

The Irish Independent

AMERICA was reintroduced this week to one of its most charming, gifted, relaxed, wily, plainspoken and ruthless politicians: George W Bush, the candidate.

If the US president loses his re-election bid on November 2 - a fate that is a real possibility - it will not be because he lacks the skills needed on the stump. Love him or loathe him, the past ten days have reminded voters and political journalists just what an effective campaigner Mr Bush is.

As he and John Kerry, his Democratic opponent, have engaged in the first intensive round of election-year combat, sparring with each other as they criss-crossed the country's battleground states, even Senator John Kerry's friends admit that Mr Bush has run rings around him.

At the same time, Mr Bush has donned a persona with crowds that has proved disarmingly effective all his political life: funny, down to earth, slightly humble, with an artfully simple message delivered in skilfully crafted short sentences. It is an image that deliberately hides a man with formidable political gifts and instinct. ..

Fun * Accurate * * A G.I.’s Handbook

[Democat]

1. This is an opinion piece, not news

Probably better in the Editorial forum.

[Tellurian]

28. OMG- I forgot to put the waders on before I read the Blarney..

Thats the Irish for you..

The originators of "Lets Put Lipstick on This PIG"

[Dhalgren]

2. Who the fuck is this guy talking about?

[susanna]

14. No kidding. n/t

Edited title, 'cuz originally I said "no shit."

[Cerridwen]

3. Is this a backhanded insult?

Guess I'm not adept at Irish humor.

[FrankBooth]

4. This guy's been hitting the Jamesons

What utter bs.

[TaleWgnDg]

24. LOL . . .

[King of New Orleans]

5. Was this report from Bizarro world?

Bush/Cheney hide in invitation only events and Kerry-Edwards draw 10,000 to 40,000 to their rallies.

Anybody know who or what is the Irish Independent?

[tblue37]

12. That would be 50-60 thousand

today in Portland, Oregon!

Meanwhile, Bush spoke in Portland to an invitation-only crowd of hundreds.

[LondonAmerican]

26. It's the main Irish newspaper

[jpgray]

6. Er... what?! I had to double-check who they were talking about

I would say neither man has extensive stump skills. Matched up against Cuomo, Edwards, Obama, Clinton and some of the other great stump speakers out there, Bush falls way short.

[RamboLiberal]

7. Someone needs to send video of Kerry, Edwards, crowds

Like the 40,000 in Portland and the other massive crowds everywhere these guys appear!

[autorank]

8. Good points but...

I agree that Bush has a certain charm that con's a fair number of people. It's not charm, it's more like a weird hypnotic technique based on over concentration to understand the moron...and then getting sucked it. I find him immediately repulsive for this quality but some folks have fallen for the long con. He is certainly not running rings around anybody, let alone Kerry.

This isn't about who they are, Kerry and Bush, it's about what we want. There are more than enough of us that want this asshole retired, shamed, and exiled to overcome any "Miss Personality" factors.

[fortyfeetunder]

27. That certain charm

cons the simple and shallow minded...the Pug Party.

[Cha]

9. Bullshit! Does this Irish reporter know bush screens

his audience for crissake?

Did he get a load of Kerry's massive audiences..?

[AlCzervik]

10. This whole section is so wrong, maybe it's supposed to be sataric?

At the same time, Mr Bush has donned a persona with crowds that has proved disarmingly effective all his political life: funny, down to earth, slightly humble, with an artfully simple message delivered in skilfully crafted short sentences. It is an image that deliberately hides a man with formidable political gifts and instinct. ..


Funny? Not funny ha ha but pathetic funny, Artfull? More like artless...and this one just kills me....humble???? Now you know that is satire.

[jpgray]

13. If it is, it's too dry for me based on the snippet--don't want to register

N/T

[devilgrrl]

11. This guy is hitting the sauce!

"Ruthlessly charming".... puh-leeze!

[shraby]

17. Ruthless and charming are two

words that shouldn't be put together, like water and arsenic shouldn't.

[rooboy]

15. Perhaps Christopher Hitchens is writing under an assumed name. n/t

[kodi]

16. you know, those adjectives referred to bill clinton, not george bush

.

[Norquist Nemesis]

18. This guy sums it up in his first sentence

"ruthless"

[alphafemale]

19. Wha..the??? Somebody!! Take away that fool's Kool-Aid!!!! n/t

[movonne]

20. This is the craziest ...I think this is some sort of Irish humor.

[dweller]

21. Editorial Kool-Aid...n/t

:eyes:
dp

[DieboldMustDie]

22. Are you sure this isn't from the Onion?

:wtf:

[Nambe]

23. He does call him "ruthless" and "wily".

At first I thought this was funny but it is a grim reminder that nearly half of America buys this clowns act.

PS.. Dimson would be pulverized in Ireland.

[ThePhilosopher04]

25. This clown misunderstood...

what the Kerry camp meant by "...Mr Bush has run rings around him."

They probably meant that Bush has been stalking Kerry, literally running rings around him by being in the same vicinity, not that he's a better one-on-one campaigner.

But I somehow doubt that any Kerry supporter said that.

[LisaL]

29. Bush is charming?

What is this guy drinking?

[Tellurian]

30. When the Irish call someone ruthless..believe me, it's a bad thing..

ref back to the second post at the top of the pg. # 28...

[Kool Kitty]

31. Oh, please. Did they send Karen Hughes to write this

dreck under a pen name? "America was reintroduced this week to one of its most charming (like a rattlesnake), gifted (since when is ignorance a gift? Perhaps it's an obscure Irish reference that I don't understand), wily (no argument there), plainspoken (again, just plain ignorant), and ruthless (again, no argument) politicians: George W blah blah blah blah.....Love him or loathe him (I'll go with loathe, thanks)........

Peee-yyeeewwwwww....

[Seabiscuit]

32. The "ruthless" part alone rings true...

query: if I were to call this original poster out as a "freeper", how long would it take Skinner's monitors to delete my post? Note, monitors, I was posting a *hypothetical* "if" (no matter how tongue-in-cheek my meaning).

As for the substance of that offensive post, this icon says it all:

:wtf:

[muriel_volestrangler]

33. This is actually a British piece, reprinted in the Irish Independent

so all the talk of Irish humour and Blarney is slightly off the mark.

It's from The Times, the right-leaning British newspaper (owned by Rupert Murdoch, though he doesn't control its editorial content anywhere near as directly as he does for the tabloid Sun).

The Irish Independent's major shareholder is Tony O'Reilly (who is also the major shareholder of The Independent in the UK, though the names are a coincidence). O'Reilly used to be CEO of Heinz.

[GoldenOldie]

34. "someone you would like to have a beer with"

That handout quit working a while ago so now they call him "charming"????????


No matter how they try to script it: gifted, relaxed, plainspoken, etc., etc., etc., Georgie for whatever reason is a poor speaker, an inept leader and is out of his element as POTUS.

[Kierkegaard]

35. Whatever!

"AMERICA was reintroduced this week to one of its most charming, gifted, relaxed, wily, plainspoken" transparent, clueless, double-talking, disengenuous, smug, pandering asshats ever to hold office...

His body language is a dead giveaway. During the LKL 'interview,' when he was asked a question he didn't have a pat answer for, he invariably bumbled his way through it, all the while his slouching shoulders and seated position, burrowed back in his chair, indicated his discomfort and difficulty with formulating a suitable answer. Skillful? Crafty? Hardly. He was never sure that he was saying the right thing. No self-confidence.

On most of the usual talking points, he quickly sat forward and raised his eyebrows in recognition as in "Oh, I know the answer to that one!", adopting that cocky smirk he's so famous for. There's that self-confident arrogance. Only, it was well rehearsed rhetoric allowing him to be confident in what he was saying. Common indicator: he has used those 'short sentences' for all they are worth...again and again and again (or until someone points out how many times they have appeared in his public orations.)

These are the actions of a vacant person.

[LibertyorDeath]

36. Truly Vile

"When asked to comment on this article"

one of its most charming, gifted, relaxed, wily, plainspoken and ruthless politicians said

"I Am Gooder Than Kerry"

What vile POS penned this trash?

& should I laugh or Cry

[Gyre]

37. "Charming" maybe if you think venomous snakes are cute.

The proles who love bush are a bunch of squares and losers who aspire to fuck their neighbors, jest like him, to get one more rung up on the relative ladder of material wealth. He, and his freeper fanclub, can go straight to hell! Hope they like burnt french fries!

Gyre

[MODemocrat]

38. Is this satire?

Bush can hardly get two words in a row right. When he does manage to get a few words out, they are lies.:hangover:

[gretamc]

39. The New Fab Four with Dubya

I believe this thread needs alittle cheering up, eh? Here is a clever site. The Fab Four is baaaack, with a twist! Enjoy!
http://www.digthegig.com/fabfour

[T Bone]

40. Ruthless is the keyword here

'Ruthlessly charming' though? Orwell spins in his grave, no doubt.

[yellowcanine]

41. Anyone can be charming when they only talk in front of hand-picked

audiences who ask puff ball questions. Let anyone come to Bush rallies and see how charming he is dealing with hecklers.

[Vincardog]

42. Rings around Kerry

This is either a delusional foolish post or someone that believes the FAUX news reports. In either case The Irish Independent needs to get his facts from some other place than Bu$hWorld. No serious witter would describe The Idiot Bush as 'humble'. Can you imagine bush delivering a skilfully crafted message?

Remember Fool me ones shame on you...
Fool me uh uh ....... we can't be fooled again.

[EST]

43. Wow!

After reading the previous posts, I'm almost afraid to say anything. Please keep in mind W is an actor, pretending to be president. Most of the actors I've known were not very bright and * has been taking acting lessons. Ronnie R also was not particularly brilliant, but was positively brilliant at convincing folks with BS. Remember he said some really stupid things and all anyone (except for a few thinkers here and there) said was how charming and affable he was. You and I know this rascal is dumber'n hell but, for those who wish to believe, his words make a lot of sense and confirm all the shit they believe about them there libruls. Beware,beware.

[Skittles]

45. he sucks as an actor AND a "president"

nt

[Skittles]

44. BULLSHIT

here is the real story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4943-2004Aug16.html

[shaolinmonkey]

46. What's the source of the charm?

The stuttering? The stammering? I know! It's the nauseating repetion of false talking points. Wow, I'm fucking smitten.

[MISSDem]

47. Unfortunately, there are all too many folks who do find Bush

charming and just a good ole boy like themselves. I live in Mississippi and believe me, that is true. Many of the people here love him. I actually feel a little intimidated when I drive around with my Kerry bumper sticker on my car. He appeals to the racist in them. I will always believe this, although people deny it. And too, candidates here who were lifelong Democrats have been switching to run as Republican because they can't get elected as a Democrat. Our young, popular Governor Musgrove got defeated by a Republican who had his picture on the web site of the CCC, a racist hate group. (I guess I digressed here).