Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
washingtonpost.com
For President Under Duress, Body Language Speaks Volumes

By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, October 12, 2005; A07

It's only 6:17 a.m. Central time, and President Bush is already facing his
second question of the day about Karl Rove's legal troubles.

"Does it worry you," NBC's Matt Lauer is asking him at a construction-site
interview in Louisiana, that prosecutors "seem to have such an interest in
Mr. Rove?"

Bush blinks twice. He touches his tongue to his lips. He blinks twice
more. He starts to answer, but he stops himself.

"I'm not going to talk about the case," Bush finally says after a
three-second pause that, in television time, feels like a commercial
break.

Only the president's closest friends and family know (if anybody does)
what he's really thinking these days, during Katrina woes, Iraq violence,
conservative anger over Harriet Miers, and legal trouble for Bush's top
political aide and two congressional GOP leaders. Bush has not been viewed
up close; as he took his eighth post-Katrina trip to the Gulf Coast
yesterday, the press corps has accompanied him only once, because the
White House says logistics won't permit it. Even the interview on the
"Today" show was labeled "closed press."

But this much could be seen watching the tape of NBC's broadcast during
Bush's 14-minute pre-sunrise interview, in which he stood unprotected by
the usual lectern. The president was a blur of blinks, taps, jiggles,
pivots and shifts. Bush has always been an active man, but standing with
Lauer and the serene, steady first lady, he had the body language of a man
wishing urgently to be elsewhere.

The fidgeting clearly corresponded to the questioning. When Lauer asked if
Bush, after a slow response to Katrina, was "trying to get a second chance
to make a good first impression," Bush blinked 24 times in his answer.
When asked why Gulf Coast residents would have to pay back funds but
Iraqis would not, Bush blinked 23 times and hitched his trousers up by the
belt.

When the questioning turned to Miers, Bush blinked 37 times in a single
answer -- along with a lick of the lips, three weight shifts and some
serious foot jiggling. Laura Bush, by contrast, delivered only three
blinks and stood still through her entire answer about encouraging
volunteerism.

Perhaps the set itself made Bush uncomfortable. He and his wife stood in
casual attire, wearing tool belts, in front of a wall frame and some
Habitat for Humanity volunteers in hard hats. ABC News noted cheekily of
its rival network's exclusive: "He did allow himself to be shown hammering
purposefully, with a jejune combination of cowboy swagger and yuppie
self-consciousness."

Perhaps, too, the president's body language said nothing about his true
state of mind. But the White House gave little other information that
might shed light on this. A White House spokesman, Trent Duffy, entered
the press cabin on Air Force One to brief reporters at 1:58 p.m. He left
two minutes later, after answering the only question by saying, "We don't
have anything to announce."

The one newspaper reporter allowed to travel with Bush as part of the
White House's "pool" system reported back to her colleagues after the
"Today" event: "we were at a distance and could not hear what was being
said (a theme of the day)." Other than the "Today" appearance, Bush
delivered a one-minute talk to military recovery workers ("I'm incredibly
proud of the job you have done") and a two-minute statement outside a
school ("out of the rubble here on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi is a
rebuilding").

Certainly, Bush retained many of the gestures that work well for him: the
purposeful but restrained hand gestures, the head-tilted smile of
amusement and the easy laugh. But he seemed to lose control of the timing.
He smiled after observing that Iraqis are "paying a serious price" because
of terrorism.

As Lauer went through his introduction, the presidential eyes zoomed left,
then right, then left and right again, then center, down and up at the
interviewer. The presidential fidgeting spiked when Lauer mentioned the
Democratic accusation that Bush was performing a "photo op." Bush pushed
out his lower front lip, then licked the right corner of his mouth.
Lauer's query about whether conservatives "are feeling let down by you"
appeared to provoke furious jiggling of the right leg.

Bush joked about his state of mind when Lauer asked Laura Bush about the
strain on her husband. "He can barely stand!" the president said,
interrupting. "He's about to drop on the spot." But the first lady had a
calming influence on the presidential wiggles. When Laura Bush spoke about
her husband's "broad shoulders," the president put his arm around her --
and the swaying and shifting subsided.

The president, now on more comfortable terrain, delivered a brief homily
about "the decency of others" and "how blessed we are to be an American."
Through the entire passage, he blinked only 12 times.

Andy Borowitz?

Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Bill McKee wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
washingtonpost.com
For President Under Duress, Body Language Speaks Volumes

By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, October 12, 2005; A07

It's only 6:17 a.m. Central time, and President Bush is already facing
his second question of the day about Karl Rove's legal troubles.

"Does it worry you," NBC's Matt Lauer is asking him at a
construction-site interview in Louisiana, that prosecutors "seem to have
such an interest in Mr. Rove?"

Bush blinks twice. He touches his tongue to his lips. He blinks twice
more. He starts to answer, but he stops himself.

"I'm not going to talk about the case," Bush finally says after a
three-second pause that, in television time, feels like a commercial
break.

Only the president's closest friends and family know (if anybody does)
what he's really thinking these days, during Katrina woes, Iraq
violence, conservative anger over Harriet Miers, and legal trouble for
Bush's top political aide and two congressional GOP leaders. Bush has
not been viewed up close; as he took his eighth post-Katrina trip to the
Gulf Coast yesterday, the press corps has accompanied him only once,
because the White House says logistics won't permit it. Even the
interview on the "Today" show was labeled "closed press."

But this much could be seen watching the tape of NBC's broadcast during
Bush's 14-minute pre-sunrise interview, in which he stood unprotected by
the usual lectern. The president was a blur of blinks, taps, jiggles,
pivots and shifts. Bush has always been an active man, but standing with
Lauer and the serene, steady first lady, he had the body language of a
man wishing urgently to be elsewhere.

The fidgeting clearly corresponded to the questioning. When Lauer asked
if Bush, after a slow response to Katrina, was "trying to get a second
chance to make a good first impression," Bush blinked 24 times in his
answer. When asked why Gulf Coast residents would have to pay back funds
but Iraqis would not, Bush blinked 23 times and hitched his trousers up
by the belt.

When the questioning turned to Miers, Bush blinked 37 times in a single
answer -- along with a lick of the lips, three weight shifts and some
serious foot jiggling. Laura Bush, by contrast, delivered only three
blinks and stood still through her entire answer about encouraging
volunteerism.

Perhaps the set itself made Bush uncomfortable. He and his wife stood in
casual attire, wearing tool belts, in front of a wall frame and some
Habitat for Humanity volunteers in hard hats. ABC News noted cheekily of
its rival network's exclusive: "He did allow himself to be shown
hammering purposefully, with a jejune combination of cowboy swagger and
yuppie self-consciousness."

Perhaps, too, the president's body language said nothing about his true
state of mind. But the White House gave little other information that
might shed light on this. A White House spokesman, Trent Duffy, entered
the press cabin on Air Force One to brief reporters at 1:58 p.m. He left
two minutes later, after answering the only question by saying, "We
don't have anything to announce."

The one newspaper reporter allowed to travel with Bush as part of the
White House's "pool" system reported back to her colleagues after the
"Today" event: "we were at a distance and could not hear what was being
said (a theme of the day)." Other than the "Today" appearance, Bush
delivered a one-minute talk to military recovery workers ("I'm
incredibly proud of the job you have done") and a two-minute statement
outside a school ("out of the rubble here on the Gulf Coast of
Mississippi is a rebuilding").

Certainly, Bush retained many of the gestures that work well for him:
the purposeful but restrained hand gestures, the head-tilted smile of
amusement and the easy laugh. But he seemed to lose control of the
timing. He smiled after observing that Iraqis are "paying a serious
price" because of terrorism.

As Lauer went through his introduction, the presidential eyes zoomed
left, then right, then left and right again, then center, down and up at
the interviewer. The presidential fidgeting spiked when Lauer mentioned
the Democratic accusation that Bush was performing a "photo op." Bush
pushed out his lower front lip, then licked the right corner of his
mouth. Lauer's query about whether conservatives "are feeling let down
by you" appeared to provoke furious jiggling of the right leg.

Bush joked about his state of mind when Lauer asked Laura Bush about the
strain on her husband. "He can barely stand!" the president said,
interrupting. "He's about to drop on the spot." But the first lady had a
calming influence on the presidential wiggles. When Laura Bush spoke
about her husband's "broad shoulders," the president put his arm around
her -- and the swaying and shifting subsided.

The president, now on more comfortable terrain, delivered a brief homily
about "the decency of others" and "how blessed we are to be an
American." Through the entire passage, he blinked only 12 times.

Andy Borowitz?

No, I am afraid this one is for real. Andy, however, is the funniest
*gentle* wit around.

Well, it is hard to tell truth from fiction in your postings.

Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

Bill McKee wrote:

Harry Krause wrote:

I am afraid this one is for real.

Well, it is hard to tell truth from fiction in your postings.

Actually, most of us have very little difficulty determining whether he
is spewing truth or fiction...just assume fiction and you'll be correct
99% of the time.

--
Skipper

Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Skipper wrote:
Bill McKee wrote:

Harry Krause wrote:

I am afraid this one is for real.

Well, it is hard to tell truth from fiction in your postings.

Actually, most of us have very little difficulty determining whether he
is spewing truth or fiction...just assume fiction and you'll be correct
99% of the time.

--
Skipper


Ahh, the fake Skipper again. So tell us, fake Skipper, what are you using
for a boat these days, does your wife come with you, and where do you
boat?

So tell us, Harry, what are you using for a boat these days, does your wife
come with you, and where do you boat?
p.s. Was a good answer.

Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

Harry Krause wrote in message
...

Until recently, I actually had been considering the commissioning of a
much larger boat than what we have now, a 46' "bay built" fishing boat
finished to pleasureboat standards. But I'm holding off; I have no
confidence in the short-term future or even survival of this country. I
think we're going to implode. Now is the time to buy gold.


My 2 cents worth, based on experience gained with our late Egg Harbor:

Blood and guts in the cockpit and a carpeted, fancy cabin don't mix.
It's a fishing boat or it's a pleasureboat.

Even though the Egg's cockpit was self-sufficient for fishing with cockpit
freezer, sink, bait well, catch wells, and both fresh and salt water
washdowns, the cabin still got messed up, even though it was supposed to be
off-limits while fishing.

Eisboch (thinking despite the gloom and doom, we shall survive)

Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

"Bill McKee" wrote in message
nk.net...

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Bill McKee wrote:
"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
washingtonpost.com
For President Under Duress, Body Language Speaks Volumes

By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, October 12, 2005; A07

It's only 6:17 a.m. Central time, and President Bush is already facing
his second question of the day about Karl Rove's legal troubles.

"Does it worry you," NBC's Matt Lauer is asking him at a
construction-site interview in Louisiana, that prosecutors "seem to
have such an interest in Mr. Rove?"

Bush blinks twice. He touches his tongue to his lips. He blinks twice
more. He starts to answer, but he stops himself.

"I'm not going to talk about the case," Bush finally says after a
three-second pause that, in television time, feels like a commercial
break.

Only the president's closest friends and family know (if anybody does)
what he's really thinking these days, during Katrina woes, Iraq
violence, conservative anger over Harriet Miers, and legal trouble for
Bush's top political aide and two congressional GOP leaders. Bush has
not been viewed up close; as he took his eighth post-Katrina trip to
the Gulf Coast yesterday, the press corps has accompanied him only
once, because the White House says logistics won't permit it. Even the
interview on the "Today" show was labeled "closed press."

But this much could be seen watching the tape of NBC's broadcast during
Bush's 14-minute pre-sunrise interview, in which he stood unprotected
by the usual lectern. The president was a blur of blinks, taps,
jiggles, pivots and shifts. Bush has always been an active man, but
standing with Lauer and the serene, steady first lady, he had the body
language of a man wishing urgently to be elsewhere.

The fidgeting clearly corresponded to the questioning. When Lauer asked
if Bush, after a slow response to Katrina, was "trying to get a second
chance to make a good first impression," Bush blinked 24 times in his
answer. When asked why Gulf Coast residents would have to pay back
funds but Iraqis would not, Bush blinked 23 times and hitched his
trousers up by the belt.

When the questioning turned to Miers, Bush blinked 37 times in a single
answer -- along with a lick of the lips, three weight shifts and some
serious foot jiggling. Laura Bush, by contrast, delivered only three
blinks and stood still through her entire answer about encouraging
volunteerism.

Perhaps the set itself made Bush uncomfortable. He and his wife stood
in casual attire, wearing tool belts, in front of a wall frame and some
Habitat for Humanity volunteers in hard hats. ABC News noted cheekily
of its rival network's exclusive: "He did allow himself to be shown
hammering purposefully, with a jejune combination of cowboy swagger and
yuppie self-consciousness."

Perhaps, too, the president's body language said nothing about his true
state of mind. But the White House gave little other information that
might shed light on this. A White House spokesman, Trent Duffy, entered
the press cabin on Air Force One to brief reporters at 1:58 p.m. He
left two minutes later, after answering the only question by saying,
"We don't have anything to announce."

The one newspaper reporter allowed to travel with Bush as part of the
White House's "pool" system reported back to her colleagues after the
"Today" event: "we were at a distance and could not hear what was being
said (a theme of the day)." Other than the "Today" appearance, Bush
delivered a one-minute talk to military recovery workers ("I'm
incredibly proud of the job you have done") and a two-minute statement
outside a school ("out of the rubble here on the Gulf Coast of
Mississippi is a rebuilding").

Certainly, Bush retained many of the gestures that work well for him:
the purposeful but restrained hand gestures, the head-tilted smile of
amusement and the easy laugh. But he seemed to lose control of the
timing. He smiled after observing that Iraqis are "paying a serious
price" because of terrorism.

As Lauer went through his introduction, the presidential eyes zoomed
left, then right, then left and right again, then center, down and up
at the interviewer. The presidential fidgeting spiked when Lauer
mentioned the Democratic accusation that Bush was performing a "photo
op." Bush pushed out his lower front lip, then licked the right corner
of his mouth. Lauer's query about whether conservatives "are feeling
let down by you" appeared to provoke furious jiggling of the right leg.

Bush joked about his state of mind when Lauer asked Laura Bush about
the strain on her husband. "He can barely stand!" the president said,
interrupting. "He's about to drop on the spot." But the first lady had
a calming influence on the presidential wiggles. When Laura Bush spoke
about her husband's "broad shoulders," the president put his arm around
her -- and the swaying and shifting subsided.

The president, now on more comfortable terrain, delivered a brief
homily about "the decency of others" and "how blessed we are to be an
American." Through the entire passage, he blinked only 12 times.

Andy Borowitz?

No, I am afraid this one is for real. Andy, however, is the funniest
*gentle* wit around.

Well, it is hard to tell truth from fiction in your postings.


Excessive eye blinking *is* indicative of "issues", though. Of course, in
Bush's case, one doesn't need such a subtle indicator to know there are
problems.

Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 08:00:57 -0400, Harry Krause wrote:


I am really fearful for this country's survival as a free, democratic
republic. We're slipping into the abyss, and we're maximizing our enemies.

Harry, I'm not at all happy with this country's present direction, but one
thing I have learned. This country is incredibly resilient. I grew up in
the sixties, and there was a time I thought this country was coming apart.
It didn't. We may not have survived worse President's than GWB, but we
will survive him, make no mistake.

Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 08:57:57 -0400, Harry Krause wrote:


Survive as what, a right-wing theocracy? No thanks. Yesterday President
Nincompoop was telling his base to support Harriet Miers because of her
religious beliefs. That's an outrage. The woman isn't being nominated for
archbishop.

Nah, this country is ruled from the center. It always has been. That's
something these neo-wackos haven't realized. They may be on a mission,
but this country won't go along for the ride. You have been taking note
of Bush's poll numbers. He's done.

Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

Harry Krause wrote in message
...

Survive as what, a right-wing theocracy? No thanks. Yesterday President
Nincompoop was telling his base to support Harriet Miers because of her
religious beliefs. That's an outrage. The woman isn't being nominated
for archbishop.

I didn't hear about that. Did he actually tell them to support her because
of her religious beliefs or did he simply acknowledge that she was strongly
religious?

Eisboch

Don't Blink Twice, It's Alright!
 

Harry Krause wrote in message
...
Eisboch wrote:
Harry Krause wrote in message
...

Survive as what, a right-wing theocracy? No thanks. Yesterday President
Nincompoop was telling his base to support Harriet Miers because of her
religious beliefs. That's an outrage. The woman isn't being nominated
for archbishop.

I didn't hear about that. Did he actually tell them to support her
because
of her religious beliefs or did he simply acknowledge that she was
strongly
religious?

Eisboch



I don't have his exact words handy, but he apparently directly and
through his surrogates is telling his "base" to support her *because* of
her religious beliefs.

This is interesting. Chief Justice Roberts obviously has religious
beliefs, too, (he apparently is a devout, practicing Catholic), and I
suspect these are at least as seriously held as Ms. Mier's. But the Bush
administration made no issue of Roberts' beliefs. That was the
appropriate position to take; a nominee's personal religious beliefs
should not be an issue, unless there is evidence that those beliefs will
drive his or her decision-making. It matters not to me that a federal
bench nominee is Christian, Jewish, Moslem, or atheist, but if his or
her sponsors tries to hammer home that he or she *is* a Christian, Jew,
Moslem, or whatever, I am concerned.

Well, I agree and that's why I asked the question. If he is forcing his
will based on her religious beliefs, that's wrong. If he is simply
identifying her as a religious person, along with whatever other
qualifications he thinks is important, there's nothing wrong with it.

Your answer contains the word "apparantly". I'd like to hear or read the
exact words of his promotion of her. I'll look, although to be frank, I
really don't give a damn. The whole political landscape will be changing
again soon and much of this will be moot.

Eisboch