Changing Of The Guard

Last Thursday evening, I turned on my TV so I could watch My Name Is Earl. Yeah, I know it's a mindless sitcom of no particular note other than the fact that it features two very hot babes, but that's not why I watch it. About that time of day is when I feel like a little, mindless entertainment, and I've gotten in the habit of watching the show. Last Thursday evening though, my pleasure was deferred. Our man Bush was giving his farewell address. I couldn't listen to the son of a bitch but he was only going to be on for fifteen minutes, so I muted the TV. You should try muting the TV sometime. It can be an interesting exercise. Watch your favorite show with mute on and you'll quickly see who can act, and who can't. The good ones know how to use body language, gestures, and facial expressions. You might be surprised at how much they can communicate that way.

Anyway, I was talking about the muted Bush. The thing I noticed was that smirk of his, the one you just want to slap off of his face. Well, it was there the whole time. It's his default facial expression. Absent his policies, that right there would have made him a divisive figure. Someone who smirks like that, if you disagree with him, you just want to pop him one. If you support him, then you like the smirk. It shows you in how little regard he holds his opponents.

Last week, The Daily Show had on Dana Perrino (sp?), the current press secretary. John Stewart was needling Bush a bit, and the little twit was still working hard to defend him. She claimed that he has a really good sense of humor, that he's a witty man. Yeah, if you like cruel humor. Judging by the evidence, the basis of Bush's humor is disdain for others. Remember the remark he made about that woman on death row in Texas? It was the day before her scheduled execution and a reporter asked then governor Bush what he thought she was thinking. Bush replied with a snide, "Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me." Hell, his nickname for Karl Rove is Turd Blossom, and the man is supposed to be a friend of his.

Meanwhile, the president-elect is doing his best imitation of Lincoln, riding a train into Washington. Judging by his appointments though, it's going to be Slick Willy redux. Watch yourself with the interns, Barack! It's hard not to like the man's style though. The Daily Show contrasted a press conference he gave with one of Bush's. Obama called on the reporters by name and organization. He'd actually acquainted himself with who was going to be there. In his press conference, Bush addressed the reporters in his usual snide manner. For example, he called on one of them by saying, and I paraphrase, "You there, dancing man." It's also hard not to like Obama's relative honesty. A reporter at his press conference asked him if there were going to be any political appointments to ambassadorships. He replied that it would be disingenuous of him to say that there wouldn't be. Still, Obama is being asked to preside over the decline of the United States, and I suspect that events will overwhelm him, even if his intentions are good, about which a cynic like me is unconvinced.