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ThinkProgress

Bush Event Goes Off Script

This morning in Charlotte, a Bush PR event on the war on terror went off-script when a man named Harry Taylor took the microphone. Watch the video:

...

Q Okay, I don’t have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that I — in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and –

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: No, wait a sec — let him speak.

Q And I would hope — I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I’m saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about....

10 points to Bush for quieting the crowd. No points for misunderstanding the statement: Taylor wasn't asking for an apology. He was asking have you no interior remorse for failing to be the Uniter-not-divider, results-oriented, common-sense President you claimed to be? The term of art is Honor. As in, honor your promise or dishonor your name. Yeah, I know, a stodgy concept. But if you swing the hoary old values sword and insist on doing so at every turn, expect others to expect you to fall on it. Especially when preserving your integrity (and society's continued confidence in the concept) requires it. I guaran-damn-tee at least 3 out of 10 of that somewhat Bush-friendly Charlotte audience were delivered by Mr. Taylor's comments. Problem? They then sat on their hands. They failed Bush and their own stated ideals.

As for the interesting juxtaposition of photographs, that's a great catch by clone12, at Fever Swamp HQ, with a pointer to this:

...For inspiration for Freedom of Speech [painting of FDR's Four Freedoms], Rockwell recalled a recent town meeting in Arlington, Vermont where he lived at that time. He remembered how his neighbor, Arlington resident Jim Edgerton, had stood up during the meeting and aired an unpopular opinion. Instead of objecting to his remarks, his fellow citizens honored Edgerton's right to speak his peace.

Rockwell decided that their respect for Edgerton's unpopular viewpoint perfectly illustrated Roosevelt's idea of Freedom of Speech. Rockwell painted the characters as strongly contrasting.

The central figure stands above the rest. He is dressed in working clothes that have a slightly rough quality. He has a determined look on his face. In his pocket is a rolled up program for the meeting.

All eyes are on the speaker.

Seated around him are his neighbors. All are holding the same program. The men whose clothes we can see are all dressed in suits. We assume they are businessmen.

Mild disagreement crosses the face of the man on his right. He is smiling upside down. His program is clenched in his hand.

Yet no one interrupts the speaker.

Rockwell aptly captures the essential character of free speech with this painting.

Yeah. That's the brochure I read. But times change. Now, I'm part of the problem.