Speech Reactions Thread
February 25, 2009, 12:51 pm
Posted by Eduardo Peñalver
The consensus seems to be that it was not a good night for Bobby Jindal. But the award for the strangest response to the President’s speech clearly goes to George Will: (HT HuffingtonPost)
Asked for a “final thought” on the president’s speech last night, conservative columnist George WIll chose to focus on the fact that Obama was able to wrap his arms around another man, in friendship. “I don’t know when men started to hug each other, but hug they do, and look at that,” he said.
Huh?
Will is like so many of his pouting cohorts these days: “No, not, nyet” are the guiding principles of his mutterings. Can anyone NOT be amazed that his reaction to Obama’s speech last night was to ramble about men hugging each other ???
Jindal may be the bright, ambitious future face of the Republican party. He is NOT a good speechifier. He sounded like the lead in a high school play … overacting from word one. His message was simply laughable. And Obama is supposed to encourage bipartisanship with THAT philosophy? Waste of time, friends; waste of time.
Wonder what Mr. Will will think of the style of the new Archbishop of New York?
I don’t know where George Will has been. All the guys I know have been hugging guys in public for at least 18 or 19 months.
Maybe nobody wants to hug him.
Poor Geo. Will, wondering ‘when men started hugging each other’
George, it happens in sports and war. Both of which you write about but never participated.
Does George have sons? I hope not…
As a well-known baseball maven, perhaps George was disappointed that they weren’t patting each other on the ass?
I believe George Will is an Episcopalian. We’re (er, they’re) not known for being big on hugging or hand-holding outside the home.
Yes, George has a son, Jon, who has Down Syndrome. George has written very movingly about Jon and other individuals with Down’s.
Clearly, he was less moved by Obama’s speech and was casting around for something to criticize it for, and decided to focus on what clearly made him (Will) uncomfortable.
Little love for George Will from some of docCommonweal’s regulars, eh? He was among the first columnists (conservative *and* liberal) that publicly urged Obama to run for the White House. No surprise that Obama chose to dine at Will’s house the week before the inauguration.
Did anyone posting above actually watch what Will said in the video? Yes, on its own the comment is kind of odd. But he was referring to Obama hugging Tom Coburn, the very very conservative Republican senator. (How conservative? He used to support Alan Keyes for president!) It’s not male hugging per se, but the hugging of two opposites that Will meant.
As someone who watches ABC’s “This Week” on a fairly regular basis, I was not surprised to hear what Will said. He is given to dry humor, a trademark of his TV appearances. (His WP and Newsweek columns are a bit different, more didactic, among other things.) The surprise in the video actually came from Donna Brazile, liberal counterpart commentator to Will on “This Week.” The usually over-serious Brazile made a joke to end the segment, and pretty funny too.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/25/george-will-on-obama-spee_n_169790.html
Historyman, I believe you are missing the point of Eduardo’s post. He only wanted to take a cheap shot at conservatives. You’ll catch on after seeing about twenty more of his posts with the same purpose. 10,000 miles on one tank of gas.
Thanks, Historyman. You caught the context and Will’s intent very well. I may not agree with Will on many things he talks about but I always pay attention. He makes me think; he challenges my too quick conclusions; he brings an honest attempt to be objective and to educate. Yes, he has strong opinions; some may think he is an ideologue but I do not agree.
His life experience has prepared him for his job.
The speech was fine, but … the tie! The cravat! The gent’s neckwear! Why? For what reason?
I rather like George Will and always have. I think I saw him call Pat Buchanan a fascist on national television once and if I could have I would have given him a hug right then and there.
If there is any knee jerking going on around here, it might be the idea that teasing him in any way constitutes some sort of knee jerk reaction.
Was that George Will sitting next to Speaker Pelossi? Could have fooled me!
The veep’s tie was a bit unusual, too, but of course I was referring to the prez himself. That tie was wrong on so many levels. Good knots, though, for both of ‘em.
I missed Bobby Jindal’s talk last night. Here it is if somebody wants to watch it. I thought it was boring. I didn’t watch all of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd-PjuuI5vQ
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/02/jindal-versus-volcano.html
If somebody missed President Obama’s speech last night, here it is. Nancy Pelosi is my Congresswoman. I thought she looked great. She looks even better in real life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPWpv9e8GFo
Thanks Jean for letting me know George Will has a son Jon, to whom. i know, he surely must give many hugs. So i apologize for my post.;; I’m also will try to give up sarcasm for Lent.
I believe George Will is an Episcopalian.
Jean,
George Will said he was an agnostic on The Colbert Report. I suppose you can be an agnostic Episcopalian if you want to hedge your bets.
He is a little bit professorial, a little bit too formal, or stiff, or aloof, or cold, or something. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who hugs male friends.
However, I am always interested in what he has to say (except when he is writing or talking about baseball).
I can’t stand George Will, from his affected bow tie to his Will Rogers bangs, to his obsession about baseball (it’s a game played by bulked up gits on steroids and operated by commercial franchises, just like a McDonald’s stand, not a metaphor for the Struggles and Triumphs of Our Nation).
I’m must sayin’ he seems to be a compassionate father. Plus, Raber, as a Conservative Young Person, once sent him a fan letter and got back a real nice letter (but no hug enclosed).
Anyhoo, Ed, please don’t give up sarcasm on my account.
David, news to me about Will’s agnosticism, but, yes, indeedy, you can be an Episcagnostic, and even a Catholagnostic. I’ve been both places many days. Not today, though, when I’ve seen the ashes that will be me someday.
I never had much of an opinion on Will until last week, but as weird as his observation/failed joke about men hugging is, I’m more dismayed by the reports of his errors in writing on the topic of global warming. Stuff like this makes me much less inclined to trust him in the future.
Paul and the Ephesians?
Acts 20 : 37 They put their arms round his neck.