Penn State Frat Parties May Alter a Person's Judgement For Life

Last week the AP printed a strange piece in support of the Bush Legacy Project that gave those of us in Leftblogistan a good laugh. Here's Steve Benen's take on it.

To that end, the AP's 1,400 paean to Bush's persona constitutes an odd puff piece, basically taking many of the presidential personality traits that have come to annoy millions, and characterizing them as admirable qualities.

Bush demands punctuality and disdains inefficiency. Every meeting better have a clear purpose. And it better not repeat what he already knows.

He is up early and in the Oval Office by 6:45 a.m. By 9:30 to 10 at night, it's lights out. He likes to be fresh and won't get cheated on his sleep.

In sessions with policy experts, Bush tends to ask questions that get right to the nub of a sticky issue. His top aides speak regretfully about how the country never got to see that side of him, even after all this time.

The AP presents this as a good quality. I read this and think Bush gets "right to the nub" of an issue because he doesn't care much for details, context, nuance, or history.

Bush is insistently -- some say unforgivably -- optimistic, no matter how low his poll numbers get.

"Every day has been pretty joyous," he said recently, summing up one of the hardest presidencies ever known.

The AP piece suggests this is evidence of a sunny disposition. I read this and think Bush is vaguely delusional.

Over at FDL, Thers also took a swipe at this bizarre little love letter.

The evidence is in. George W. Bush is, it has emerged, a cretin. You may find this news surprising, even shocking, but despite recent claims to the contrary, the facts are clear: the man is an absolute doorknob.

Anyone wishing to argue that Bush is not a cretin faces rather an uphill struggle, in that whenever the man goes out in public, he acts like a cretin....

[...]

But that doesn't mean nobody will try to make believe that George W. Bush is "cool" and to be admired. Mere objective reality has never been much of a consideration for many of the people tempted to advance such a thesis before, after all. Here for instance is Ben Feller of the AP, pretending that Bush is Cool on the grounds that he gives people idiotic nicknames and once "even gave the German chancellor an impromptu, perhaps unwelcome [!] neck rub." And there's more! He's also petulant, bullying, and authoritarian! Now don't you love him just a tiny bit more?

Jed L at DKos also took notice and Digby weighed in as only she can,

Despite the writer's obvious fondness for the Bushian personality, it actually confirms everything I ever assumed about him. He's a self-centered, authoritarian jerk who requires everyone to bow and scrape before him, even though he's an idiot. I've known plenty of people like him. He's America's mean ex-husband and the country can't wait to sign the final divorce decree.

So why am I bringing this up now? Well, yesterday I found out the Ben Feller, the author of this homage to the Fratboy-in-Chief, is a Penn State Alumnus. And Penn State couldn't be prouder.


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