Going Over The Cliff Notes

Mare Rostromo:tabula rasa

With regard to the phrases for Iraq, I believe that the president and his team routinely use a standard marketing technique. They have a set of phrases that they want to get into the media stream. The phrases are discussed and planned beforehand, and the success of the speaker, in this case Bush, is measured by how often he can work those phrases into his responses. Bush is extremely good at this.
This technique also precludes any real dialog, but real dialog is not the reason that the White House calls press conferences.

“The vibration of the pendulum was at right angles to my length. I saw that the crescent was designed to cross the region of the heart. It would fray the serge of my robe — it would return and repeat its operation — again — and again. Notwithstanding its terrifically wide sweep, (some thirty feet or more,) and the hissing vigor of its descent, sufficient to sunder these very walls of iron, still the fraying of the serge of my robe would be all that, for several minutes, it would accomplish. And at this thought I paused. I dared not go farther than this reflection. I dwelt upon it with a pertinacity of attention — as if, in so dwelling, I could arrest here the descent of the steel. I forced myself to ponder upon the sound of the crescent as it should pass across the garment — upon the peculiar thrilling sensation which the friction of cloth produces in the nerves. I pondered upon all this frivolity until my teeth were on edge. Down — steadily down it crept. I took a frenzied pleasure in contrasting its downward with its lateral velocity. To the right — to the left — far and wide — with the shriek and the plunge of a damned spirit! to my heart, with the stealthy pace of the tiger. I alternately laughed and howled, as the one or the other idea grew predominant. Down — certainly, relentlessly down! It vibrated within three inches of my bosom!” from Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum.”
It is 1993 [I believe]. You are the president in the middle of your State of the Union address.
The teleprompter fails.
You seamlessly and unnoticeably improvise. No one tumbles to it.
Fast forward. Its 2006, you are the president at a press conference. You pull out your notes. Someone handed you your wife’s grocery list by mistake. Your name is George. You are all alone. The kleiglights are on you. You are asked a question.
It’s 1857, you have been sworn in as President. Two days later the Supreme Court hands you the Dred Scott decision. Civil war in the Plains develops. You dither for four years. After November 1860 you abandon the country to its fate.
It’s 1861, you are sworn in as president, six weeks later Fort Sumter is shelled by confederate forces which, under your predecessor, had been allowed to strip your government of resources thus allowing it wage a secessionist war.
Yes, there are “pendulums” in politics, more than one. Some are pendulums of policy that swing back and forth. But there are “pendulums” measuring competence, that swing. Large numbers of Americans don’t really care about “policy” nearly as much as they care about “competence.” You delegitimize yourself by persistent displays of incompetence. That is what occurring now. The pendulum of public opinion lowers and lowers and lowers.

steve laudig > for what its worth your post has made my day, thanks, jt

I can’t really make out what is on the crib notes. But as Doctor Jay observes, Bush is a salesman pitching his product not a statesman. “Facts” are valued only if they support the pitch. His reasoning consists of reassuring slogans. This style of reasoning seems to be very typical of conservative politicians, actually–facts fitted to the ideology, reassuring slogans instead of original insight or substantive understanding.
One of the slogans right now seems to be “they don’t understand the nature of the world we live in.” “They” is anyone who doesn’t support Bush 100%.
Bushco is clearly positioning themselves for the Fall elections–trying to oomph up the nation’s level of terror while simultaneously acting like Bushco has a plan for victory in Iraq and reassuring us that the final outcome will be worth the sacrifice and wait. Other bloggers are speculating that Rumsfeld’s days are numbered–Bushco is no doubt timing his departure to get the biggest bounce in November.

I think the words “Islamic fascists” are underlined on the Middle East page.

Any writing without meaninful content is really hard to remember. With the multitude of meaningless phrases Bush has to remember, I’m sure he needs the first few words written down so that he can finish the meaningless phrase correctly.
It might be fun to take a bunch of his stock phrases he uses for different issues and mix them up – phrases for Iraq, Iran, Afganistan, Katrina, etc,- and see if a good game couldn’t be made mixing them up for a Kwik Kwiz about which relates to what issue.

BTW, I remember what a genius Nixon had for pressers. He’d start talking and you’d go right to sleep. I don’t know how he did it.

Itwasntme
That’s pretty much what I was going to say. Even in memorizing music lyrics, the more nonsensical and non-linear the lyrics, the more difficult it is to remember them – it’s like trying to memorize purely on a phoenetic basis. Very very very hard.
I try to avoid psychoanalyzing from a distance, but I think it’s safe to say that much of Bush’s oh-so grating hemming and hawing and stilted, akward speech stems from the bizarre twists and turns of logic inherent in his policies. Even at this event, someone asked him about Iraq and he started into an answer then very clunkily paused for a pregnant moment, then said, “see on 9-11 we…” then proceeded onto the twisted, folded and spindled rationale that Iraq needed to be attacked BEFORE it was a threat.
All this robotic hicupping can be traced back to neocon metaphysics, which simply make zero sense.

I side with the “he is a moron” school of therory.

“All this robotic hicupping can be traced back to neocon metaphysics,. . . ” KingElvis, I was never a fan, babe, but you just may have converted me.
Before I became fixated on photography, I dabbled in handwriting analysis. An art, not a science….yet. So I was interested less in what the notes said than in how he wrote them: the extreme slant (critical), the disjointed words (intuition/hunches), excessive underlining (stubborn/resolute), the absence of lower loop on the cap “I” (absent/weak father), mostly forward-looking, even impatiently so (strong lines leading right). An expert would be able to tell much more and we can’t make out all the letters within words, only enough to suggest what the word might be. But it doesn’t take much imagination to put together critical, stubborn, intuition, impatience and come up with an explosive package.
In general the notes LOOK confused and disorganized, more like he was jotting down crib notes as someone else was speaking (Darth?). Perhaps what is important is that he made them to remember someone else’s points, which don’t come naturally to him.
As for the diagram, there has been no mention yet that he crossed off the names as they were called on. The fact that some are outlined and some are crossed off could indicate that the important people are in the front (important in the sense that they can be relied upon not to embarrass) plus perhaps one or two in the back rows. Since we know this is an administration of playing favorites, I think we can bet that those crossed off are no friends of Gdub. I wonder where Helen Thomas’ name is….
Remember, this is all speculation and from an old spot in my brain, and it’s not talked about a lot, but banks and personnel depts. use handwriting analysis, so who knows?

Cactus: “…banks and personnel depts. use handwriting analysis”
Psychologists who have looked at handwriting have found no correlation between handwriting and performance or personality. The consensus is that it is a psuedo-science, much as I love it. It has more to do with small motor control than personality.
That said, I also studied graphology in my youth, and I found your analysis right on! Not that there is anything to it, but I would add that his handwriting is large, suggesting a lack of attention to detail.
The other thing that interested me was the underlining. I have done a little study of “neatness” in circling answers in multiple choice exams and conscientiousness (willingness to follow rules, attention to details, impulsiveness)–the correlation was small, .33, but it was something. This sample would suggest that Bush is low in conscientiousness (at least compared to college students.)
I don’t think that will come as a surprise to anyone.

I’m afraid that level of collusion is the case… this man lied to get you and i into a war with potential allies,
why should i believe he wouldn’t he crib the audience? is it so absurd?

Bush is doing what he’s paid to do, and he’s doing a pretty gol-darned good job at it. No surprise that he has these cheat sheets. You would to if you had to stand up and try to defend multi-billion dollar disasters that killed a bunch of people.
No surprise that he has notes about which reporters are kind to him, which are Fair and Balanced, which have been paid off. His administration has been caught at this several times.
The surprise is that he is brave enough to stand up and take questions, when he knows so little about Reality. He even looks reasonably (comparatively ??) confident in the first photo. (As long as the lectern doesn’t fall over.)
The surpise is that the Press lets him get away with his moronic statements. Bush isn’t the moron, the reporters are the morons.
The surprise is that 35% of the population thinks that he is still doing a fine job.

PTateinMN: Appreciated your comments. I, too, was intrigued by the underlining; in fact, that was the first thing I noticed. And the repeated and heavy underlining of the numbers. We can’t see it clearly enough to determine, but I suspect that the difference in size between the upper-case and lower-case letters might indicate an inflated ego. I see it as not so much each individual characteristic, but combined they can mean more than their sum.
Your study sounds interesting. While we wouldn’t judge ‘cliff notes’ as we would formal writing, these did seem particularly messy and disjointed to me. It’s almost like you can better understand his verbal stammerings when you see these notes. One explains the other, or compliments it. The workings of a messy mind.

The BAG asked: “Beyond the absolute control that governs who can ask questions, what else is indicated here?”
That he needs cheat sheets *not* to keep facts straight, but to MAKE SHIT UP. Who needs to *cheat* to make things up?
He’s a lame duck, he can say anything he wants. But he can’t even do THAT. That’s beyond pathetic.

Is it any wonder this guy drove his businesses into the ground?

That podium is not just holding Bush’s notes. It’s holding up Bush. He looks like an old man with a walker who couldn’t get anywhere without it.

Lots of good comments…
I’m not surprised that he has notes, but why are they messy and written by him? If he needs facts and figures about Katrina, for example, why hasn’t someone typed him up a crib sheet with the numbers? He has plenty of people who are supposed to help him deal with the press and prepare for press conferences, doesn’t he?
I guess they did do the seating chart… And probably someone who briefed him orally did have a paper with all the Katrina numbers. Maybe his mind just works in a certain unusual way, and he understands his own scribblings best.
It’s not very impressive, though – compare it with a press conference that might be held by a CEO of some major corporation. On the other hand, as MadnVT suggested, it’s also the journalists who are not at all impressive.

ummabdulla: ” If he needs facts and figures about Katrina, for example, why hasn’t someone typed him up a crib sheet with the numbers?”
Because I’m what conservatives would call a a”bleeding heart liberal”, I try to take the other guy’s perspective even when it is someone like GWB. ummabdulla raises a good point–Bush took these notes himself though he could easily have had someone else draft the notes. It means there was a briefing before the press conference, and Bush was paying attention. We can be critical of his notes, but I want to give him credit for taking them himself.
Score to date…Bush the Disaster: 1,999,999. Bush the leader: 1.

PTateinMN, that’s an interesting thought, but can it be true? A briefing would have included likely questions with suggested answers, so I think that there would have been some sort of crib sheet already done. What these handwritten notes suggest to me is a man who can’t manage material easily, who can’t organize sheets of paper, let alone ideas, in an easily accessed order.
I watched this presser, on video, several times. I think Bush’s behavior is very odd. He’s obviously defensive, but petulant. He hates having to answer questions. His preferred rhetorical mode is the harangue, given to fellow-travellers. The tone of voice in which he said “Nothing” to the question what does Iraq have to do with 9-11 was both querulous and dismissive. He must have been primed with the fine-tuned additional statement about how the administration never said Saddam “ordered” 9-11. Perhaps he had been told to say “Nothing” to any question about 9-11 and Iraq, in order to put this little bit of twist-n-spin in play. But he clearly hated having to say it.
I have to say, he is a great liar. He doesn’t mind saying the lie over and over again. He really despises giving in to reality.

Aunt Deb: “I have to say, he is a great liar. He doesn’t mind saying the lie over and over again. He really despises giving in to reality.”
That’s the hallmark of a great drunk.

Looking at the rotated version of that photo again, it strikes me that all the papers are so… primitive. White paper, black text – from the typewriter era. With a computer, they should have made that seating chart more visually interesting, and easier to read; it’s like whoever made it didn’t realize they could change font, color or size. Just curious: Does anyone know if Bush uses a computer?

Aunt Deb: “I have to say, he is a great liar.”
readytoblowagasket: “That’s the hallmark of a great drunk.”
…or a psychopath.
Aunt Deb, re your question to me…Could Bush have taken these notes at a briefing and been paying attention?
You point out that “A briefing would have included likely questions with suggested answers, so I think that there would have been some sort of crib sheet already done.” I agree! So the fact that Bush has taken these notes himself suggests to me that he is trying to be authentic and on top of the issues. I will give him credit for that (and I suspect it is one of the things that makes him seem like a straightshooter to his fans.) However, I would distinquish between the motivation to perform and his actual competence and integrity.
A more sinister explanation is that it isn’t worth the WH’s time to prepare for a press briefing. There are no consequences for incompetent performance.

PTate – re: “There are no consequences for incompetent performance.”
I have to say, I disagree. There certainly ARE consequences to a press briefing for Bush right now. In just a few months, the senate could change hands. Bush needs his political strength bolstered. That’s why he’s doing this question/answer routine right now. He’s got to look like he knows what he’s talking about. He’s got to look like a leader. (He simply failed miserably at it).
If he can’t keep his party in power – the party is OVER. The Dems (if they have one spine among them, and I think they might) will have the chance to grind him alive in impeachment hearings and the international courts can take their turn frying him for war crimes in Falluja and Gitmo.
Better to impress ‘em in the press briefing trailer then in front of a row of judges.
ps. If Bush were actually a Bible thumping Christian like he claims, his real fear would be the Big Judge!! No crib notes in that interview!! [btw – I don’t thump the Bible myself, but I like to call GB on his B.S.)

ps. If Bush were actually a Bible thumping Christian like he claims, his real fear would be the Big Judge!! No crib notes in that interview!! [btw – I don’t thump the Bible myself, but I like to call GB on his B.S.)
Maybe he is relying on “mercy” and “grace” to get him by. Or he has just said the hell with it and is taking his chances. Or he is so compartmentalized that he has put this little gem as far away from conscious thought as he possibly can. I suspect that last one actually and isn’t that what people with serious addiction problems do?

momly: “Maybe he is relying on “mercy” and “grace” to get him by. Or he has just said the hell with it and is taking his chances”
Perhaps you underestimate the religious mind? Bush believes that he is doing the right thing: Bush believes that God has chosen him to lead the WOT. Things seem to be going badly, right now, sure, but Bush’s approach is perfect. God is just testing Bush’s conviction. No one said it would be easy. That is why God chose a strong, resolute man like GWB.
Bush consoles himself that God’s Will will prevail…in time! So no matter how dreadful and FUBAR things may seem right now, in time the goodness of God’s Plan will be clear to all. History will be kind to GWB.
All he needs to do is trust in God and stay the course.
I think we should be very, very frightened.

The last few commenters have mentioned the briefings. I wonder if such briefings could actually be the source of his current anger/frustration. To explain……
When I was in college there was a joke (from Psych 101) about someone not getting their way, the retort being ‘you’re thwarting my goal-seeking activities.’ So, what are Gdub’s goals? One wonders. Is it the goal of the cheer-leader frat boy? Remember TheBag posting a while back about Gdub and Condi walking to the WH? His antics were that of a clown. He wants to play and this job is getting to be a real bore. His fascination with playing president with all the cool planes is wearing off and he wants another challenge. He expects people to entertain him in his ever-shifting attention span.
But no, here are these grinches demanding that he talk to reporters (whom he distrusts) about the upcoming Katrina anniversary. He doesn’t want to but they insist and sit him down and make him take notes, just like the frat boy that he is. Could it be that his anger is directed at ‘them’ but he knows he can’t express it as such, so it goes into his notes and at the reporters. He’s smart enough to know he can’t tell the reporters to F***OFF! so he retreats to petulance and sarcasm.
Anyway, that was what was going thru MY mind as I read these comments.

Umabdullah, I noted a while back, in some on-the-spot action photos in the oval office, (not during a scheduled photo shoot), that there was no computer to be seen. Not on desk, not near desk, not behind desk. I’m sure he doesn’t know the first thing about loggin’ on.
Any person in power needs to know some basic stuff about the internet. For instance, they could search the web to listen to small voices from New Orleans or the Middle East or their hometown. They could even add comments anonymously, and get feedback for their ideas. I’d sure do it if I were king of the world.

itwasntme > although not king of the world, as I read Robert Fisk’s (1366 pg) ‘ The Great War For Civilization’- The Conquest Of The Middle East – he’s a *human* computer although incapable of turning one on.
After sentencing and under supervision; George, Dick, Donald, Condi, Paul W & B would commence their community service by reading this work as a preamble for more appropriate consequences, ie moving on to “meet and greet” the surviving victims of their grandiose schemes and dreams.
Obliged along the way to empty their pockets of the millions of dollars of ill begotten gains, hopefully acquiring a *sense of humanity* if not the multitudes of people worldwide however will rejoice in observing restorative justice in action.
Anything less is totally inappropriate for the bullshit briefings and magnitude of crimes committed by these bastards.

You go, jt from BC!

JT, I haven’t read Robert Fisk’s “The Great War For Civilization”, but I have read his “Pity the Nation” (about Lebanon), and that should be required reading for them, too. Better late than never.
You’d think that there would be a computer in the Oval Office, though, even if Bush doesn’t know how to use it himself. During meetings, they might want relevant data about some topic, and someone there could bring it up instantly.

“Newspeak was designed not to extend but to diminish the range of thought and this purpose was indirectly assisted by cutting the choice of words down to a minimum.” – 1984 by George Orwell
Thanks for the good reading tips, jt and Ummabdulla. Re computer info: what they DON’T want is the facts.

Cactus, good point about the mindset. But is it religious or is it neurotic/psychotic using religion as a mask?
The “religious right” of the Republican party is actually a group of power grabbers who have adopted the language and behavior of religion in order to make themselves and their actions acceptable to the average person.
I’m not really convinced that Bush is religious except in a neurotic sort of rub the lucky charm and cross my fingers kind of way.
Here’s a fun quote:
“A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side.” — Aristotle, philosopher (384-322 BCE)

momly, nail on the head. That’s why I call them christianists, because their actions horrify true Christians. If Jesus came back today he would immediately sit down to dinner (I’m sure he would be hungry after all that time) with black gay men. Remember that he consorted with a prostitute even though the pious of his day cautioned him against it.

itwasntme: “Re computer info: what they DON’T want is the facts.”
Of course, you’re right, lol. What was I thinking?!?

Aunt Deb.
He is an amazing liar. His avoidance of being under oath has as much to do with the “whole” and “nothing but the” part of the truth, as with separation of powers.
A normal Bush sentence is always exactly true. very very very precisely and exactly true, and usually does not address the question asked, but ~seems~ to answer it in the good ‘american’ sort of way, while not touching on reality much at all.
His style is “never inhaled” times 10. And he usually directly accuses his opponent of exactly his own weakness or fault. (“end of torture chambers”, “saddam had no reguard for civillian life”, “osama – culture of death”, “GOP – culture of life”, “Democrats spend wastefully” etc etc etc.
Give him a listen with that in mind sometime.

Cactus, a pal o mine in college was a black jewish homo. He was more persecuted than anyone I ever knew, and he was a good man. Loved by Jesus, to be sure.