"Dance a Little Sidestep"

Deep into my 74th year, it is difficult for me to imagine a more media savvy administration then the one we have right now. They use television masterfully. The president appears on television more often then anyone has in the past. And it doesn't seem to matter what he says.

If the president had to buy the time for his appearances in the last month, the cost would be in the tens of millions of dollars. For the most part he appears only in front of friendly audiences and equivocates about almost everything.

Recently, he calmly stated that he had used faulty intelligence to take us to war, and he took responsibility for it. Basically, taking responsibility should involve some derivative of "falling on ones sword" - but, he said that even knowing then what he knows now, he would have invaded Iraq anyway.

I could not help but think about the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas" where Charles Durning, playing the governor of Texas at a press briefing, brilliantly performed a song, DANCE A LITTLE SIDESTEP, so as to avoid answering anything. This is most of it:

Fellow Texans, I am proudly standing here for you to humbly see. I assure you, and I mean it -- now, who says I don't speak out as plain as day? And, fellow Texans, I'm for progress and the flag-- long may it fly. I'm a poor boy, come to greatness. So, it follows that I cannot tell a lie.

Ooh I love to dance a little sidestep,

Now they see me now they don't--I've come and gone

And, ooh I love to sweep around the wide step,

Cut a little swathe and lead the people on.

Now my good friends, it behooves me to be solemn and declare, I'm for goodness and for profit and for living clean and saying daily prayer. And now, my good friends, you can sleep nights, I'll continue to stand tall. You can trust me, for I promise, I shall keep a watchful eye upon ya'll...

Ooh I love to dance a little sidestep,

Now they see me now they don't--I've come and gone And, ooh I love to sweep around the wide step, Cut a little swathe and lead the people on.

It perfectly suits the president. His explanation of the war, and almost everything else is, "You can trust me, for I promise, I shall keep a watchful eye upon ya'll..."

His approval rating is inching up, not in my opinion because of what he says or the way he says it, but because the "product," (the president), is on television incessantly.

This is a crucial moment for our country, but sadly, the Democrats only stand meekly by and say mostly nothing, while collecting assorted media crumbs. I expect MORE of them.

Norman Horowitz

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