Rogie Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 Quoted by FH above. "He becomes converted to the seductive thesis that election to public office endows the official with both power and wisdom". There is no better illustration of that in how (s)he handles the BIG issues, those times when everybody is looking to him/her for leadership. That has to be the acid test of a leader. In a mature democracy, from a British perspective, there is not much worse than a leader being elected owing to a combination of infectious idealism, and disgust with the alternative. The idealistic newcomer is elected, riding a wave of enthusiasm from a jaded electorate. Once elected, it gradually dawns on the sheep-like masses (which acute minds could see from the word go) over a period of a few years the new leader was little more than hot air - he never did have a robust ideology, simply a straw in the wind, coping with the travails of office with the aid of a smile and a spin doctor. Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 A President serves a term of four years and can be re-elected only once consecutively. In this first four years and especially the last, it is my suspicion that his performance may appear more zealous or productive than the first three, ostensibly because the fourth year is an election year and he wants to serve that second term. Does this necessarily mean his second term will be less zealous or productive if he is re-elected? He has nothing to gain as he does in that 4th year, because he can't be immediately re-elected. Of course I am making quite a huge assumption about his motives, which altogether may not be entirely self-serving. Is this an unfounded suspicion to make of any President? Is there any shred of truth to it? Or am I just being cynical? Quote
kokopelli Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 George Washington, the first president of the USA was first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen. An eulogy given by Henry Lee a signer of the US Declaration of Independence. Quote
Rogie Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 George Washington, the first president of the USA was first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen. Yes, seems he was the first in everything, even appearing on the one dollar bill, no doubt there are some who swear it's his likeness on the 1804 silver dollar! I'm just a sore loser! I was fooled into equating first with best, and quite clearly the chronologically first President cannot be the 'best', can he? Quote
kokopelli Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 Yes, seems he was the first in everything, even appearing on the one dollar bill, no doubt there are some who swear it's his likeness on the 1804 silver dollar! I was fooled into equating first with best, and quite clearly the chronologically first President cannot be the 'best', can he? Hmmm, George's facial profile is similar to Ms. Liberty! I think in Pres. Washington, he not only was the first but also the best since he set the mold for future presidents. Unfortunately other successors managed to tarnish the image or break the mold. Quote
Rogie Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 Hmmm, George's facial profile is similar to Ms. Liberty! That's not all! The British satirical magazine Private Eye have a 'look-a-like' section every issue. A couple of years ago they ran one with George Washington and another person, based purely on visual appearance. I am afraid the 'other person' may cause some offence to some of our American readers so I shall omit his name. However, if anyone cares to make a guess as to who GW was compared to I am happy to adjudicate. Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 Did you know President Richard Nixon was a Quaker? So was Herbert Hoover. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_US_Presidents_were_Quakers I always thought Barbara Bush looked like the Quaker Oats guy: Quote
Rogie Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 You're right Thaiworthy - there's a certain ruddiness, isn't there? No guesses so far to my GW challenge. If nobody gets it right I'll post the answer in a day or so. Hint: It's a contemporary person of some notoriety (and that's being polite!). Quote
Rogie Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 The guy of 'some notoriety' I referred to above is an American! Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 The guy of 'some notoriety' I referred to above is an American! Are his initials B.M.? If so, I think I know who it is. But I cheated. I couldn't help myself. I'm bad that way. This is why I didn't put the full name. Quote
Rogie Posted January 31, 2012 Posted January 31, 2012 I'm bad . . . You sure are! But as you're normally so good, and to crib a famous last line from the film quiz, "nobody's perfect". And before anybody tells me the captions are inverted, it's a Private Eye in-house joke, they always are. Maybe it's a bad sign that in a thread supposedly looking forward to the next election that we're harking back to what would seem in many ways a Golden Age in American politics. Hopefully as November approaches we'll get some really good meaty political discussion going, but in order to do that we have to be inspired by the contest. As things stand just now, it's not looking too inspiring. Quote
kokopelli Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Wow! I did not think of that. Actually I thought Barbara Bush and GW had a resemblance. Quote
kokopelli Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 5555 But I do think he drank quite a lot. I believe he had a distillery and a brewery. Also all the founding fathers were fond of wine, but often sweet wines like Madeira. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 With Madeira having been introduced, and quiz questions seemingly popular on the Board, which pair of popular songwriters wrote the song - "Have some madeira, m'dear!" Not so easy, I admit, unless perhaps you are a certain nationality. Quote
Rogie Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Not so easy, I admit, unless perhaps you are a certain nationality. I don't know but as most popular songwriters pre-Lennon and McCartney era seem to be American so if there's any points up for grabs I'll go for that. Has anyone actually drunk Madeira? I can't remember ever tasting it, not that I'd particularly want to as I don't generally like sweet fortified wine or sweet white wines, apart from a good Sauternes. . . .! and we know Fountainhall likes a decent drop of Chateau Yquem as he let drop that tit-bit in one of his posts some while ago. Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 I don't know who the songwriters are, but is this from "My Fair Lady?" Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Not "My Fair Lady". In fact, not from a musical or stage work. The writers are perhaps better-known for a song about a creature somewhat larger than Barbara Bush! Quote
KhorTose Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 5555 But I do think he drank quite a lot. I believe he had a distillery and a brewery. Also all the founding fathers were fond of wine, but often sweet wines like Madeira. Whoops, you are correct. Washington owned one of the early natiolns largest distillery. There is a museum at Mt. Vernon build around it. Totally forgot. However, he did speak out against drunkiness, and was not know for being three sails to the wind. Quote
KhorTose Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Not "My Fair Lady". In fact, not from a musical or stage work. The writers are perhaps better-known for a song about a creature somewhat larger than Barbara Bush! I know who the writers are, but the song was made famous by the limelighters. God we are old. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Well, that's a surprise! I had no idea the song had crossed the Atlantic. It was written by the popular UK song-writing/revue partnership of Michael Flanders and Donald Swan during their heyday in the 1950s and 60s. Their most famous creation was arguably a series of 'animal' songs, with "The Hippopotamus Song" and it's refrain "Mud, mud, glorious mud!" being the most favourite. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN0WPwFD9is Not much relation to Obama, apart from the African connection! Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 It was written by the popular UK song-writing/revue partnership of Michael Flanders and Donald Swan during their heyday in the 1950s and 60s. Their most famous creation was arguably a series of 'animal' songs, with "The Hippopotamus Song" and it's refrain "Mud, mud, glorious mud!" being the most favourite. No wonder I didn't get it. Clear as mud! Quote
