Even the food in his mouth! &c.
By Jay Nordlinger
A reader sent me an amazing article about Obama and food. It is from the Associated Press, and can be found here. This is how it begins:
>>> Visiting one of his favorite Chicago restaurants in November, Barack Obama was asked by an excited waitress if he wanted the restaurant's special margarita made with the finest ingredients, straight up and shaken at the table.
"You know that's the way I roll," Obama replied jokingly.
Rick Bayless, the chef of that restaurant, Topolobampo, says Obama's comfortable demeanor at the table — slumped contentedly in his chair, clearly there to enjoy himself — bodes well for the nation's food policy. While former President George W. Bush rarely visited restaurants and didn't often talk about what he ate, Obama dines out frequently and enjoys exploring different foods.<<<
They've got to knock President Bush even for what he ate—or rather, for not talking about what he ate! And for "rarely visiting restaurants." Of course, if he had gone to restaurants—particularly pricey ones—the press would have scored him for extravagance, plutocracy: for indifference to the unfortunate. "W. Dines on Beef Wellington While Barrio Kids Go Hungry."
Another reader sent me another article from the AP, here. You want a little taste?
>>> Barack Obama opened his presidency by breaking sharply from George W. Bush's unpopular administration, but he mostly avoided divisive partisan and ideological stands. He focused instead on fixing the economy, repairing a battered world image and cleaning up government. . . .
In the highly scripted first days of his administration, Obama overturned a slew of Bush policies with great fanfare. He largely avoided cultural issues; the exception was reversing one abortion-related policy, a predictable move done in a very low-profile way.
The flurry of activity was intended to show that Obama was making good on his promise to bring change. Yet domestic and international challenges continue to pile up, and it's doubtful that life will be dramatically different for much of the ailing country anytime soon.<<<
Well, that's quite an admission! And then this: "Certainly, some Republicans are griping about Obama's economic stimulus plan and closing Guantanamo." Were Bush's Democratic opponents ever accused of "griping," in an article such as this?
More: "Obama was sworn in Tuesday with huge support—68 percent in a Gallup poll released Saturday—and incredible optimism from the public; Bush left Washington with record-low job approval ratings." "Incredible optimism"? Is that the usual language of AP reports? Not in my longtime reading of them.
More: "A picture of poise, Obama didn't get rattled when Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the oath of office, an exercise repeated a day later to ensure constitutionality. He breezed through his speech—which repudiated Bush's tenure though never personally attacked him—without a misstep. Even with the weight of the country's troubles now on his shoulders, he was relaxed as he twirled his wife, Michelle, at celebratory balls."
And the last two paragraphs:
>>> The high-tech Obama chose to keep his cherished BlackBerry, becoming the first sitting president to use e-mail. He made an impromptu visit to the White House's cramped media quarters just "to say hello." He also was spotted at one point ducking into the White House press office to consult with an aide. Bush avoided both areas at all costs.
In one Oval Office ceremony, Obama went through each executive order as he signed them, reading parts of each and methodically explaining them. He even halted a few times to ask for clarification from his White House counsel. That sort of deferral to someone else in a public setting and admission of a less-than-perfect command of the facts was never Bush's style.<<<
Why doesn't the AP just title all of its articles from now on "Obama Better Than Bush, In Every Conceivable Way"?
On a recent visit to Fort Bragg, I saw something on a bulletin board, and it was a little bit dispiriting. It reminded people of "Ethnic Observances"—and different months were assigned to different groups. February was Black History Month, of course. Then there was something about Hispanics. And about Asians and Pacific Islanders. There was even a whole month for Women. (Who knew?) (And they're not even an "ethnicity.")
I thought of the title of an Arthur Schlesinger book—indeed, my favorite book from that source: "The Disuniting of America." These days, there is way too much emphasis on the "pluribus" and not nearly enough emphasis on the "unum."
Also on that visit, I thought a little about the purple heart—the awarding of it, what it means. I was talking to a Special Forces captain who was badly, badly injured in Iraq (Ivan Castro, about whom I have a piece in the current NR). He was blinded and otherwise battered. And on his wall hung a purple heart.
And I thought about John Kerry. I'm not being partisan or political or polemical here, I swear—honest to goodness. Cross my heart and hope to die. And I know that one never, ever criticizes a soldier. This is especially important for someone who has never served in the military, as I have not. But famously—very, very famously—Kerry received three purple hearts in Vietnam. And he never missed a day of work, so to speak. None of his injuries caused him to be sidelined.
My thought was, Should there be one decoration, where injuries are concerned? Probably so—you can't get into degrees of injury. That would be a nightmare (of adjudication, etc.). But getting your head blown off (in essence), and suffering a much lesser blow—the same decoration. Interesting, is all I'm saying.
I know I'm a fool to touch this, but I often report thoughts that pop into my head, so—what the hay, as we used to say (or is that spelled "hey"?).
The one thing you can't do, if you're a journalist, is talk about a conversation with a cabbie. It is the worst cliché in the book. But I am going to do it—because this cabbie was unusually interesting.
He was a Nigerian. And he was obviously an entrepreneurial standout. He has taken to America like a duck to water. America was practically created for him. Give him a little opportunity, and he'll run with it, a long way. He is a cab-driving businessman, in the Fayetteville, N.C., area. He said, "In America, you can be what you want to be, within the confines of the law. And I am very grateful." (That is an exact quote, incidentally.) I said, "How's business?" He answered, "Beautiful."
He sees a lot in his line of work, needless to say. He said that he had proposed to a local editor a column—"The Taxi Diaries," or something like that. Such a column would be "interesting, informative, and entertaining," he said. I believe him. He offered up a scenario: Say a soldier has come home from Iraq. But he hasn't told his wife he is coming. He asks to be dropped off a block away from the house, to heighten the surprise.
But what will he find in the house? It could be messy, you know.
I asked the driver what he did not like about America. He answered quickly, crime. And health care—how to get it, how to pay for it. He said, "Doctors and hospitals charge crazy amounts, because they are used to bilking insurance companies."
And then we talked about Nigeria. I mentioned that I had interviewed President Obasanjo a couple of times. The driver smiled: "They talk a good game to Western audiences. But they are so corrupt, at home." Corruption is the major problem, he said—in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
And the people should take their share of the blame, he continued. "People get the government they deserve. Africans are too complacent. They accept all this corruption and inefficiency and criminality. They have no convictions, will not stand up for anything." Small example: The bus driver extorts money. He stands in the door of his bus, demanding an extra fee. And people just pay, listlessly and helplessly. "They should be willing to walk now and then, to stand against this corruption."
All over, he said, bribes are demanded and paid, openly. Wrongdoing is constantly ignored, papered over, accommodated. "You can't just blame the politicians and the bureaucrats," he said. "The people allow it to happen," year after year, decade after decade, generation after generation.
Now that is talking turkey. And a native, of course, is better equipped to talk it than a foreigner—even the most well-meaning one. Do you agree that it was worth submitting to this cliché—reporting on a conversation with a cabbie?
You may know the singer-songwriter known as Jude, and he has a steely spine. How do I know this? Because he has come out as a conservative, here. As he says, once you expose yourself as a conservative—or even as a non-lefty—"there's no going back."
It's hard for some people to realize just what a momentous step this is, in a world such as Jude inhabits. Announcing yourself as a conservative can be utterly self-destructive (to use a word that Jude himself uses, in his coming-out piece). Pariah-hood can come fast and bewilderingly. I know many conservatives—more than you'd think—in the music business (classical-music business). Most of them are closeted, but they confide in me. They say that if their colleagues were to know of their political leanings—it would be very, very bad for them (that is, the non-conformists).
But what does politics have to do with playing the oboe or singing an aria? That's not the point, my friends. Ours can be a wacky and coldhearted country, politically and socially. If you are on the "wrong" side of a political divide, you may well be in deep doo-doo. (Did the first Bush use that expression? I believe so.)
It is possible to make too much of the Left's propensity to persecute. It is also possible to make too little of it. In any case, I doff my hat and bow deep to Jude, wishing him all the success and happiness and fulfillment in the world.
The Left doesn't like it very much when you say that, for many of them, politics is their religion, or environmentalism is their religion. I can understand that dislike: the insult. But left-wing champions such as Susan Sarandon aren't very helpful when they say—as Sarandon said of Obama—"He is a community organizer like Jesus was, and now we're a community and he can organize us."
You know?
The Washington Post had a headline, reading, "Bush Doctrine Stalls Holder Confirmation." (The article is here.) A reader wrote to say, "Hmm, what could that mean, 'Bush Doctrine'? What would Charles Gibson say? I'm not sure what 'Bush doctrine' means in that context. Guess I'm disqualified from high office."
Well, I guess he is!
In yesterday's Impromptus, I had an item asking, "How long will the Obama administration be able to blame George W. Bush for every problem under the sun?" And I think the sorry answer is, "Indefinitely."
Somewhat to my surprise, I had several letters from Michigan saying, "Governor Granholm is still blaming the state's woes, economic and otherwise, on Governor Engler." Still? She's a second-term governor! That takes a lot of chutzpah.
But it's easy, if the press cooperates with you, and in Michigan—as elsewhere—boy, does it, with the likes of Guv Jen . . .
bulletNow available from National Review is Here, There & Everywhere: Collected Writings of Jay Nordlinger. It contains almost 100 pieces, on a great variety of topics. And it is just over 500 pages long. Mark Helprin, the novelist and analyst, says that reading these pieces is "like opening one present after another." The book is $24.95, but is being offered through NRO for $21.95. If you'd like an inscription from the author, that's free. To order the book, please go here.
Yesterday, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, dropped by. (Dropped by National Review, I mean.) He's the minority leader in the Senate, as you know. (I know you're not supposed to say "minority leader," but rather "Republican leader"—but I'm old-fashioned, in that regard. And I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with being in the minority.) (By the way, do you know the song "I'm Old-Fashioned," by Kern and Mercer? One of the best, in my opinion.) McConnell was targeted for defeat last November by Democrats and various Left groups. Running an aggressive, smart campaign, he survived—he did not suffer a Daschle.
He is an awfully smart and principled guy, McConnell—also an excellent politician, and that is a relative rarity: a bright, thoughtful guy who can play some serious politics. As I listened to him yesterday, I had a memory from 1995-96. Republicans were casting around for a presidential nominee. There was discussion of Powell, Lamar, Newt, and others. And I was talking with a colleague at The Weekly Standard, where I was then working. I said, "Whom would you like to see president?" And he said, "Well, I'm not sure he could win, but if I could appoint someone—I guess Mitch McConnell."
That was a good answer, I thought. In a way, McConnell reminds me of Cheney: extremely well-informed, extremely measured (if you can be "extremely" measured), principled but not rigidly so, versatile, dependable.
I guess comparisons to Cheney aren't supposed to be high compliments these days. They are from me.
Speaking of The Weekly Standard: I read yesterday that Bill Kristol will no longer write his column for the New York Times. I feel sorry for Times readers. They needed some diversity in their diet (although no one was required to look at Bill's column). Maybe they have other outlets? Maybe they glance at the Ripon Society newsletter now and then, to stick a toe in (lukewarm) Republican waters?
Kristol was a strong beverage—is a strong beverage—and good for the body.
Speaking of majorities and minorities (as I was two items above): A reader writes,
When I meet liberals who like to rub it in my face about GWB's popularity, I just say to them, "Didn't your mother ever tell you that the popular thing is not always the right thing—and that, if you only do the popular thing, you'll usually fail to do the right thing?" Then, if that doesn't take the edge off, you can always close with, "Besides, the majority wanted the war, then the majority wanted us out, now the majority are happy we stuck with the war. The majority of people can't keep track of Britney Spears's underwear. Why should I turn policy over to them?
Britney Spears wears underwear? Oh, sorry . . . (Mind wandered.)
A little language? I could have predicted this, from miles out. In a recent column, I quoted Nancy Reagan's line at the 1988 Republican convention, when Candidate/Vice President Bush said he wanted a "kinder, gentler nation." "Kinder and gentler than who?" said the First Lady (to Maureen, sitting next to her).
Many readers wrote in to say, "That should have been 'whom,' right?" I remember that William Safire did a column on this, back at the time. (Has it really been over 20 years? Yes, it has.) Think of it as "Kinder and gentler than who is?" That puts the sentence in a different light, huh? "He runs faster than who [does]? He jumps higher than who [does]?"
Let's close with something musical. A reader writes,
>>>Jay, you once did a series on the best opening lines in literature, and that series seemed to be well received. [Seemed? Seemed?!] A friend of mine was telling me this morning that the opening notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony have to be the most famous opening notes in music. Can you think of others that rival them?"<<,
No. (That was easy!) See you tomorrow, Impromptusites, from Davos.
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