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george-bush
W
By Will last year, mid-May, No Comments; be the first!
Watched this tonight. And enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. That’s all.
Obama and cricket
By Will 2 years ago, mid-December, 3 Comments »
The outgoing president George W Bush once said: “This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating.” He also uttered “Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?”, but that’s for another time. Our George wasn’t too clued up on life outside America, or even particularly knowledgeable about life beyond Texas or Washington. But there’s hope his replacement, Barack Obama, might show greater willing to embrace the wider world.
Michael Fullilove argues that Obama can learn all the foreign policies he needs from cricket, not baseball, in an enjoyable opinion piece at the Financial Times.
Second, as Americans often complain, cricket is a long game. A Test match often takes five days – and ends in a draw. Things are opaque in cricket, as in life: sometimes a draw can be a win. Cricket requires patience and discipline, which are not virtues we normally associate with the US. They were, however, on display during Mr Obama’s impressive campaign and they are exactly the qualities his administration will need in order to prevail in the war in Afghanistan.
Third, in the game of cricket, the condition of the pitch is critical. The ball usually bounces before it reaches the batsman, which introduces extra unpredictability into the contest. The ball does not just swing in the air, it turns off the seam. It can come at your head, not just your chest. In foreign policy, too, the decision-making environment is fast and fluid. It is difficult to see the choices before you, let alone make the right ones.
Bush did once try to play the great game, but I doubt he has ever sat through five days of a Test match. Or, for that matter, the four-hour Twenty20. But he has given us endless amusement that someone of his deep stupidity could have become the most powerful man in the world. We owe him thanks for that.
3 Comments »Thanks for everything, George
By Will 2 years ago, at the end of October, 3 Comments »
I feel a bit sorry for George W at the moment. All the attention is on Barack Obama (or, as some US commentators pronounce – perhaps not without a degree of subconscious racism – Obomber) and that old bastard and his Milf-aide, leaving Dubya in the shadows to ponder his retirement and learn how to spell. Well, let’s look back at some of his best moments: The Telegraph has a montage of all his truly idiotic moments in office.
Thanks for the memories, George!
George Bush plus cricket equals hilarity
By Will 4 years ago, at the start of March, 11 Comments »
Take one American president, sprinkle with cricket, sit back and relax.
If, like me, you find anything George Bush says, or does, utterly hilarious – not to mention inexplicable, without cause or reason etc etc – then please look at him playing cricket. It’s very funny. Blogged at The Googly, and the BBC have a gallery of photos which, as is Bush’s want, make him look a complete retard. Splendid!
I mean will you look at him?
