Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Bush is Man. Libs hate that.


Man Overboard:

This is an editorial in the Washington Post reviewing a new book by, ironically enough, Harvard Prof. Harvey C. Mansfield. So the opening sentance in this gives the book a glowing review, at least in my book.

"I have a new theory about what's behind everything that's wrong with the Bush administration: manliness."

Yes, Ruth Marcus suddenly had my attention. Reading on,

"Manliness, he writes, "seeks and welcomes drama and prefers times of war, conflict, and risk." It entails assertiveness, even stubbornness, and craves power and action. It explains why men, naturally inclined to assert that "our policy, our party, our regime is superior," dominate in the political sphere."

Couple of thoughts:
1. Assertivness: That is exactly what this administration has been. While the republicans in the senate have waffled, the administration has maintained it's support of their policies. Although some are not conservative, once Bush chooses to back something, he does. And he sticks with it, just like the port deal. (He was right about that by the way.)
2. Craves Power and action: Well, thats a whole lot better then craving a weak group conseansous and inaction. He is the leader of the free world, after all.
3. Men dominate the political sphere simply because they are better at it. Men tend to think with thought, and not emotion. That is, unless they are 'Girlie men' who have been nuetered by the feminists.

What really has Ruth Marcus riled up is this:
"Mansfield writes that he wants to "convince skeptical readers -- above all, educated women" -- that "irrational manliness deserves to be endorsed by reason.""

And the frantic response.
"Sorry, professor: You lose. What this country could use is a little less manliness -- and a little more of what you would describe as womanly qualities: restraint, introspection, a desire for consensus, maybe even a touch of self-doubt"

Denial. An aging feminst afraid that she is in fact wrong, and men are different then women. That a president in power during a time of war is reaserting leadership, and she hates it.

No comments: