Posted on 06/10/2008 12:14:31 PM PDT by Hadean
If she had said the opposite, I would NOT be praising her.
If she had said the opposite, I WOULD be saying the SAME thing.
It is NOT helpful for Laura Bush to publicize her OPINIONS about Michelle Obama or Hillary Clinton.
Why is it not helpful?
Michelle Obama has made some controversial statements.
What was her intent? What was in her heart when she made those statements? What are the sizes of the racial and social axes that she has to grind?
These are legitimate questions.
Laura Bush has no special insight into the mind or motivations of Michelle Obama.
However, many will think Laura does.
And as a result of Laura expressing her opinion, some may be more satisfied that they have obtained the answers to these legitimate questions.
Laura’s expression of her opinion on this subject makes it is less likely that the public will continue to demand answers from those who are in a position to find or provide actual answers.
That is not helpful.
The bottom line is that Laura Bush has no special insight into the mind or motivation of Michelle Obama. Laura Bush does not need to come to the defense of Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama should have to defend herself.
Since no one has any special insight into any others mind or motivations, no one should ever express their opinions?
“Since no one has any special insight into any others mind or motivations, no one should ever express their opinions?”
First of all, you are wrong that no one has any special insight into any other’s mind or motivations.
Some people might have special insight into the mind and motivation of another. For example, Barack Obama might have special insight into the mind and motivation of Michelle Obama. Thus his honest opinion, if he were honest, would be “helpful.” (Laura Bush does not. Her opinion is unhelpful.)
But I did not say that “no one should ever express their opinions.”
I merely said that expressing an opinion about that which you have no special knowledge or insight is “unhelpful.”
And I took the time to give you a clear and well-reasoned explanation of why I think Laura Bush’s opinion is unhelpful in this particularly instance.
I hope you found the explanation for my opinion to be helpful. I just so happens that I do have the special knowledge and insight to explain my own opinion.
Did you find my opinion to be unhelpful? If so, my point is proved again.
Why is it that...’Some people might have special insight into the mind and motivation of another’ but not others?
Please tell me why you think that Laura Bush has any special knowledge or insight into the mind or motivation of Michelle Obama.
I don’t, I just wonder why you think some people do, and some people don’t.
This is because Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are married. My experience is that married people usually confide in each other. A husband might have special insight into the mind and motivation of his wife.
Close friends sometimes confide in each other, too. A close friend might have special insight into the mind and motivation of close friend.
A person might also confide in an attorney. Thus, an attorney might have special insight into the mind and motivation of a client.
I do not believe that Laura Bush has any special insight into the mind and motivation of Michelle Obama.
As I said:
Michelle Obama has made some controversial statements.I was wrong to say that many people will believe that Laura Bush has any special insight into the mind or motivations of Michelle Obama.What was her intent? What was in her heart when she made those statements? What are the sizes of the racial and social axes that she has to grind?
These are legitimate questions.
I don't think many people would believe that she is doing anything more than trying to sound compassionate.
However, it is still true that:
some may be more satisfied that they have obtained the answers to these legitimate questions.Laura’s expression of her opinion on this subject makes it is less likely that the public will continue to demand answers from those who are in a position to find or provide actual answers.
That is not helpful.
It is mainly unhelpful because Laura Bush does not really know what Michelle Obama had in her heart and mind when she said "for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country."
Right. And that IS the classy way to do it.
Have you asked Mrs. Bush? Maybe she actually does have some insight, and that is why she said what she said.
Alas, I failed to ask Mrs. Bush.
Maybe Laura Bush actually knows.
Maybe Laura Bush knows because she personally asked Michelle Obama.
And maybe Michelle Obama told Laura Bush the unvarnished truth.
I wonder why Laura Bush made her statement without mentioning that she knows because she personally asked Michelle Obama?
Perhaps she didn’t feel it was necessary. Besides, as a woman, mother, wife of an elected official and a veteran of presidential campaigns, she may just have some insight as to what Mrs. Obama is thinking.
The first statement I made was that “Laura Bush has class and she is a decent person.”
I believe Laura Bush was just giving Michelle Obama the benefit of the doubt to be gracious and to show that side of herself to the media.
Like every other act of concession and bipartisanship that Republicans have made toward Democrats since 2000, it will be used for its full advantage with no reciprocal good-will extended in return.
Although I personally appreciate and admire class and decency, it seems that with our current media and electorate, these qualities are not rewarded.
I believe Michelle Obama actually has huge anti-American, anti-Western, anti-Capitalist, and racial ax to grind.
I guess we will find out when Barack Obama gets elected president, because that is clearly where we are headed.
I don’t expect to be surprised much.
I don’t find Laura Bush’s opinion, notwithstanding some common experiences that she has shared with Michelle Obama, to be helpful.
Maybe I was wrong to draw my conclusion about Michelle Obama based merely on Michelle Obama’s history of associations, statements and positions. After all, Laura Bush is also a woman, mother, and the wife of an elected official. But I doubt that I am wrong about Michelle Obama.
Maybe to the extent that Laura Bush as kept the media talking about Michelle Obama’s statements, she may actually have been helpful. But I doubt that either.
I admire Laura Bush because she has class and she is a decent person. It is a shame how Democrats and the media fail to reward those qualities and actually take advantage of them for their own political purposes. It tends to make those qualities rather unhelpful in politics.
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