There have been a lot of President Bush’s “Trust me — wink, wink” assurances about Harriet Miers to his conservative base. But columnist Dana Milbank suggests, with his description of Bush’s appearance on the “Today” show with Matt Lauer, that Bush’s blinking is more telling than his winking.
“The fidgeting clearly corresponded to the questioning. When Lauer asked if Bush, after a slow response to Katrina, was ‘trying to get a second chance to make a good first impression,’ Bush blinked 24 times in his answer. When asked why Gulf Coast residents would have to pay back funds but Iraqis would not, Bush blinked 23 times and hitched his trousers up by the belt.
“When the questioning turned to Miers, Bush blinked 37 times in a single answer — along with a lick of the lips, three weight shifts and some serious foot jiggling. Laura Bush, by contrast, delivered only three blinks and stood still through her entire answer about encouraging volunteerism.”
Posted by Melissa Cooley
So strained and strange are the dynamics on the Kansas State Board of Education these days that it’s worth noting whenever the 10 members break out of their usual voting blocs, even on an issue as minute as head lice. In the end, the board did nothing this week to change the current regulation requiring that affected children stay home until the lice and their eggs are gone — though it sounds like a good case can be made that it’s unnecessarily strict. Still, it was encouraging to see the board’s division defy ideological lines.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
And the new James Bond is . . . Daniel Craig, a 37-year-old relatively unknown sandy-haired actor.
A blond Bond? OK. Whatever.
I’ve never been able to muster any excitement for the Bond franchise since the departure of Sean Connery.
That’s about three decades of frustration.
I know. I need to get over this. But once you’ve seen Connery as Bond, nobody else measures up. He is Bond. Surely that’s not just my boomer prejudice, is it?
Roger Moore? Please. Too dandyish and blow-dried. Pierce Brosnan? Somewhat better. But he’s still a schoolboy next to Connery.
Some other hopefuls mentioned: Ewan McGregor. Hugh Grant. Heath Ledger. Colin Farrell.
Boy-men all.
I wish Craig the best. He has a dangerous, edgy look that Bond needs. The director, Martin Campbell, says the next movie, “Casino Royale,” will be “tougher and grittier.” That’s promising.
Connery brought a suave ruthlessness to the role that no one has quite matched. Except perhaps for Austin Powers.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
