Visions

I rarely enjoyed any written political commentary as much as the Maureen Dowd Op-eda in the NYT of 21 January. I read part of it in Italian and managed to locate it in its original version. I cannot do anything else but reproduce part of it. A real piece of excellent literature


“Exit the Boy King
By MAUREEN DOWD,


“WASHINGTON

It was the Instant the Earth Stood Still.

Not since Klaatu landed in a flying saucer on the Ellipse has Washington been so mesmerized by an object
whirring through the sky

But this one was departing, not arriving.

As W. ceased to be president, he flew off over the Capitol and across the Mall en route to Andrews Air Force Base, and then back to Texas.

I’ve seen many presidents come and go, but I’ve never watched a tableau like the one Tuesday, when four million eyes turned heavenward, following the helicopter’s path out of town. Everyone, it seemed, was waving goodbye, with one or two hands, a wave that moved westward down the Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial, and keeping their eyes fixed unwaveringly on that green bird.

They wanted to make absolutely, positively certain that W. was gone. It was like a physical burden being lifted, like a sigh went up of “Thank God. Has Cheney’s wheelchair left the building, too?”
The crowd was exuberant that George Bush was now an ex-president, and 43 himself was jovial “the way he always is,” according to his last press secretary, Dana Perino.

It was like a catharsis in Greek drama, with the antagonist plucked out of the scene into the sky, and the protagonist dropping into the scene to magically fix all the problems. Except Barack Obama’s somber mien and restrained oratory conveyed that he’s no divinity and there will be no easy resolution to this plot.

It was a morning of such enormous emotion and portent — jaw-dropping, Dow-dropping and barrierdropping — that even the cool new president had to feel daunted to see his blocks-long motorcade and two million hope-besotted faces beaming up at him, dreaming that he can save their shirts.” 1

What a vision ! it compensates my disarray when I read that 30,000 people had been waiting to applaude GW landing in Dallas.

1 The New Yotk Times, 21 January 2009, Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

Picture : http://icestationtango.blogspot.com/2009/01/bush-is-leaving-movement-is-staying.html