Our Man is "Man of the Year"

Time has done the right and just thing and named GWB "Man of the Year". Like we needed them to tell us. Something good to say about Time: The picture of W looks good. Here's a little on Bush's political boldness:

An ordinary politician tells swing voters what they want to hear; Bush invited them to vote for him because he refused to. Ordinary politicians need to be liked; Bush finds the hostility of his critics reassuring. Challengers run as outsiders, promising change; it's an extraordinary politician who tries this while holding the title Leader of the Free World. Ordinary Presidents have made mistakes and then sought to redeem themselves by admitting them; when Bush was told by some fellow Republicans that his fate depended on confessing his errors, he blew them off.

Here's a good graph comparing W. to Reagan and Clinton:

For candidates, getting elected is the test that counts. Ronald Reagan did it by keeping things vague: It's Morning in America. Bill Clinton did it by keeping things small, running in peaceful times on school uniforms and V chips. Bush ran big and bold and specific all at the same time, rivaling Reagan in breadth of vision and Clinton in tactical ingenuity. He surpassed both men in winning bigger majorities in Congress and the statehouses. And he did it all while conducting an increasingly unpopular war, with an economy on tiptoes and a public conflicted about many issues but most of all about him.

Now the bad: This partisan, biased rag just can't help itself. Here are some examples from above link on other titles in the edition:

Mel Gibson and Michael Moore made very different movies with the same message: The truth shall make you free.

To not be knowledgeable on the lies and distortions of F 9/11 is a signal of just how deeply partisan these folks are. The above sentence is insulting on too many obvious levels, but a good example on what to expect from Time.

This one, I thought, was pretty funny on blogs:

How three amateur journalists dethroned an icon and turned the mainstream media upside down, all without quitting their day jobs.

And of course, here's a completely demeaning example on diversity in Bush's cabinet..

The Benetton-Ad Presidency: Joe Klein on how Bush quietly put together the most diverse Cabinet in American history.

I thought it was the liberals who are so concerned with diversity? But when Republicans show that they are truly the open, diverse party, the libs strike out. They can't help but show their colors, and look at the wealth of blogging material just from their title page.....what a sham.