Wednesday, September 26, 2007

A Bush Portrait: That's what he said

Bush recently announced "Childrens do learn." He has thus answered his famous question: "Is our children learning?"

Whenever I hear stuff like this, I always think of Aaron Copland's A Lincoln Portrait. If you don't know the piece, imagine a slow, brassy fanfare punctuated by some very Deep and Meaningful commentary from the timpanist. As the horns churn away, some Gregory Peckish actor reads bits from Lincoln speeches. (Gore Vidal did the job last month at the Hollywood Bowl.) Every so often, the Peckish One gravely announces: "That's what he said. That's what Abraham Lincoln said." The text is here.

I propose the composition of a work called A Bush Portrait:
"The illiteracy level of our children are appalling."
That's what he said. That's what George W. Bush said."
Doo doooooom. Boom. Ba-ba-doom.
"I think - tide turning - see, as I remember, I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of, it's easy to see a tide turn - did I say those words?"
That's what he said. That's what George W. Bush said
Thoom. Thudda-thoom. Bwah-waaaahhhhhhh...!

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