Word: two
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2000
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Houellebecq further evades adequate characterizations of the two men by assigning them pat philosophical summaries of everything from Kant to Huxley in lieu of giving them actual thoughts. It is not rare that one encounters such grand generalities as, "He was surprised at how miserable he felt. Far removed from Christian notions of grace and redemption, unfamiliar with the concepts of freedom and compassion, Michel's worldview had grown pitiless and mechanical." Such a statement flounders in the context of a work of fiction, and unfortunately is not redeemed by any breathtaking originality...
...Maharushi will have none of it, and when two callers ask him to let up on the partisanship, at least for one day, and to think nice thoughts about what unites Americans, even after such a bitter ordeal, El Rushbo rips them a new one. The liberals, he says, are more dangerous and partisan now than ever; their way forward as a party now is to make W. fail, and the only way to deal with them is, as always, with a whip and a chair and a revolver...
...think of a privileged little scene earlier in the day in the mahogany-paneled men's locker room of a private club in Boston. Two investment bankers, plump and pink from their game of squash, stand stark naked before the large television set on the wall, tuned to CNBC. They watch the crawl of stock quotations on the screen; their brows darken, and the pink drains from their cheeks...
...There are at least two (equally skeptical) views of Bush's bipartisan achievements in the Lone Star State. Some argue Bush succeeded because he learned (and excelled at) Texas's peculiar political culture. "In part," writes the New York Times' Jim Yardley, "Bush succeeded [in Texas] because his political style, built in part upon schmoozing and personal contact, played well in the backslapping culture of the Capitol...
...even if Washington does show signs of cooperation, one Beltway veteran pointed out to TIME.com, there will be sharp disagreements over what issues to tackle first. "When you look at what legislation is considered ripe for bipartisan compromise, the two parties are split: The Democrats talk about coming together on campaign finance reform and a patients' bill of rights, while the Republicans want to focus on abolishing the estate tax or a ban on partial birth abortion." All issues that have garnered significant bipartisan support in the past - but not exactly the legislative trifles one might expect an evenly split...