"I glance at the headlines, just to get kind of a flavor," [Bush] told Brit Hume of Fox News last month. But, "I rarely read the stories" because "a lot of times there's opinions mixed in with news." Instead, "I get briefed by [White House Chief of Staff] Andy Card and Condi [Rice, the national security adviser] in the morning."
From A G Noorani's devastating review, in Frontline, of Jaswant Singh's book "A call to honour":
[Jaswant Singh says:] As Minister for External Affairs, "I far preferred collecting my own thoughts than going over lengthy briefing notes of variable content, questionable (sic.) language and repetitive bureaucratic syntax" (page 138). In this he is like the BJP ally Bal Thackeray. Asked by Warren Unna of The Washington Post if he read books, he replied, "I don't mix my thoughts with those of others." Jaswant Singh dwells in the cloudy realm of his own thoughts. Facts confuse him.
What is it with the rightwing and reading? I suppose an ability to read, and understand, opposing points of view would significantly handicap these people.
1 comment:
Who needs news when you 'know' your opinions are the only reality?
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