Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for June 15, 2010

Even modern English people are imperious, superior, ridden by class. All of the hypocrisy and the difficulties that are endemic in being British also make it an incredibly fertile place culturally. A brilliant place to live. Sad but true. Pete Townshend

A better choice is to use Wilford Brimley’s voice. If he can talk me into eating oatmeal, he can probably talk anybody into anything.

Maybe not so smart. If Duke is talking about the Geiko gecko, it has a British accent.

When an American leader does something wrong, s/he tries to deny and stonewall (think Bill Clinton or Carly Fiorina). The British are more gracious than Americans in admitting their mistakes.

Duke’s addressing Tony Hayward, BP’s CEO. Tony will be meeting Wednesday with President Obama–AND will be grilled by the House Energy Committee. He’s notorious for gaffes, even some that are meant as apologies.

Among his memorable lines: The spill is not going to cause big problems because the gulf “is a very big ocean” and “the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to have been very, very modest.” Mr. Hayward apologized to the families of 11 men who died on the rig for having said, “You know, I’d like my life back.”

It all comes down to whether you prefer your clowns to fool themselves like Clinton and Hayward, or to laugh at themselves like Glenn Beck and GT.

So far, our president has avoided the role of clown by not promising too much. He’d rather help us than entertain us. Tune in tonight.

Politicians are politicians the world over, a mix of honorable and weasles. The more obvious comparison here (since its also been in the news this week) is Union Carbide. Was the difference there the nationality of the company or the victims or both?

Bush senior cloned Mister Rogers, speaking “kinder-gentler” in a medium close-up to that one little buckaroo about the value of Gulf War I……I think the celeste music in the background is the important element.

I hear the government is secretly working on a replicate Morgan Freeman voice to cope with such emergencies for the future…

According to my British friend, the Gecko uses a “Whitechapel” accent, which is about as low-class as one can get.

Whitechapel, eh? I always pegged it as some sort of faux Australian.

According to Neil Cavuto, the BP boycotters are likely to soon get their wish and the company is ripe for an easy takover by a competitor. Once that happens, we’ll be listening to soothing voice of Exxon explain to us that they didn’t promise anytthing in regards to cleanup and they’ll be dissolving what’s left of the company’s assetts into the Singapore arm of their own corporation.

Carbide is an interesting case. Their headquarters was in my city, and publicly and privately their people have always said that the Bohpal disaster was a terrorist incident.

And, just like is happening with BP, the irony with Carbide was that the public outcry against them and subsequent dissolvement resulted in UC not being able to meet its obligations of restitution.

I always thought “Common Garden” (see My Fair Lady) or “Cheapside” was as lower-class as you could get.

The Australian (or Strine) accent still has some of the cachet left over from “Crocodile Dundee” and “Mad Max”

Now now The gecko has never admitted where he came from.Could be S. Boston and he had an illegal alien nanny.

Maybe that phony texas accent that Dunya used to convince dimwitted texans he was from texas. Via, born in Maine, HS in Mass, College in Conn, Grad scholl in MA, but he’s a good ole’boy, whose family came over onthe Mayflower.

Maybe that phony texas accent that Dunya used to convince dimwitted texans he was from texas. Via, born in Maine, HS in Mass, College in Conn, Grad scholl in MA, but he’s a good ole’boy, whose family came over onthe Mayflower.

Horace, G.B. Trudeau writes & draws a COMIC strip. When you point out the humorous angle in Israeli commandos killing people for trying to deliver bandages, then let Trudeau know.

The Geico Gecko’s accent is definitely East End London. No doubt about that!

Geico Gecko is an illegal alien. That is the reason he doesn’t want his nationality known.

Flag this bum.

Once that happens, we’ll be listening to soothing voice of Exxon explain to us that they didn’t promise anytthing in regards to cleanup and they’ll be dissolving what’s left of the company’s assetts into the Singapore arm of their own corporation.

Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is always a bad idea. If its not sabotaged, BP can pay both cleanup and dividends. If the shortsighted prevail, the US environment and lots of pensioners will suffer. If the rumors of a Chinese oil company being interested were fulfilled, do you think they’d give a bleeep about the US environment?

Bleep? now it looks like I said f—, rather than a mere s—

Thanks Ira, it took until the 6th comment for someone to mention that the gecko’s accent is British.

“When an American leader does something wrong, s/he tries to deny and stonewall (think Bill Clinton or Carly Fiorina). The British are more gracious than Americans in admitting their mistakes.”

The British are also aware that their news media will gleefully lambast anyone who makes a major blunder, and so they figure they might as well ‘fess up and get it over with. Americans know that their media is more selective in demanding accountibiility, and in Clinton’s case, he was able to b/s it long enough until the news made it seem that Ken Starr was on trial!

Our current president is treating the BP troubles as a Ron Emanuel “Never Let a Crisis Go To Waste” moment, and (with a few notable exceptions, such as Moreen Dowd) is being encouraged to continue doing so. Why admit a mistake when you are not being held accountible for it?

Rahm’s Machiavellian bromide holds a lot of truth, Nemesys. Machiavelli saw that a crisis can be an opportunity for the republic to renew itself. Obama has been telling people in the Gulf states that they’ll come out of this stronger than before.

Did you expect Obama to mouth off, like Tony? Or use the Federal machinery to make futile gestures, like Dubya? Why this demand for instant, media-pleasing results? Isn’t that Duke’s game?

As I said above, our president so far has avoided the role of clown by not promising too much. He’d rather help us than entertain us. Tune in tonight.

LeoAutodidact, Isn’t it “Covent Garden,” though? I think ‘Liza sold ‘er flahrs in the Tott’n’m (Tottenham) Court Road.

Awright geeezzaa! PErhaps da chicken pie should speak wiv a cockney accent. Sorted mate.

The reference to ‘that Gecko’ will almost certainly be lost on a Brit anyway.

He got his first degree from Aston University so maybe he could try Brummie - that sure ain’t fancy.

No, Donald is too reactionary. You want Mickey. Mickey has a voice everybody can trust!

“Why is everyone still mad? I made myself sound like James Earl Jones, the voice of CNN!” “And Darth Vader.”

“I am your father, Duke!”