Which is a good thing these days. I have a 50's era GE floor console unit from the fledgling days of stereo and the radio sounds richer and more vibrant than it does on a Pioneer/Bose surround sound component set up.

Part of it's the wood, part is the tubes - but it's uncanny.

The Ike reference is appropo. When I heard Bush invoking God he was taking a page right out of Ike's speeches. No modern President ever referenced God like Ike did. Ike did it to contrast the US with the godless communists - as a defining trait of our moral superiority.

Bush here clearly used it due to his close proximity to folks who speak about "God does this" and "God does that" all the time - namely the Grahams.

Reagan and Bush Sr. traditionally ended their speeches with a vigorous "God Bless the United States of America" - but generally left out any discussion of God influencing the political process or decision making.

Another reason is in this struggle with terrorists who claim they are attacking America for Allah, Bush is clearly portraying our side as the one with a truly divine blessing. The portraying of America as a religious nation is useful against an enemy who is especially motivated against "godless infidels."

Lileks clearly likes the fifties as his bottom link imagery demonstrates. In many ways this decade will be as politically active and disruptive as the fifties were, perhaps more so.

A secure home and family were common ideals and glorigied by the media. We could do worse than to have journalists and politicians with more anachronistic tendencies.

SDAI-Tech1