Where Have All The Tough Guys Gone?

Via Sir Charles over at the Cogitamus blog, a very good question: what, exactly, in the life history of President George W. Bush, leads Ed Henry of CNN to characterize him as a 'tough guy from Texas?'

The fact that he was a cheerleader at prep school?

The fact that he bravely pulled family strings to get into the Texas Air National Guard, assuring he would not have to go to Vietnam?

The fact that he is a confirmed alcoholic and cocaine addict?

The fact that, when he decided it was time to start thinking about running for President, he bought a former pig farm in Crawford, TX and did some landscaping so that it would look more 'ranch-like'?

The fact that, during his public appearances, the policy is to not allow members of the audience to wear t-shirts which express opinions different from his own?

Then, you read Christopher Hitchens' memoriam for Benazir Bhutto. Read about the fact that, even though her brothers and father had been murdered, both in Pakistan and in Europe, she fought to 'escape' from her comfortable retirement retirement/exile in Dubai, so that she could return to try and help the country of her birth.

Read about how, on the night before she was first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, she took a visiting journalist out on a personal tour of the slums of Karachi, with no security whatsoever.

Then think, again, about the guy who is so tough that he's afraid of a t-shirt.