Thursday, January 25, 2007

GW Hater


Addendum: I do not mean for this blog entry to be political, in the sense of Republicans verses Democrats. Actually, if the media had said that Clinton or GW Bush ordered to kill someone to "kill a story," it would not shock me. Reread this, and consider it. It would not shock me for the President of the US to order a hit on a man. I would have never thought that of George Bush, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, or, well, I better stop there.

George W. Bush, when asked about his best moment in office, interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, said on May 7, 2006: "I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound largemouth bass in my lake."

Is this a WTF moment for the American people. At least Clinton could have recalled staining a blue dress (actually, he couldn't; "I did not have sexual relations with that woman"). And Bush remembers a big fish. My follow-up question regarding his answer about the fish would have probably been "Did anyone see you catch the fish?" Did you mount the fish and put it in the same place as you put the evidence of weapons of mass destruction (remember, the information you shared with that British guy)?

I am not a political person. Not really. But I am not really happy with George W Bush (he is really George Bush Junior, a description he hates, hence his insistence on using his middle initial W to distinguish him from his father.

I don't like what I have seen from George W Bush personally. Here are some recent examples in the news (and pardon me for not getting all the facts straight; I don't want to google everything):

Remarks to Senator James Webb
President Bush, during a recent party he gave to welcome the incoming (freshman) senators and congressmen, approached Senator Webb, and asked him how his son Jimmy was doing. Senator Webb's son, Jimmy, is serving in Iraq as a Marine infantryman and Bush was briefed before the party about a recent event in Iraq about how this young marine nearly died.

What some were thinking (myself included) is that Bush was letting the senator know that Bush is in control of the young Marine's fate. And as the Chief Executive of the land, he is.

Joseph Wilson and a Blown Cover
Okay, the court case now raging, is less-than-interesting, but you may remember senior officials deliberately blew Valerie Plame's cover to punish her husband, ex-diplomat Joseph Wilson, for criticizing the White House's rationale for war in Iraq.

Before the war in Iraq, the White House dispatched former Ambassador Joseph Wilson to Niger, in February of 2002, to find proof that the country had shipped yellowcake uranium to Iraq (read, "weapons of mass destruction"). Wilson continues to say publicly that the Administration then went on another search for evidence - the kind that could be used to discredit Wilson - this eventually led to the unlawful exposure of Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA agent.

"People do not lie for the heck of it. If people lie, it's because they have done something wrong. Scooter Libby did not do anything wrong, he had nothing to cover up,'' Mr Wells, former top White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby's attorney, said. The question I have for Mr. Libby's attorney is, "why would someone in the administration lie?" Would it be to go after the opposition?

Okay, I have little real proof, but I have a feeling that George W. Bush is a very vindictive man.
Who's Your Father?
I don't know what people really mean by, "who's your father now?", but I thought it was a catchy title for this paragraph. I heard on one radio station a few weeks ago a discussion of the relationship Bush has with his father. They gave lots of examples of how the younger Bush never gives his father credit for much. They also mentioned that Jeb Bush has a much better relationship with President Dad.

This was not really a recent item, though it was for me.

I am not a Republican, nor am I a Democrat. I have voted for both in my day, and you know, frequently I vote for the person that sucks less. The job of President is a good job. The pay sucks, but the benefits are enormous. There has to be a decent person who would take the job, but I want our president to be more than just a decent person. She should be great. No, not Hillary. But why not a woman?

Afterthought: Some Bush-isms
I am ending this with some Bush-isms. They are in no particular order, but as I was reading them, I noticed a certain amount of conceit. The last one, for example, he compares a scratched he received from a cedar tree with patients in an amputee care center.

Some Bush-isms (Top 10 can be found here):

The best way to defeat the totalitarian of hate is with an ideology of hope -- an ideology of hate -- excuse me --with an ideology of hope." --George W. Bush, Fort Benning, Ga., Jan. 11, 2007

"Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Dec. 7, 2006 (Watch video clip)

"It's bad in Iraq. Does that help?" --George W. Bush, after being asked by a reporter whether he's in denial about Iraq, Washington, D.C., Dec. 7, 2006

"And truth of the matter is, a lot of reports in Washington are never read by anybody. To show you how important this one is, I read it, and our guest read it." --George W. Bush, on the Baker-Hamilton Report, appearing with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Washington, D.C., Dec. 7, 2006

"This business about graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all." --George W. Bush, on speculation that U.S. troops could be withdrawn from Iraq, Amman, Jordan, Nov. 30, 2006

"The only way we can win is to leave before the job is done." --George W. Bush, Greeley, Colo., Nov. 4, 2006 (Watch video clip)

"Anybody who is in a position to serve this country ought to understand the consequences of words." --George W. Bush, interview with Rush Limbaugh, Nov. 1, 2006

"You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. No President wants to be a war President, but I am one." --George W. Bush, Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006

Maria Bartiromo: "I'm curious, have you ever googled anybody? Do you use Google?"
President Bush: "Occasionally. One of the things I've used on the Google is to pull up maps. It's very interesting to see -- I've forgot the name of the program -- but you get the satellite, and you can -- like, I kinda like to look at the ranch. It remind me of where I wanna be sometimes." --interview with CNBC's Maria Bartiromo, Oct. 24, 2006 (Watch video clip)

"We're never been stay the course, George." --George W. Bush, attempting to distance himself from what has been his core strategy in Iraq for the last three years, interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Oct. 22, 2006

"This morning my administration released the budget numbers for fiscal 2006. These budget numbers are not just estimates; these are the actual results for the fiscal year that ended February the 30th." --George W. Bush, on the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30, Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2006 (Watch video clip)

"One has a stronger hand when there's more people playing your same cards." --George W. Bush, on holding six-party talks with North Korea, Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2006

"I will not withdraw, even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me." --George W. Bush, talking to key Republicans about Iraq, as quoted by Bob Woodward

"I like to tell people when the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like just a comma because there is -- my point is, there's a strong will for democracy." --George W. Bush, interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Sept. 24, 2006 (Watch video clip)

"You're one of the outstanding leaders in a very important part of the world. I want to thank you for strategizing our discussions." --George W. Bush, meeting with the prime minister of Malaysia, New York, N.Y., Sept. 18, 2006

"The Patriot Act has increased the flow of information within our government and it has helped break up terrorist cells in the United States of America. And the United States Congress was right to renew the terrorist act -- the Patriot Act." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C. , Sept. 7, 2006

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." --George W. Bush, interview with CBS News' Katie Couric, Sept. 6, 2006

"I said I was looking for a book to read, Laura said you ought to try Camus. I also read three Shakespeares. ... I've got a eck-a-lec-tic reading list." --George W. Bush, interview with NBC's Brian Williams, New Orleans, La., Aug. 29, 2006 (Watch video clip)

"And I suspect that what you'll see, Toby, is there will be a momentum, momentum will be gathered. Houses will begat jobs, jobs will begat houses." --George W. Bush, talking to reporters along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, Gulfport, Miss., Aug. 28, 2006

"I would guess, I would surmise that some of the more spectacular bombings are done by al Qaeda suiciders." --George W. Bush, on violence in Iraq, Washington, D.C., Aug. 21, 2006

"The United States of America is engaged in a war against an extremist group of folks." --George W. Bush, McLean, Va., Aug. 15, 2006
Bush: "I'm interested in the shade look, seriously."
Wallsten: "All right, I'll keep it, then."
Bush: "For the viewers, there's no sun."
Wallsten: "I guess it depends on your perspective."
Bush: "Touche.
--an exchange with legally blind reporter Peter Wallsten, to whom Bush later apologized, Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006

"I tell people, let's don't fear the future, let's shape it." --George W. Bush, Omaha, Neb., June 7, 2006

"Trying to stop suiciders -- which we're doing a pretty good job of on occasion -- is difficult to do. And what the Iraqis are going to have to eventually do is convince those who are conducting suiciders who are not inspired by Al Qaeda, for example, to realize there's a peaceful tomorrow." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 24, 2006

"You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 5, 2006

"The point now is how do we work together to achieve important goals. And one such goal is a democracy in Germany." --George W. Bush, D.C., May 5, 2006

"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing about him is that I read three -- three or four books about him last year. Isn't that interesting?" --George W. Bush, while showing German newspaper reporter Kai Diekmann the Oval Office, Washington, D.C., May 5, 2006

"Finally, the desk, where we'll have our picture taken in front of -- is nine other Presidents used it. This was given to us by Queen Victoria in the 1870s, I think it was. President Roosevelt put the door in so people would not know he was in a wheelchair. John Kennedy put his head out the door." --George W. Bush, showing German newspaper reporter Kai Diekmann the Oval Office, Washington, D.C., May 5, 2006

"That's called, A Charge To Keep, based upon a religious hymn. The hymn talks about serving God. The president's job is never to promote a religion." --George W. Bush, showing German newspaper reporter Kai Diekmann the Oval Office, Washington, D.C., May 5, 2006

"I was not pleased that Hamas has refused to announce its desire to destroy Israel." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 4, 2006

"I can look you in the eye and tell you I feel I've tried to solve the problem diplomatically to the max, and would have committed troops both in Afghanistan and Iraq knowing what I know today." --George W. Bush, Irvine, Calif., April 24, 2006

"I aim to be a competitive nation." --George W. Bush, San Jose, Calif., April 21, 2006

"I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the Secretary of Defense." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C. April 18, 2006 (Listen to audio clip; Watch video clip)

"I strongly believe what we're doing is the right thing. If I didn't believe it -- I'm going to repeat what I said before -- I'd pull the troops out, nor if I believed we could win, I would pull the troops out." --George W. Bush, Charlotte, N.C., April 6, 2006

"If the Iranians were to have a nuclear weapon they could proliferate." --George W. Bush, Washington D.C., March 21, 2006

"After the bombing, most Iraqis saw what the perpetuators of this attack were trying to do." --George W. Bush, on the bombing of the Golden Mosque of Samarra in Iraq, March 13, 2006, Washington, D.C.

"And so I'm for medical liability at the federal level." --George W. Bush, on medical liability reform, Washington, D.C., March 10, 2006

"I believe that a prosperous, democratic Pakistan will be a steadfast partner for America, a peaceful neighbor for India, and a force for freedom and moderation in the Arab world." --George W. Bush, mistakenly identifying Pakistan as an Arab country, Islamabad, Pakistan, March 3, 2006

"People don't need to worry about security. This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America." --George W. Bush, on the deal to hand over U.S. port security to a company operated by the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C., Feb. 23, 2006

"And I want those who are questioning it to step up and explain why all of a sudden a Middle Eastern company is held to a different standard than a Great British company." --George W. Bush, defending a plan to allow a company controlled by the United Arab Emirates to manage ports in the United States, aboard Air Force One, Feb. 21, 2006

"I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to--the beauty of playing baseball." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006

"I like my buddies from west Texas. I liked them when I was young, I liked them then I was middle-age, I liked them before I was president, and I like them during president, and I like them after president." --George W. Bush, Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 1, 2006

"He was a state sponsor of terror. In other words, the government had declared, you are a state sponsor of terror." --George W. Bush, on Saddam Hussein, Manhattan, Kan., Jan. 23, 2006

"I'll be glad to talk about ranching, but I haven't seen the movie. I've heard about it. I hope you go -- you know -- I hope you go back to the ranch and the farm is what I'm about to say." --George W. Bush, after being asked whether he's seen Brokeback Mountain, Manhattan, Kan., Jan. 23, 2006

"It's a heck of a place to bring your family." --George W. Bush, on New Orleans, New Orleans, La., Jan. 12, 2006

"You took an oath to defend our flag and our freedom, and you kept that oath underseas and under fire." --George W. Bush, addressing war veterans, Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 2006

"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself -- not here at the hospital, but in . I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch. As a matter of fact, the Colonel asked if I needed first aid when she first saw me. I was able to avoid any major surgical operations here, but thanks for your compassion, Colonel." --George W. Bush, after visiting with wounded veterans from the Amputee Care Center of Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 1, 2006

16 comments:

Deb said...

In the past, I have voted for GW, because of his father. I respected his father and thought that after the terrorism that struck New York and other countries, that Bush would be the best for office. Once I saw lie after lie and inconsistency, I got concerned. I even had hope in him with the last election. Barack Obama is looking pretty good – as well as Hilary Clinton. But for me, he has to be a good communicator, which Bush failed to do these past years.

LarryLilly said...

If you watched his speech he gave to the nation prior to the invasion of Iraq; and knowing women, THEY should have seen it also (women have better lie detectors than men), I saw a man lying so much, we was wearing Depends.

My biggest beef with Bush is his lack of ANY positive on the environment. Working for that large federal environmental agency makes me keen to a candidates position. Bush would allow clear cutting of forests, then call it "Restored Forests" or someother moniker.

Boy, this blog should get all kinds of stuff LOL

MOAB said...

I would hate for the world wo be recording my every word to laugh at the times I misspoke. (or made up words) I like the president. I would have him to dinner, let him babysit my kids. My heart hurts for him...why are people so inclined to be mean (I mean really really mean) to the poor guy?
Bottom line, I trust him. He is doing what he thinks is best for his country, doing what he thinks is important, and in my world, intentions get you a long way (and no--not along the freshly paved road to Hell)
He's a good guy who comes from a place where a man's word is good, and folks can be trusted, but he has been put in a place where he can't really trust or count on anyone but his wife and dog.
Of course he's gonna fumble his words. I'd rather have a guy like that than one with slickly prepared speaches that have such a glossy sheen that you can't tell who's words they are. You know Bush is speaking from his heart, and the words are his...hell, sometimes he's making them up on the spot.

Leesa said...

~deb: I sort of though GW was like his father; his father was a decent man, but not a great man. Now I think differently.

larry: most logging that I have seen are not like that. In Georgia, logging is big, and the logging industry treats the forest like a crop, restoring after cutting down (pines). For "old growth" forest, I have seen selective cuttings. I sort of trust that industry. But Bush with emission controls. Leesa shudders.

vx: the link you furnished was written by a DoD Public Affairs Officer. And you are right about the media sometimes mis-reporting facts. I have personally been a witness to two stories, and the media completely missed the point on both. Plus I know two people who have actually met GW Bush. Both said that he was much more intellegent than they would have guessed. People who furnish sound bites know that they must treat every two sentences as if they stand alone. I understand Bush wants to relate to these war veterans. Relating a splinter to getting your legs blown off with a bomb does not seem to be a helpful comparison to "bridge the gap."

monica: it is not the mis-speaking but the mean-spiritedness that I mind.

LarryLilly said...

I heard that recently, they have offered his speeches in his native speaking voice, with alternative translations into English, Spanish and for the hearing impaired. LOL

Edtime Stories said...

For not being political, this is really political.

That said this was a failed administration from the get go, and it was over shadowed by 9-11 and then the hate mongers from the right attacked anyone who challenged him.

Now the country is seeing the Emperor is not only not wearing clothes, he looks like a Ken doll. I hope that he listens to people smarter than he is in the coming months but I doubt that will happen.

Prata said...

And that is where voters obviously don't have their heads on straight. George Bush the first was not a decent man. He was a country man, yes, but he wasn't decent. I mean seriously...there have never been any politcally decent people to EVER enter office.

"What about the Presidents before the relatively recent??" History has always been written by the victors. I stand by the idea that if you are a political person you are bred to lie. And if you are bred to lie you are not a good person. You are not decent. Half of politics (corporate and otherwise) are about spinning the truth (and that is lying) to obtain or accomplish something.

What on earth made any of you think that George Bush was an okay president? Because Sr. was an okay guy? Is that how people vote in this country? FFS. Reagan wasn't a great president either. He purposely prolonged the Iraq-Iran war, and this was at a time when the US was actually supplying Iran with weapons but wanted to be neutral in the conflict. So much for that. Clinton wasn't the best either, but he was a sigh of frustration from the voters who saw the government headed toward the shitter and wanted a change of policy in some areas. He used the media to paint republicans as against black people during that whole impeachment process. Google it please.

Bush Sr. picked a fight with a country that we were HELPING before...and pretty much said prior.."you know..we don't really care what you do." and then decides to go bombing the shit out of them. Yeah, good guy. And let me recall one interesting little tidbit, "No new taxes". Good flippin' christ.

I'm a socialist/communist by nature, I vote because I like to keep an equilibrium. However, I see now, that if I want to maintain the freedoms I have now (which really has nothing to do with my political stance with regards to democracy, capitalism, or communism/socialism), but if people are voting based on "oh his dad was a good guy" or..."he seems like an okay person" We'll be without any freedoms at all and living as A Brave New World before it's all said and done.

Leesa said...

larry: kidder!

heather: yeah.

ed: yeah, if it had not been for 9-11, he may have been a mostly forgetable president. Maybe.

prata: About Bush Sr. picking a fight, I did archive an article concerning this very thing. I discussed this at lenght with friends when the first war started, thinking we really screwed Iraq. I did not vote for GW and would not vote for someone based on their father (GW). Or husband (Hillary). But you know, there are lots of people who vote that may decide that way. Heck, my favorite president of all time is Jimmy Carter, but most think he sucked as a president. I don't like that he established the Dept of Education, but I was impressed by hus vision (too bad he did not chose people that shared the same vision, a la how Reagan chose his cabinet).

Prata said...

Well, Leesa, let me first off apologize if it seemed I was venting in your comment section. It's not so much that your blog set me off. I actually found the quote and what not funny.

My problem mainly lies with how people approach politics in general. This is not a reflection of their person, I don't believe anyhow. I could be wrong, maybe it is; however, it sometimes boggles my mind the avenue some individuals (and this is not directed at anyone here but I mean the mass of life on earth noted to be humanity) base their decisions on. I suppose that's a subjective thing.

I read that article! The archive one you are speaking of by the by. And yes, HIllary may be a raving lunatic if she were to get in office. Although she does present a strong presence especially in the black community, much like Clinton did/does. Iraq definitely got screwed. I think the Middle East in general gets screwed anytime the US gets involved because there is such a vested interest on our parts to make deals with those that feed our energy consumption. China in particular is feeling those effects and has reached out and made some very important deals that work against the US in that department. Not to be anti-semetic or anything, but how long would Israel last without the aid of the US? Seriously? And that's just one example, the heavy handed nature of the US to allow a country (based on a past that is no longer relevant because of their actions today) to basically do whatever it wants in a region that means basically nothing with regards to our continued existence. It's sick...it's sick and it's wrong. Our patriots here wonder why we have such a horrible global image, it's because of stupidity like the Middle East.

Yes, I'm sure very few in America understand how a man can blow himself up in a market full of people based on a singular principle. Jesus was just this type of person, only he was crucified for his beliefs rather than exploding himself in a market. It's the same thing though. Never under estimate the impoverished or the faithful. Life means nothing in either case if it means a better existence for those you leave behind (hopefully) or for you having gone to heaven (which to believers is fact).

Leesa said...

prata: You said, "Yes, I'm sure very few in America understand how a man can blow himself up in a market full of people based on a singular principle." Did you know that the Boston Tea Party was over a tax that was about 2%?

Prata said...

Yes I did. I went to highschool dear...I just skipped that college thing because it was boring, and basically useless to me as a computer person and library addict. But protest has been around for a very long time and is a long cry from detonating yourself in a crowd.

It's also very different from immolating one's self before a group of people in protest to discrimination. You may google that with the terms: self-immolation buddhist if you care to read up on that. I've posted a picture about that in the past on my blog.

He made no sound at all. Oh oh! Question for ya Leesa, because I'm rather vague on it. What major protests ever involved self-immolation, detonation of one's self, or mass killings as a way of reform or combat against unjustness? If there isn't any such thing, then does that make the US any better than other countries where this has happened, or is it a philosophical difference. Not to down play the US' protests that have happened of which I am familiar. I'm just curious!

Prata said...

I think I may have missed your point babe, about the 2% tax. I see where you're coming from, the reaction to a seemgingly small thing. Point taken!

I'd still like your view point though on my question if you wouldn't mind. Only for the sake of knowing.

Prata said...

Oh...vidx I don't think you're so opposed to my nature as you think. If you're a democrat (as in a participant of the democratic process and believe in democracty) then you are by nature, also in some part sympathetic to the communist ideal. Shall I tell you how that is?

Public Schooling is a communist ideal. Social Security is also a communist ideal. Centralization of transport and communications in the hands of the state. FCC, DoT..just as an example. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state. This would be similar to a national bank with state capital...I believe we have a Federal Reserve and the FDIC?

So then, even if we eliminate the national bank part..that's still a rather hefty part of the democracy we live in. By the way, the ten planks of communism were written by Karl Marx in 1848 I believe. The things I mention were legislated and part of our government _after_ the fact. Although, they may not necessarily have been instituted with the thought that they were communist by design, they are in fact communist by their nature. Take the FCC and DoT for instance, mandated in 1887. Long after the planks of communism were devised and public knowledge. =-/

Or maybe I'm wrong. I've been wrong before.

Leesa said...

prata: I would say that before there was a US, there was protesting where if you were caught, you might pay for it with your life. But I understand your point. I can't think of any. And, yeah, the tax thing was for how little financially it was (2%). They did not say 2% in school.

vx: thanks. This is not really the type of post I normally do, but I did want to try it out.

Prata said...

This has been like...an AWESOME discussion. Hey, doesn't Canada do a national health care system? Is that the system you're referring too?

Also, I can say for certain that Viet Nam at one point had a national system for health care, and it worked out _very_ well for a while, but the money dried up due to lack of trade because of their communist status. That really put a lot of people into a way that there was no way for them to pay for healthcare. It's sad really. But yeah, this has just been an interesting topic all the way around!

mfophotos said...

We have become a nation of idiots, led by the biggest idiot of them all. When I think of the money and people and goodwill squandered by this administration, the resources lost, the lies told, the ineptitude and totalitarian attitude of Bush and Cheney, it saddens and infuriates me that those assholes will probably get away with their misdeeds instead of being impeached, as they should.
I laugh now at the people that thought so many of us were just biased liberals at the start, are now realizing that they have been had by this administration. Fool us once shame on you... fool us twice, shame on us (or at least the ones that voted him in again.)