President Bush: Rewriting History the Hard Way
There was a time when the word "Nixonian" meant all that was bad in politics. Richard Nixon was Darth Vader before Darth Vader was Darth Vader. But amazingly President Bush and his wretched buddy, Dick the Dick Cheney, have managed to do the impossible. They've managed to turn Richard Nixon into the good old days. Okay, maybe not, but at least the Nixon administration is over.
I was going through some of my papers and I found the program from the Inaugural Parade of January 20th, 1969. I was 14, and we sat right across from the reviewing stand which was right in front of the White House. I was struck by what an odd guy our new President seemed to be. He had a weird grin and an uneasy manner. Later, we'd learn about the paranoia.
These were dramatic times. We were stuck in Vietnam and the parade was affected by protesters, but America was also around 6 months from landing on the moon. One of the coolest things about that day, was that there were astronauts in the parade. I remembered seeing lots of them, but the featured ones were the crew of Apollo 7.
Nothing these days comes close to the excitement of the Space Program, although the politics of 1969 poisoned a lot of the joy. Vietnam hung over everything, and it made it an awful time.
Of course, back then when a President turned out to be a lying sack, we would rise up and drive him out of office. See what I mean? It really was the good old days.
posted by Bill McDonald @ 8:23 PM
23 comments
23 Comments:
Revisionist history, Bill. When a President was a lying sack, you'd drive him out of office? Really? Better put the word "Republican" in front of the word "President" because I don't recall Lyndon Johnson being driven out of office.
Butch, you go out of your way not to get my point here. Let me break it down for you: Before George Bush, Nixon was the state of the art in bad presidents. Then Bush became worse than Nixon by far. President Nixon was driven out, so if Bush is worse, it figures he should be driven out, too.
I got your point perfectly. Just pointing out how flawed and misdirected it was. If you had any objectivity, you'd understand that Johnson was worse than Nixon or any other President we've ever had by far. Even if every misguided belief you harbor about Bush/Cheney/Rove were absolutely true (which they aren't...but that's a whole 'nuther argument), they would pale next to the good ol' LBJ. But he's a Democrat, so obviously he doesn't count in your book.
Johnson managed to do a lot of good while president, which helps balance his overall term in office. Cheney and his sidekick have done nothing good for the country. Quite the opposite, they have wrecked our image in the world, violated the most basic tenants of our Constitution, and driven us into dept so deep our great grandchildren will hate us for it.
We gained nothing for the 50,000+ of us killed in Vietnam. Because Cheney and Bush have no use for history (and knowledge in general), we are heading down that path again. For what?
Oh yeah, war profiteering.
laurelhurstdad, you need a history lesson if you think that Johnson's actions only lead to 50,000 war dead. Brush up on the Khmer Rouge for starters. To compare Bush to Johnson....and even to suggest that Bush is worse....is an insult to mass liars and mass murderers everywhere.
Okay, then I should add the hundreds of thousands killed by the Shrub's war.
The wrongs of Nixon and Johnson are nothing compared to the sheer evil and greed of Cheney, Bush and the rest of the neocons.
Even Nixon did some things right, such as the EPA. Bush destroyed even that.
You, young Butch, need not only to read some history, but also get a moral compass. Your blind obedience to the current administration suggests a lack of self-worth. It must be too hard for you to think independently.
laurelhurstdad, please find the "Pseud" article I posted in an earlier thread, then get back to me with you psychoanalysis.
Butch, speaking of that last post, I'm kicking myself because I thought of the prefect counter arguement to your position on President Bush and Katrina.
You like to say these things as a question so I'll finish with one of mine:
First, the bullhorn moment at Ground Zero has been mentioned over and over again as the finest moment of the Bush years. You can dispute that but it was a hell of a moment. It had greatness.
Presidents show leadership by showing up, and they rally the nation with inspirational words. They also put everyone in the government on immediate notice that the boss is taking this very seriously, so they better, too.
You keep saying it didn't matter a bit that President Bush didn't go right to New Orleans and have a bullhorn moment.
I think you're wrong. If you're right that means the bullhorn moment at Ground Zero also didn't count and I know it did. I wrote a column about it.
See, you always hide behind the misconception that this is a Republican/ Democrat thing. It is tedious, so let me repeat: I wrote a column for several hundred thousand readers that stated President Bush was great that day.
Now here's my dare to you, since you're so fond of defining me as a strict Bush hater, when in fact I am anti-authority of all stripes: Since I have said something nice about President Bush - not just nice but extremely complimentary - I challenge you to show you're not just a hopeless team player, and say something great about Bill Clinton.
Then I'd like you to tell me why you think the bullhorn moment at Ground Zero was not important.
Bush's 'bullhorn' moment was great theater. Too bad he fired the script writer for suggesting that maybe going to war in Iraq for personal reasons was a bad idea.
From Bullhorn to Bullshit in about a month. That's the Bush presidency. Sad for America.
I wonder if the people who blindly embrace the current administration’s love of invasion, war and death also have Bush’s blind belief in the supernatural.
Bush himself has said that his brand of god speaks to him and tells him he is right. Other gullible people believe that eating the flesh and drinking the blood of a dead prophet will give them some sort of salvation, or that just pledging themselves to some mystery guy in the sky (rather than actually doing good work) will give them eternal happiness. Both Christians and Muslims have this flaw, as do cult followers. Of course, religion and cults are pretty much the same thing.
Given that Bush is a follower, in that he does what Cheney and the neocons tell him, it fits.
The 'bullhorn' moment for Bush made us feel better, but did NOTHING to alleviate the root problem. It was showmanship (I can't believe I'm agreeing with Laurelhurstdad on something). Showing up and making a speech isn't not governing, its politiking. You want me to say something nice about Clinton. Ok. He was a master at politiking.
What about Reagan, "Tear down this wall"? You're calling some of the big moments by the favorite GOP presidents, "NOTHING"?
Most ironic of all is that you are using words to try and say words don't help. And that's just the kind of convoluted thinking that it would take to be a Bush supporter right now.
Ever hear the phrase, "Actions speak louder than words"? Speeches and soundbites are effective ways for Presidents to improve their poll numbers while they're in office. But it is their actions they will be remembered for. Bill Clinton was an excellent communicator and very daft at governing to manipulate the polls....and his approval ratings reflected this. But what did he really accomplish as President? And don't give me that 'peace and prosperity' BS. We were at war during his administration but just didn't realize it yet, and the booming economy was a facade built on a dot.com bubble.
Bill and laurelhurst, what do you ever imagine or hope your words can matter to a tree stump? Are you lonely, and a nattering nabob of negatism is better than nothing? (It's not.)
Essentially, do you expect you have a 'way of saying it' that changes the mind or opens the eyes of a dirtcloud? You don't, since dirtclods have no mind, no eye, and no idea.
What is most of all a mystery to me is how you think that saying what you know to be true, makes it any more true. It sometimes sounds like you get defensive for speaking the truth. Just call a liar a liar -- butch is a LIAR -- and, sheesh, truth stands for itself.
"tree stump", "nattering nabob of negatism", "dirt cloud", and "liar"....all in ONE comment? Good work Tenskwatawa, in one fell swoop you exhibited you have zero skills at engaging in civil debate. Now run along back to Daily Kos. They miss you over there.....
Tenskwatawa, you do indeed put the right words into play.
I, however, want corrective actions. Getting rid of Cheney and his puppets by any available means.
Saying so won't make it happen. When I got back from Vietnam, I joined the protesters, and eventually the majority of folk saw that we were accomplishing nothing, at horrendous costs. Today, the majority of people know that the Iraq war was manufactured for personal gain by a very few individuals. What's lacking is the will to say so out loud. And the fear of our own government.
What our government needs right now is two good funerals.
It is indeed a sad time for our country.
"What our government needs right now is two good funerals." classy. And some wonder why I could never side with lefties.
When our leaders in Congress are in the pay of the corporate world, then change by natural causes is the next best thing. Then we would have leadership from someone with San Francisco Values -- values of truth and compassion for humans, rather than dollars.
Of course, in Bush's case, the drug dealers (corporate and private) will feel the sting of his passing.
And who knows, maybe after that passing the 'lost' records of his cowardice during the Vietnam war may finally come to light.
... and just to young Butch:
You write well, which is a sign you are not stupid. So your comments and beliefs must be due to immaturity and lack of real-life experience.
I would never wish anyone to see the horror of their friend being chopped to death with bullets -- it can be a life changing experience. Those who have seen it do not want war. Period.
Those who hid during times of war, and profit from it now, do see glory in war.
When you, young Butch, reach adulthood, with or without experiencing your buddy's blood spurting onto your gear, you may come to understand that no matter how much profit you make from selling overpriced Coke to Marines, you will come to the end of your days knowing you were simply a waste of human life.
laurelhurst.....Are you under the impression I'm a child? I'm 38. And although I may not be a war vet, I've experienced plenty of personal loss in those 38 years. Most recently last night, as a matter of fact.
Butch,
I just got caught up on a lot of these back and forths and I think I have figured this one out. There is no way a 38-year-old smart young man who cares about his country would ever continue with the blind devotion that you have for Bush. When Bill talked about Bush being your messiah, I had an epiphany: even Karl Rove would think that Butch is too good to be true.
So, ergo, Butch is not a real person. He is a character in a play or book or movie script. The guy who is writing his lines is a dedicated writer who wants to sharpen his skills in order to create genuine conservative Republican neoconish type characters. Why? Because the creator of Butch is actually a die hard, tree-hugging, leftie liberal. He (the writer) is so commited to his trade that he uses various blogs to practice being a character he is not. And the bonus, which is why he likes the Portlandfreelancer, is that he also gets fresh anti-Bush material to help him articulate his true set of beliefs.
Think about it. How can even a semi-educated, semi-intelligent, semi-patriotic, semi-rational person think that Bush handle Katrina well? It is over the top (no pun intended) and that is exactly where he (the writer) wanted to take his Butch character... how far is too far?
Bravo, mystery writer for creating Butch.
And now that I have cracked that mystery I think I will go out on a limb here and say that the writer who created Butch is actually a woman who is having difficulty creating male characters. That explains the character's name.
Well, madam mystery writer, I hope you send Bill, Laurelhurstad, and Tenskwatawa free tickets for the world premier of your play, or a free copy of your book, or an invitation to an advance screening of your movie. I am sure it is going to rock.
Although I have figured it out, please remember that the show must go on. So don't skip a beat Butch, come back swinging for your main man Bush.
PS The giveway was your "clue" repsonse to my comment in the psued post... very subtle, very cool.
====
Bill, this has potential for a good movie script in itself.
Madame Le Writer,
I also realize that by unmasking your Butch character so late in the game, there is a good chance nobody will go back and read this post. Another reason to carry on.
Daoud,
You might have hit on how butch could possibly talk and breath at the same time!
I have often wondered if butch was be an adult. It didn't make sense that an adult could use a computer, type and think they in the way he says he does. Your theory answers that query.
Good work.
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