November 22, 2006
EASY ENOUGH TO BE PRO-SADDAM IN THE UAE:
Elder Bush takes on Arab critics of son (Jim Krane, 11/23/06, The Associated Press)
"We do not respect your son. We do not respect what he's doing all over the world," a woman in the audience told Bush after his speech.Posted by Orrin Judd at November 22, 2006 8:16 AMBush, 82, appeared stunned as others in the audience whooped and whistled in approval.
A college student told Bush his belief that U.S. wars were aimed at opening markets for U.S. companies and said globalization was contrived for the benefit of the United States at the expense of the rest of the world.
Bush would have none of it.
"I think that's weird and it's nuts," Bush said. "To suggest that everything we do is because we're hungry for money, I think that's crazy. I think you need to go back to school."
The comments came during a question-and-answer session after Bush finished a folksy address on leadership by telling the audience how deeply hurt he feels when his presidential son is criticized.
"This son is not going to back away," Bush said, his voice quivering. "He's not going to change his view because some poll says this or some poll says that, or some heartfelt comments from the lady who feels deeply in her heart about something. You can't be president of the United States and conduct yourself if you're going to cut and run. This is going to work out in Iraq."
It's time for Bush père to stop embarrassing himself and the president by making public statements and palling around with the Pillsbury Dough Boy.
Posted by: erp at November 22, 2006 9:28 AMThe appropriate response to such a woman is "You beleive that because you have been TOLD that, by a bunch of well-placed and highly driven ideologues who will not hesitate to stretch, bend, ignore, or even entirely oppose facts, such as what Bush43 SAYS as opposed to what others TELL YOU he said.... etc.
It is one of the biggest problems, not just for the Republican Party, but for freedom and for the planet as a whole, that the GOP simply does not have a leader, or even a potential leader, who can stand on stage and pound such a woman as this into the ground with the folly of what she says and what her comrades applaud. Would that Romney or Giuliani have the mind of a Gingrich.
That is an epic tragedy.
Posted by: Andrew X at November 22, 2006 10:09 AMYes, there are no forceful leaders, but wimps like the president's father just make things worse. I wonder if there are people out there who can speak the truth when needled by the media and others at public forums, but we just don't hear about them.
It drives me crazy when even Brit Hume, the only voice of knowledge and reason on TV, no longer steps in and corrects panelists who make inaccurate statements and neither do others at the table. Why this change? I read that Brit's days are numbered and that would be a darn shame for him as well as the rest of us.
Andrew X and erp,
Why bother even talking to people like this on any level? Conspiracy mongers like her have been around for quite a long time. Or have you forgotten about the heyday of the John Birch Society?
Just ignore the little children and let them wail while they continue to be poor and socially retarded.
Posted by: Brad S at November 22, 2006 11:54 AM