The Bush Family better get used to theirpariah status.
Former President George H.W. Bush took on Arab critics of his son Tuesday during a testy exchange at a leadership conference in the capital of this U.S. ally.
“My son is an honest man,” Bush told members of the audience harshly criticized [sic] the current U.S. leader’s foreign policy.
The oil-rich Persian Gulf used to be safe territory for former President Bush, who brought Arab leaders together in a coalition that drove Saddam Hussein’s troops from Kuwait in 1991. But gratitude for the elder Bush, who served as president from 1989-93, was overshadowed at the conference by hostility toward his son, whose invasion of Iraq and support for Israel are deeply unpopular in the region.
“We do not respect your son. We do not respect what he’s doing all over the world,” a woman in the audience bluntly told Bush after his speech.
Bush, 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 American companies and said globalization was contrived for America’s benefit at the expense of the rest of the world. Bush was having 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.”
[snip]
“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. I understand the anxiety. It’s not easy.”
“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.*”
That’s the GHWB that Ann Richards said was born with a silver foot in his mouth. Of course his son makes him look like William Shakespeare.
* – the lady who feels deeply in her heart about something is not to be confused with harpy Barbara Bush, the lady who feels deeply in her heart about nothing.
– joejoejoe
People say the GWB lives in a bubble; well, GHWB has been in a bubble even longer, a bubble provided and maintained by decades of ever-increasing wealth and power. He wouldn’t know truth if he saw it, tasted it, had it shoved up his ass, sideways, with walnuts, twice on Sundays. He is as delusional as his son, a delusion shared by the international moneyed class (a class, by the way, whose have much in common due to their shared citizenship in Money).
Bush’s complete and total obliviousness to the will of the people is such an admirable quality…
honest he may be, i don’t know. what i do know is that he’s dumber than a bag of hammers.
So much for Poppy rescuing Junior.
Charles
I’m not particularly concerned that Bush ignores the will of the people. My concern is that he choses to ignore the facts about just about everything, preferring to rely upon his faith and his “special relationship with his God”. The problem in Iraq is not that the American people have changed their minds, the problem is that the situation there is untenable, unwinable, and in dire need of leadership.
It’s time to send in James Baker again. Or did we do that already?
So many thoughts, so little time:
*) Any chance that the Saudis will fire the Bushco consulting firm – a significant hit in the wallet
*) The ” I think you need to go back to school” quote – how patronizing. Especially considering what they did in school.
*) The “not cut and run” quote – especially considering other actions, a signal that sonny boy didn’t get the message and is still tightly clinging to “stay the course”
*) He’s surprised that people don’t like him? Even a president with a 80% approval rating has some people who don’t like him. Even friendly polls show Arbusco the Shrub somewhere below the toilet. But of course, we can do our math but Rove is doing THE math.
Who could have pictured a thundering herd of Holden’s ponies?
. “This is going to work out in Iraq. I understand the anxiety. It’s not easy.”
sick bastard old demented fool. .
oh jeez, is that old fart blind to the crap his spawn has shat???
Either the editor of this piece is an idiot or GHWB is, from the look of the final grafs:
“Bush said he was surprised by the audience’s criticism of his son.
“‘He is working hard for peace. It takes a lot of guts to get up and tell a father about his son in those terms when I just told you the thing that matters in my heart is my family,’ he said. ‘How come everybody wants to come to the United States if the United States is so bad?'”
WTF does that last sentence have to do with furriners hatin’ on his boy?!
I swear, them Bush boys is all alike, cain’t string two dang thoughts together without a causing a trainwreck.
–mark1147
Of course it isn’t just for the money. There’s the raw power too. If it was just the money, we might understand. But wanting to be in charge when you’re totally incompetent – well, that’s just inexcusable.
The new Bush homestead in Paraguay awaits. Heck, they were tired of Kennebunkport anyway.
Raoul Paste
I’d like to see Bush conduct himself about 20,000 volts.