I try not to write about the Bushies very much in here. I prefer to not deal with personalities but stick to issues that we can do something about, but this last week has been filled with such disgusting events that I have to get it off my chest.
First there was Laura Bush saying: "believe me, no suffers more than their president and I do when we watch this. And certainly the commander-in-chief who has asked our military to go into harms way.... I hope they do know the burden of worry that's on his shoulders every single day for our troops. And I think they do. I think if they don't, they're not seeing what the real responsibilities of our president are."
So let's see. The wife who sees her Marine husband brain damaged such that he'll never be the man she married, the child who has to understand his Army Daddy won't be throwing a ball again because Daddy is dead, the parents who see their beloved National Guard daughter trying to learn to walk with two artificial legs... those people are not suffering as much as poor Laura with her cook, maids, personal trainer, stylist, fancy clothes, vacations wherever she wants.
Well she does have to tolerate being married to a man with no real heart, who loves himself more than anything else and obviously feels the most pain when something impacts him. This is quite a guy-- a man who would fly the flags at half mast for the recent 32 murders on a university campus but has not for the over 3350 military men and women who have been killed. I am sure I'd feel depressed if I had to stay married to a man like that too, but I think that's the kind of suffering we bring on ourselves by our choices-- kind of like the American people did who still support Bush... as she is doing when she continues to enable him.
And then add to it this: "Bill and Georgia Thomas reported they were elated Monday when they met in the Oval Office with President George W. Bush to present him with a Purple Heart. The couple was able to meet with President Bush for about 20 minutes to present him with one of three Purple Hearts that Bill Thomas received during his service in Vietnam. 'We feel like emotional wounds and scars are as hard to carry as physical wounds,' Thomas said."
I am sure that couple meant well, but it's that lack of clear thinking which got us into this mess in Iraq-- emotionalism and lack of reality. For the Thomases to give the Purple Heart was their right, but what kind of man is Bush to take it? He avoided his own chance to earn one the usual way. Was his receiving it this way a further example of good politics? More ego stroking? I don't know, but I do know he didn't earn it. Amazingly the people, who support Bush, ridiculed John Kerry for properly earning one during his Vietnam service because it wasn't a bad enough wound; but now emotional stress and suffering for a war he himself instigated is enough?
To me this is all about a man who's not suffering at all for the lives he has cost in Iraq-- both the Coalition military and innocent civilians. He suffers all right but it's when somebody points out his wrongdoing, when his popularity drops. If right now the American people were giving him high ratings, I don't think the lives lost would bother him all that much. To me it looks like it's all about GW to GW.
Could anybody watch him being silly dancing on the platform last week with an African group and not remember how he said he couldn't do a humorous talk at the White House Correspondents Dinner because it wouldn't be right so close to the Virginia Tech tragedy? It wasn't appropriate then but it was okay when he did the humorous routine about not finding WMDs while our troops were being maimed and dying. And the troops believe he's the one supporting them?
Do any who support this man ever stop to think what he actually does? The answer must be no. Do supporters of Bush today believe it was okay to have lied about Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire, to portray Tillman as a Christian when he and his family were evidently atheists? Or the distortion of what happened with Jessica Lynch, but all of that is okay because it's supporting their cause?
I used to think impeachment was a waste of government energy but anything that would slow down the disastrous trajectory of this administration seems like a plan to me-- and for both Bush and Cheney, as one didn't act without the other.
If you read anything about what is going on in Iraq-- like the failed infrastructure programs, the rush to war while ignoring facts, the continuous loss of life, hiding the true count of civilian deaths-- how can you not believe impeachment is just desserts? If there ever was a case of high crimes and misdemeanors, isn't this it? If this nation ignores the lies, the abuse of power, if there are to be no legal consequences, tell me what stops the next guy? And that next guy is waiting in the wings if any of the leading Republican possibilities get elected in '08.
Ack!!!!!
17 comments:
ACKKK!!! Thaks for putting yourself out there.
I keep casting about for an alternative, but since Mr. Bush seems to be stuck in early adolescence with his wild ambition and inability to accept any accountability or even that he has made poor choices I don't know if America can afford not to impeach him... but first Cheney, because we can't make Mara president.
You said it all, and so eloquently. I feel the same way, but just can't bring myself to write about it. Every time these people open their mouths something idiotic or false just pops right out. It is absolutely insane.
IMPEACH both Bush and Cheney.
Let me just say that the way Congress moves that if Cheney was impeached and then they went after W the election would come and go before they could get it done, but I see your logic of tying him up with the process.
Who do you think W would nominate to replace Cheney? Rice or someone else? If he did that we could get the first woman president before Hillary (not Rodham anymore) Clinton got a chance to be it.
And don't forget Congress approval rating is only 1% higher than Bush's right now, so they don't have much of a mandate to do anything, but cover their own asses too.
Rant away, Rain!!!!! You do it so well! I am delighted I finally got here -- I've been wantng to visit you because I like your comments so well on Ronni's blog but life has a way of intruding! I definitely shall return.
Rain, you already well know my opinion of your opinions! We agree to disagree. Your arguments are no different now than they would had been for Vietnam. And where were you when the same events pertaining to war during Clinton's time in office. I am not supporting W by this. Many of your positions are really relevent to generic war, not particularly to W. Don't find any more guilt for the injured just because it is W in office. Any president would have the same burden in time of war.
W has an agenda that he is executing, despite popular opinion. This has happened often in US History. I think that he is semi capable of feeling the burden. And Cheney, can trust him as far as I can throw him. He is despicable. What is the solution? Impeachment? No, the powers should have started before this to accomplish that. Well, thanks for your opinion.
Ah Rain, dont hold back, tell us how you REALLY feel! Get it off your chest, it really helps! ;)
Bravo to you! Both for all that you said and for writing it. I had company last week and missed a lot of what you posted, so a special thank you.
I just shake my head once again at both Mr. and Mrs. Bozo, who happen to reside in our White House. It's beyond embarrassing.
You touched on everything and said it well.
Impeachement? I've been waiting since the Democrats took Congress. I say, "Let's Roll."
Today a guy on the radio was talking about a book on the Bay of Pigs. It sounded very familiar, a new president (Kennedy) attacks a foreign land (Cuba) and we thought we would be greeted as liberators, but instead it is a disaster. He says he should have fired the CIA director who was a holdover from the previous administration (like Tenet) and the decisions to invade were based on bad intelligence and not wanting to appear soft for political reasons. History does repeat itself.
Way to go, Rain. You know I shy away from politics because usually I think it is so subjective. However, you have written succinctly. On NPR tonight they spoke about the amount the war has cost so far--10 times more than the top amount Bush said it would--so far. Then the commentator listed what we could have done with that money, both at home and helping third world countries where our help was actually needed.
The current administration is such a disaster that I can't believe we haven't impeached. Though I am a registered Democrat, if this kind of rampant immorality and power trip were going on with a Democrat, I would definitely want a change. And I will vote for a Republican if he or she would lead our country best. I sometimes do, but heaven help anyone who steps into the Presidency next, Republican or Democrat. History ultimately judges our leaders, and I would venture to say this administration will go down in the annals of America's greatest shame. I don't expect perfection, but I do expect best practices and morality, especially from those who claim to have "the truth." The Internet and the media have made us such a global community and even if we are the most powerful nation in the world, we are constantly subject to intense scrutiny. My friends in foreign countries shake their heads because America has become such a laughing stock under this administration--and we the people seem utterly powerless.
Four years to the day Bush announced that the war had been won on that aircraft carrier set up like a movie set, he vetoes the current bill. It's all a game, I know, but I am sick to my stomach as I type this--remembering.
And we are powerless to do anything because the political wheels of progress--the big mean machine--moves so slowly.
But, now that I'm riled up, I just as quickly let is go because I am powerless over my president and his henchmen who believe in their heart of hearts that they are justified in the killing fields. I have to turn him over to a higher power, although lately it has felt like maybe he/she/it is ashamed, too. And disgusting as politics has become (who in the hell would want their little kid to aspire to the presidency?), I can only say to the rest of the world. I'm sorry that our President is insane.
Excellent rant Rain. Do you feel better? You said a lot...and very well, I might add.
Well done and a good thing to get off of your mind! So many things that we, "up here", in Canada think as well, but I prefer not to say too much even though what your country/president does almost always has an affect on ours.
Great Rant on a painful topic - thanks for saying what so many of us are thinking Rain.
Suffering spares no one including Laura Bush. It is a fact of human life. Buddha said so ! To mock anyone's suffering (to me) is a sin. After all we cannot feel another person's pain.
I don't throw the word sin around loosely or casually; so won't say Laura or George either one are sinning, but what she said was nobody suffers more than they do. Had she simply said she suffered, I'd have let it be. She didn't. She went beyond-- way beyond. She made the 'value' judgement.
I am sure for the now 28%, who still stick with Bush and see him as an honorable man with integrity, that resonated well. To me it was disingenuous and wrong to say. As for whether that makes me a sinner. I would imagine other things I do/don't do get me there first :)
These comments have nothing to do with sin or sinning. Each of us has a distinct threshold for pain and suffering. If Laura Bush knows that she and our President have reached theirs, then so be it. Attacking them only takes away the focus of your underlying agenda...promoting your dislike of war and it's consequences.
hi Ginger. I don't think I've seen you post here before but have seen your writing at Shadow of Diogenes. Welcome.
I only brought sin into it because Paul said to mock someone's suffering (in this case the Bushes) was a sin. I am not much for using the word sin but I didn't see it that I was mocking them for suffering. It's that I don't believe they are (yes, that's a personal opinion as who can prove such a thing). Well she might be due to being married to him and he might be due to low opinion polls and the probability that he will go down in history as one of the worst presidents ever, but he's brought that on himself. And those kind of reasons are very different than genuinely suffering for bringing on a war with no end and much damage to many people. I used to think more highly of Laura but just as the wives of the Enron cheaters reaped a benefit from their husbands' fraud, I think spouses do have accountability. She enables him or seems to when she comes out like this to try and get sympathy for him.
Sure, I could be wrong, but it's my opinion of her saying such a self-serving thing when there are so many people suffering terribly due to this war. She could have said we are suffering too and that couldn't be disproved, but to say nobody suffers more. Sorry it would take a true Bush believer to swallow that.
I did write about war in a later blog but in this case, it was purely a rant against Bush. Rants aren't really logical. They are emotional. They are also something I don't much like doing as they are negative. I prefer to stick to issues not personalities but this particular rant was about personalities. Ya know once in awhile it just bursts out (as it does from those who label how I think as traitorous and yes I have had some tell me it was).
Anyway it's good to see diverse opinions in Rainy Day and I hope you continue to post your insights. People learn the most when they see two sides to an issue and can then make up their minds which makes the most sense to them.
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