Surprise score for George W. Bush

[yonder]

"Perhaps above all John detested the abuse of power, could not abide bigots and swaggering despots."
-GWB, John McCain's eulogy

Mrs. yonder and I about fell out of our chairs, hooting and hollering, after hearing that. To us, it was an unmistakable reference to that which shall not be named.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I caught that. Good one!

[EffieBlack]

2. That blew me away, too

[yonder]

24. I'd love to see today as the beginning of a shift in the wind.

Who knows, maybe it will?

There have been so many false starts already, that I remain wary.

[EffieBlack]

46. Me, too - I keep thinking THIS is going to be the turning point, but it never is

But the turning point HAS to come sometime, so I will just keep hope alive that it's THIS time.

[Honeycombe8]

93. I have no illusions about the Trumpers in Congress & the enablers without spines.

They crossed the point of no return some time ago, I think. They made a pact with the devil. They won't or can't turn back now.

[DownriverDem]

95. Afraid

The repubs in DC are afraid of trump and his base voters. All they care about is keeping power through reelection. They have sold their souls. There is so much to motivate voters to vote in November.

[Honeycombe8]

102. +1. nt

[IluvPitties]

3. Thanks, W.

A good but misguided man who made a disastrous mistake that killed thousands.

[Lucky Luciano]

28. Let's not get carried away.

[Drahthaardogs]

31. He was an idiot, but not evil

Cheney on the other hand...

[still_one]

32. I don't think he is an idiot, and that is why he was underestimated, but I agree wholeheartedly with

your view on Cheney

[Drahthaardogs]

33. I believe with a different VP and cabinet

W would have had a much more successful Presidency

[still_one]

51. Perhaps successful, but I think his okutuca ideology prevented, him from being more compassionate,

and that was his Achilles heel

[Doitnow]

87. But who chose them?

[KentuckyWoman]

108. Whistleass WAS successful.

He accomplished exactly what he set out to do. The shithole he left us in isn't a surprise. It is by design.

[Nitram]

65. Bush sure sounded evil when he mocked a woman on Death Row pleading for mercy.

He sure looked evil when he sent all those people to be executed without a pardon of those who probably deserved one.

[Ferrets are Cool]

68. Not EVIL!! He was and IS a farking WAR CRIMINAL. HOW MUCH MORE

EVIL DO YOU WANT?? YES, I raised my voice.

[Neema]

98. I agree. How easily people forget egregious war crimes

because he seems harmless enough.

[YessirAtsaFact]

76. I think he was drunk for most of his first term

And let Cheney run the country

[bitterross]

110. I disagree. He is evil.

W. was and is evil. He didn't allow Cheney to make all the decisions and the final decisions were his. Torture is torture. It is evil and it is evil to allow it.

Saying Cheney is responsible for everything seems, to me, like trying to say "I was only following orders."

[aeromanKC]

39. Hundreds of thousands

some estimates it may have exceeded 1 million innocent including Woman and Children.

http://web.mit.edu/humancostiraq/

[robbob]

113. Thank you for that.

Americans (including DU’ers) are often guilty of referencing the number of fellow countrymen who died in a conflict as if they are the only lives who matter. For example, numerous times I have seen references here to the 50,000 lives lost in the Vietnam war. Estimates of the dead from that conflict range from 2-10 million, many of whom were non-combatants, women, children, and the elderly. To mention the American casualties while ignoring the 10-fold loss of life on the other side trivializes their humanity and suffering.

[PatrickforO]

40. No...with respect I must disagree.

W might have been 'good' in the sense that he didn't torture dogs and cats or pull wings off of flies.

But he, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and the rest of his administration are still guilty of war crimes that cost millions of innocent lives. Bush can't even travel out of the country because of this, so...nice guy? Not so much.

[EX500rider]

57. "Bush can't even travel out of the country because of this, so...nice guy?"

Sure he can.

"Interpol, the international police organization, does not list any outstanding arrest warrants for Bush or Cheney in their searchable database. Meanwhile, experts in international law said they were not aware of pending warrants, particularly from the most obvious entity that might issue one -- the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

Our ruling

The meme on social media said that Bush and Cheney are "unable to visit Europe due to outstanding warrants." The claim that there are "outstanding warrants" is flat wrong. And while it’s theoretically possible for a national court to issue an arrest warrant against either man, as was done with Pinochet, there is no sign of that happening. We rate the claim False."

https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/jul/17/facebook-posts/are-george-w-bush-dick-cheney-unable-visit-europe-/

[PatrickforO]

78. Sorry, the technicality that no warrant has yet been issues does not absolve

Bush or his administration from being held accountable at some point in the future for war crimes. While I do concede your point, my original stark accusation of the man and his henchmen(women) stands. They perpetrated massive war crimes against the peoples of America, Afghanistan and Iraq.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

67. A war for nothing isn't a mistake...it's a national tragedy and it's still killing people

and using precious treasure today. Bush thinks his cute act will someday endear him and folks will forget. never forget. Glad he spoke up, but, where have you been george? You cheated too. Ask President Gore.

[lunatica]

75. Thanks for remembering Gore.

The day the Supreme Court selected Bush was the day our Constitution was torn up.

People have forgotten, but I think Trump as President today is a direct result of that day.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

88. Couldn't agree more.

[Neema]

97. The man JOKED about looking for WMDs under his desk.

Thousands upon thousands of lives lost and he fucking joked about the supposed reason for the war. As if it were a matter of no importance, a silly mistake or miscommunication. I’m sorry but that is unforgivable and he and Cheney both are war criminals. Just because 45 has succeeded in becoming the new worst president of all time doesn’t let Dubya off the hook.

[MyOwnPeace]

112. AND...........

let's not forget the "dirty tricks" the Bush campaign played on McCain in the primaries when both were running for president. The Bush team put out something about McCain having a "black love-child" and that allowed Bush to win a southern primary and helped propel him to the nomination.

In contrast, when someone said something nasty about PRESIDENT OBAMA at a McCain rally, John McCain stood up and said such talk was not acceptable or necessary.

QUITE THE DIFFERENCE!

[SaveOurDemocracy]

4. Yes, very clearly aimed at a certain orange lump.

[john657]

5. YES!!!!!

That was great, although I highly doubt that the infant idiot will even realize that he's being dissed in a most public way.

[lastlib]

35. Oh, he'll know it!

Someone on his staff will explain it to him, and the sh*t will hit the Twitter. Expect a diss of the B*sh family in ...3...2...1........

[PearliePoo2]

6. Yep, the punches to the fat boys's gut continue!

They're tag-teaming him!

[Funtatlaguy]

10. Trump has created many unlikely common enemies.

[at140]

7. Nice revenge by 43 for Jeb's defeat.

[dalton99a]

8. He did good

[Funtatlaguy]

9. The Bush family despises Trump.

[mnhtnbb]

16. Exactly.

[at140]

53. Wouldn't you despise someone

Who ended your brother's legitimate right to be nominated for presidential run? Without tRump in the field, Jeb was sure to win the nomination.

[AwakeAtLast]

74. And did so by doing what he does to everyone else

That was beyond what the Bushes thought appropriate!

[Blue_true]

11. That which should not be named.

Do I get sent to detention for suggesting calling it a leaching, lecherous swamp creature?

[Beartracks]

12. If course not. You didn't name it.

========

[defacto7]

55. Trumdemort

[Achilleaze]

13. That counts

[edbermac]

14. How bad can Trump be when he makes you miss GWB?

[Jake Stern]

17. Bush pissed me off

but I never worried that he was going to destroy our government or our country.

[john657]

18. Unlike the infant idiot currently (hopefully not much longer) in the WH. N/T

[KatyMan]

19. And as vile as the Bush family/cabal can be

I don't think they're racists; at least, if they are it's more subtle maybe? Classist for sure, but I never had a racist vibe from the W era. I could be misrembering.

[meadowlander]

38. The response to Katrina was pretty racist.

Barbara Bush and her "beautiful mind" not wanting to concern herself with black people dying of dehydration.

[KatyMan]

42. Good points, thanks. N/T

[NickB79]

85. Jeb Bush's wife is Hispanic. nt.

[kacekwl]

90. Hey, I'll take help from anyone

who wants to slap trump. Anytime.

[world wide wally]

29. Bush didn't act out of unadulterated hatred like this new asshole

[LittleGirl]

41. I'll give you that. eom

[uponit7771]

59. +1, Red Dawn has a comic book villian level hatred of Obama

[yonder]

21. Gosh, that's exactly how bad he is.

Bush pissed me off all the time, but I'd take him any day over what's there now.

[TomSlick]

27. As I was listening to Bush,

I asked myself whether he had grown into a statesman or if he simply appeared one in the comparison.

Either way, you are correct. It's one hell of a note that I would be happy to have Bush back in the WH now. At least I would not worry about the future of the Republic.

[Doitnow]

89. Anybody can dress nice and read someone else's words.

[TomSlick]

91. That is generally correct - but see, Donald Trump.

He dresses like a schlump and has to be drugged to stay on script.

[shadowmayor]

44. Nope

Some of us will never miss that asshole. Fuck lil' bush now and forever.

[lunatica]

77. I agree.

He is as guilty now as he was when he marched us to war with a country that had no role in 9/11. The reason for that war on Iraq was oil, oil, and oil. Time doesn’t exonerate him.

[LAS14]

71. Bad enough to make you miss GWB... nt

[UTUSN]

15. CNN: "(SHITLER's) name was not mentioned but in nearly every speech an underlying reference." - YESS

[Aristus]

20. Dubyah may be out of the cellar

of the House of Worst Presidents Ever. But I haven’t forgotten why he was there in the first place.

[gopiscrap]

22. same here

[qazplm135]

25. He the Alabama

to Trump's Mississippi.

[NYC Liberal]

72. He still is, IMO.

However, he had 8 years to do his damage. We better hope Trump doesn’t get that chance.

[obamanut2012]

23. It is kinda amazing and wonderful how the Bushes, Clintons, and Obamas

Are united in this, regardless of political disagreements.

And, I wasn't a fan of Barbara Bush I, but loved she didn't want Trump at her funeral.

[Totally Tunsie]

81. The five living former presidents came together in charity also,

having started the One America Appeal to aide the victims of the 2017 hurricanes. A total of $42M was raised and distributed. They are living proof that humanity can overcome political differences.

[link:https://www.oneamericaappeal.org/|

[jg10003]

26. W was a very bad president but at least he did what he believed to be in the country's best interest

No one ever thought to question his patriotism

[Aristus]

69. I questioned it all the time.

Especially when he was prancing around in a flight suit like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, when he never got closer to the war of his generation than West Texas.

[KentuckyWoman]

109. This wasn't the only day I questioned his patriotism

[Power 2 the People]

30. Score one for GWB

About time he got something right.

[nycbos]

34. I disagreed with GWB on almost every issue.

However I never had cause to doubt his loyalty to our nation.

[The Genealogist]

36. A barometer of how bad Trump is

When Dubya of all people comes out looking quite decent by comparison, you know it is bad.

[titanicdave]

37. "W"

.......I totally agree.......I take my hat off to "W" after that comment......a terrific slam against #45 if there ever was one.......good job, #43.........

[shadowmayor]

43. Puhleeeze

Swaggering despots? We call that walkin' in Texas. Abuse of power? Ask the good people of Iraq how that whole democracy fiasco is working for them. I cannot fathom how people applaud any evil bastard who blasts herr drumpf. I believe that the two wars, Katrina, the economic disaster, the purple band-aid crowd shaming Kerry etc. etc. mark lil' bush as a man never to be admired and he should be on trial for his actions as a war criminal (hopefully next to Kissinger, Cheney, and Rumsfeld for starters).

No wonder we are called the United States of Amnesia. I say fuck bush and trump and fuck the whole lot of them. And when one of these assholes says something obvious or does one decent thing - I say again - go to hell!!!

No I don't miss bush. And no I won't miss drumpf. It's like missing cholera and yellow fever. I'll take neither every time.

[vlyons]

45. GWBush has evolved

Not that he is a great man, or has paid for his sins, but somewhere along the line, he has been inspired to be a better man. Aren't we all glad that he keeps his yap shut and stays a very private person? I like to think that someone special came his way.

?w=640

[shadowmayor]

58. And that ladies and gentlemen

Is exactly how a PR campaign and propaganda work. First it was Tweety and billboards yapping about "miss me yet?" and then Keith Olbermann of all gd people jumped on the bandwagon. I'm not buying it now, and will not buy it in the future. lil' bush is a goddamned war criminal with the deaths of thousands and thousands on his head. Fuck him.

[jayschool2013]

63. My dead cousin agrees

Fuck Bush.

To the memory of 1st Lt. Jacob N. Fritz.

[orleans]

47. i don't get all the nice nice going on with bush here

about never wanting to fuck the country or doubting his patriotism

"no weapons of mass destruction under here"...ha ha

so patriotic he got us into two wars, stopped looking for bin laden ("i don't even think about him anymore&quot and allowed cheney & rumsfuck to make a killing off the wars (remember the halliburton?)

he did a good job with the eulogy today (surprisingly) and got in a nice shot to trump but come on, folks, he still fucked us over pretty bad

(i did not intend for the winky face--i'm just using quotes and ending with parentheses; i am not winking)

[LiberalLovinLug]

54. Seriously

What?....Will there be a day in the future when exPresident Trump is redeemed, and we get all warm and fuzzy, hearing how he said something nice, written for him, at a funeral for some old political acquaintance?

I was going to say that it was a remarkable short period of time that W retained the title of Worst President ever. But if you look at the destruction left in W's wake, the lives lost, or mutilated, the awakening of ISIS caused by the post-invasion vacuum in Iraq, the reckless abuse and privilege allowed by deregulated big banks causing one of the worst recessions, all the while handing him and his wealthy cronies massive tax cuts.....well, Trump has so far only managed the last one.

But the scary thing is Trump has the potential to be much much worse. His supporters are even more fanatical, more resilient, than even W ever had. And Fox News is even more radical and willing to spread fake news. He has to be stopped now!

[llmart]

60. Agreed!

Let's not lionize Bush just because Trump is so despicable. Yes, we have reached the bottom of the barrel with Trump, but lowering the bar to think we'll accept someone like Bush again is not good for our democracy either.

Don't forget how many innocent military died because of a lie.

[lunatica]

80. And don't forget the Iraqis killed either

Wars kill more people who have nothing to do with the wars. People who’s crime is to be in the wrong place or who are living under sadistic dictators.

F*#k wars.

[DesertRat]

48. President Bush and President Obama reminded us today

That you can disagree with someone politically and still have respect for them.

I miss that so much, and I hope to see that spirit of unity and respect again in my lifetime

[Little Star]

49. I've always felt that......

if W had a better VP than that disgusting piece of crap Cheney, he wouldn't have been a bad president. His politics were never my cup of tea but he was not a horrible person. jmho

[onetexan]

94. Agree, i think he just wasnt very smart

And surrounded himself with people who manipulated him. I dont think highly of him, & was esp'ly irked when during his debate with Al Gore he referred to Gore as 'this man'. Gore was a VP at the time. He deserved more respect than that.

[Martin Eden]

50. Abuse of Power

Trump is by far the most despicable piece of shit ever to occupy the Oval Office, but GW Bush is a goddamned war criminal who abused his power by taking us into a catastrophic war of choice based on lies.

It turns my stomach whenever he is lauded, even when we might like what he says.

[Upthevibe]

52. As bad as he was....

I NEVER felt he was a traitor!

[uponit7771]

66. THIS !!!! No telling what direction Red Don we'll shoot if we're attacked by an enemy

[Gothmog]

56. W did a decent job on his speech

[onecaliberal]

61. I wad shocked too.

[JCMach1]

62. The Republican Party is Dead, Trump leads the American Fascist Party

Plain and simple

[Gothmog]

64. "Above all, John detested the abuse of power. He could not abide bigots and swaggering despots."

Link to tweet

[LAS14]

70. Who'da thunk that the day would come when I'd feel nostalgia for the Bush presidency... nt

[orangecrush]

73. K&R!

Amazing to see both sides united against a red faced tyrant.

[oberliner]

79. Cannot believe that DUers are praising George W Bush

We've officially entered bizarro world.

[LAS14]

82. It's true, it's true. Truly bizarro!!!! (But I did praise him also). nt

[yonder]

83. In my world, an arrow found its mark, despite the worthiness of the archer.

[Neema]

99. For reals. WTF?!

Just because 45 sucks the hardest doesn’t make Dubya a good guy. Jesus.

[Hekate]

84. Thanks, W, for adding your voice to the righteous smackdown of Trump

Every bit helps

[TrogL]

86. Do you mind?!!?

I’m trying to watch a Harry Potter movie. I don’t need that image in my head.

[Honeycombe8]

92. I remember that. I wasn't sure if it was a reference to Trump. Was it?

I'm just floored that he would, if it was.

Good going, George! Now that I think of it, I'm sure the images of Hispanic children in cages, taken from their parents, was abhorrent and shocking to him. He's many things, but not cruel. And he has Hispanics in the family. I'm sure that particularly angered him.

[yonder]

103. Can't be sure, of course, but I'm going with yes it was.

[Honeycombe8]

104. I think so, too.

Because he would have realized it could be interpreted that way, and left it in. So I'm thinking that yes, that was his intention. "Abuse of power" he said. "Swaggering ego" or something, he said. Good for him! I think they were all displeased, very displeased, with how Trump behaved toward McCain, his illness, and his death. And the children in cages.

[Cha]

96. Sounds just like the swaggering despot that

wasn't invited to McCain's funeral!

And, port in the storm

[SunSeeker]

100. There were a LOT of references to that which shall not be named.

Some went ahead and named it:

[ailsagirl]

101. Do you think he wrote it himself?

We don't have to wonder that with President Obama, obviously!!

[yonder]

105. Perhaps a collaboration?

That would be funny.

[oberliner]

106. Who do you think wrote Obama's?

Favreau?

[KentuckyWoman]

107. Whistleass should maybe look in his mirror.

He can go choke on his own words after that crap he allowed his campaign to pull "McCain's black daughter" blah blah racist fucking bullshit.

He's right about McCain. He's wrong to be pointing fingers ANYWHERE.

[peace frog]

111. Totally agree

So he made a nice speech at McCain's funeral, good on him. He's done little else with his retirement than paint bad vanity portraits so there's not much to admire there. As POTUS he rode his daddy's name all the way into the WH and stunk on ice at the job thereafter. Others may blame Cheney, and he certainly deserves every criticism, but that doesn't excuse Junior's weakness and incompetence. Efforts to rehabilitate Dubya continue but it would take total amnesia for me to join that ragged parade.