I'm no W fan, but this cracked me up

[StarfishSaver]

[lamp_shade]

1. Now I get it...

[Indykatie]

4. I'm No W Fan Either But I love How The Bushes and Obamas Were Able to Connect

It's clear they have respect for each other and enjoy each other's company. The Elder Bush family was very close with Bill Clinton. McCain and Biden's long time friendship led to Cindy putting friendship over party to endorse Biden. I think it made the difference in Biden winning what ended up being a very close AZ race.

In our hyper partisan times we won't see these kinds of "across the aisle" friendships and it's sad.

[StarfishSaver]

22. It must be very isolating to be any of these couples

They share an experience and situation that no one else in the world can understand.

No wonder they bond like this.

[misanthrope]

39. It reminds me of how athletes on rival teams often get along better than their respective fan bases

There's a mutual respect from someone who has shared the experience.

[Rebl2]

57. Yes

it’s a small club and it’s inspiring they bond and get along.

[StarfishSaver]

63. Paul McCartney since said that everyone had something to say about the Beatles

"But we four were the only ones in the back of that limo every night, so we're the only ones who know what it was like to be us."

That's got to be the same for these people.

[Aristus]

48. I'm still just gobsmacked over her beautiful arms.

And such beautiful skin, too...

If I were in W.'s shoes just then, I'd be just as boyishly giddy...

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. George W.Bush and Michelle Obama have become good friends...

And it is charming and we should embrace it, regardless of how one might feel about President Bush.

They are allowed to like each other and making light of it or insulting the man because of this is absurd.


The fact that the two of them have a friendship is an indication that the larger American Body Politic is not irreparably separated

Give them a break

[StarfishSaver]

3. ...

[PatSeg]

11. I love the look on Laura's face

in the last one!

[Reader Rabbit]

47. She's all, "Can't take you two anywhere!"

[TexasBushwhacker]

49. Michelle said he gave her a piece of hard candy

and she asked him "How old is this candy?"

[StarfishSaver]

64. Lol! I thought she had doled out the candy

That's funny!

[ShazzieB]

65. What about the look on Barack's face in the one where George is kissing Michelle?

That one REALLY cracks me up!

[PatSeg]

68. Oh yes, equally priceless

[Kitchari]

24. Love this!

Worth 1,000 words

[Demsrule86]

29. Obama looks like my husband when we went to church. and one of the gentleman would

hold my hand just a little too long and kiss me to sometimes...it just frosted him. He never said anything during the 'moment'. But he told me to, 'watch that guy, he was handsy' later.

[LymphocyteLover]

54. that's hilarious!

[StarfishSaver]

5. Who's insulting him

This a good-natured ribbing of how in love he is with our Queen.

Not mad at him at all. In fact, it's one of the few things I like about him.

[sandensea]

15. +1

A man's got a right to his feelings.

[A HERETIC I AM]

44. I apologize for insinuating you were promoting acrimony.

I don't think you were by putting up that pic.


BUT....


It can not be denied that many folks on our side of the aisle, be they here on DU or otherwise, will not cut GW any slack at all re: his post presidential friendships. Witness the firestorm that erupted when Ellen DeGeneres had the temerity to be seen with him at a ball game.

I am by no means a fan of George W. Bush and his politics. I think he sucked as a President. But that doesn't preclude me from appreciating his extending friendship to people who in the past may have been political foes.

[ananda]

43. In the end, we are all humans together.

I've had some bridge partners and a teacher who voted
for Trump, and we loved each other dearly.

[roamer65]

6. President Obama is jealous in those pics.

He should be. Michelle is a wonderful woman.

[StarfishSaver]

7. I doubt he's jealous

But the pictures are fun.

[roamer65]

9. I think it's cute.

Maybe Shrub does actually have a soul, unlike Cheney and Dump.

[PatSeg]

13. He has a soul

He just should have never run for president. He was really bad at it and surrounded himself with some horrible people. I won't make excuses for his disastrous presidency, but compared to people like Cheney and Trump, he is very human.

[ClusterFreak]

28. Very insightful comments.

And yes truth be told, we need MORE of this kind of connection between Dems and Republicans. We do. We need to embrace (puns aside) people like Niccole Wallace, Steve Schmidt, George Conway, Mitt Romney, and the office holders like those who voted to impeach. Not to mention those at the state level who would not do Trump's bidding, like the Georgia State AG etc.

Fight and argue and stand your ground where you must, seek compromise and common ground where you can. Work with these people, see them as sincere fellow humans with different points of view in the main and some common points of view from time to time. Those on the far right fringe, and you know who you are.... FUCK YOU. That will never change.

If there's one good thing to come from the last four years - setting aside if I may the Biden presidency, and control of Senate and the House - it's that we have seen some truly good people emerge from the Republican ranks. Who, when it was time to choose country or party, chose country. They are our friends, maybe our feudin' friends from time to time, but our friends nonetheless.

[StarryNite]

34. I agree.

[PatSeg]

66. "Seek compromise and common ground where you can."

Absolutely, even if it is only once in awhile. I will never give Bush a pass on his performance as President. I still believe he was intellectually incurious, highly unqualified for the position, and due to his parentage, felt entitled, even obligated to run for higher office. For all his faults, and there are many, he was a devoted husband and father, loved his dogs, and was capable of compassion and remorse. In the years to come, when I look back on Donald Trump, I know I will never be able to say anything like that about him. If anything, I think he will become even worse in retrospect.

Since Trump became center stage, I have been surprised at how much I agree with a lot of well known republicans, being we've actually found some common ground. I expect that in years to come, I will disagree with them vehemently on many issues as before, but I won't let that discount the times when we are on the same page. Finding agreement with David Frum was one of the most startling experiences of the past four years.

As for George Bush, I still wouldn't want to have a beer with him and I find him a bit boorish and dull. Surprisingly, I actually like some of his paintings though. All that said, the world would have been a better place if he'd stayed out of national politics, possibly having paved the way for someone like Donald Trump. So to sum up, Trump is a soulless monster, whereas Bush is a very flawed human being.

[northoftheborder]

69. Agree. I absolutely despised Bush for all the reasons above. But he was not mean.

Not well educated and with barely average intelligence. He probably never had aspiration to be President.. was pushed into it by Texas Republicans based on his family name. But he was not a selfish, heartless man.

[PatSeg]

72. Yes, that is a huge distinction

George Bush was not mean, whereas Trump relishes cruelty. I agree also that Bush was pushed into politics because of his name and then was used by republicans to further their agenda. I think for awhile, he may even have believed the myth created around him. I do recall that somewhere in his second term, he started to push back against Cheney and some of the destructive neocons. He did grow some in his presidency, but it was too little too late. Too much damage was already done to salvage his image. He just was not qualified for the job and easily manipulated.

What a different life he could have had if he hadn't tried to follow in his father's footsteps. When I see him now, I see a man with many regrets about mistakes that cannot be undone.

[misanthrope]

41. My impression of Dubya was always more favorable than the one I had of Cheney.

I think Dubya was just mistaken in his beliefs and policies. Like members of my own family who might be in over their heads.

I think Cheney was far more malevolent in his intent.

[roamer65]

42. I agree.

Shrub was a question of competence.

Darth was a question of good vs evil. Although his authoring of the recent letter from former SecDef’s made me realize even Darth has a “bridge too far”.

[Jilly191]

45. I also agree...

That Darth Vader had the power.

[Sympthsical]

59. What always caught me a bit is that he isn't personally homophobic

It's well-known he has plenty of gay friends. Gay couples even. It never bothered him in the slightest.

Yet he promoted the Federal Marriage Amendment.

I mean, even at the time, I don't think he cared about it. It felt like he was going through the motions. "My schtick is the evangelical base, this is what they demand, so, whatever." He fought zero for it. But he did put it out there. That's a weird dichotomy. He knew it wouldn't pass. No one thought it would. But the damage in just having presidential imprimatur to that kind of hate. As a gay man, I have a lot of complicated thoughts and feelings about that one.

I don't think he is a terrible person. He's not a sour soul. But he was a terrible president, and he never had the spine to apply his personal thoughts and convictions to his political behavior. When Obama and now Biden go after something politically or oppose it, you feel there's a personal conviction there. There's a Right or Wrong balance embedded in their character that drives them towards what they pursue. But with W, there's this kind of vacancy. A lack of self-reflection or awareness, a lack of willingness to engage in self-questioning.

So, it's all very weird.

He's probably a roughly decent person, but whose flaws magnified horror when his shortcomings met the abilities brought with great power.

He's a little Shakespearean in that way.

[misanthrope]

60. Well said

Good observation

[roamer65]

62. "Now watch this drive".

[PatSeg]

67. Well said

And, I never found Bush to be racist either.

"He's probably a roughly decent person, but whose flaws magnified horror when his shortcomings met the abilities brought with great power."

Yes, very Shakespearean indeed.

[Rebl2]

58. I think

he does. I think he was used somewhat.

[pnwmom]

38. I think Obama's just businesslike, not jealous or angry. n/t

[roamer65]

40. Bush is actually cute with her.

I think I read he hands her candies.

Laura’s look is like...”There goes George again...”.

[efhmc]

8. Read or listen to Becoming and you will understand if you did not before what a truly

Last edited Sun Jan 24, 2021, 08:02 PM - Edit history (1)

wonderful person MO is in every way.

[mobeau69]

10. Becoming?

[ShazzieB]

30. I'm sure efhmc meant Becoming. 😊

I just read it myself, and it was wonderful. (Took me a while to get around to it, what can I say, lol.)

The was I feel is, if Michelle finds W to be so lovable, then good on her for going with her gut instead of what others expect.

[halfulglas]

50. Listened to the audio last year but it actually took months.

It's a wonderful book but it took me about a month to finish it. The reason was because last year because of the worsening situation of the country, I watched MSNBC and CNN constantly and I had no commute so I found myself waiting for bedtime to access the audio book. Then, I would love listening to Michelle Obama narrate the book, but her narration voice (as opposed to her speech giving voice which is inspiring) was so soothing like having a good friend sit beside you and with the combination of being horizontal with my head on the pillow and her lovely voice, I would fall asleep. Then the next day I would have to back it up to where I had fallen asleep because I never hit the stop button before falling asleep. It was such a fractured way of listening to it, I had to actually put some time aside during the day to finish it. So, yes, I highly recommend you read or listen to Becoming, but definitely not in bed.

[efhmc]

74. It was long and thankfully my library kept extending my checkout time.

[Karadeniz]

12. You cracked me up! Thanks!

[albacore]

14. I've always seen the relationship of Michelle Obama and Dubya...

...as Dubya being a kind of pet or hobby for Michelle. She doesn't demean him, but she is obviously about three social and intellectual classes above him.

I envisioning her thinking of him like ... "He's a decent man. He needs work, though, and that Presidenting thing was just too much for his limited abilities."

[mtnsnake]

19. Not true. The two of them are sincere good friends who enjoy each other's company

and I doubt that Michelle would ever think of W in the manner you described. She's way too classy and kind for that.

[rhiannon55]

16. In that picture of Bush leaning against her, smiling with contentment

as she gently holds him, she looks like the Mother of the World. She exudes love and compassion. I absolutely adore her.

[Mr.Bill]

17. I think W

is drinking heavily again.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

18. The Bushes treated the Obamas with decency and respect.

Did GW give candy to Michelle again? BHO gonna have to watch that.

[StarfishSaver]

20. I think it was the other way around

She's church grandma dispensing butterscotch candy from her pocketbook ...

[Hermit-The-Prog]

26. Michelle confesses! "My partner in crime" ...

Michelle Obama Gives Backstory on George W. Bush Handing Her Candy: ‘He Is My Partner in Crime’

[appmanga]

33. A quote from that article:

When the moment went viral, many lauded Obama and Bush — one a Democrat, one a Republican — for reaching across party lines.

“That’s what people are hungry for … Party doesn’t separate us, color, gender, those kinds of things don’t separate us. It’s the messages that we send,” the Becoming author — her book tour kicks off in November — insisted. “If we’re the adults and the leaders in the room and we’re not showing that level of decency, we cannot expect our children to do the same.” - Michelle Obama.

These are people who have enough respect and gravitas to influence people's behaviors and opinions, and they've embraced that as part of their continuing service to this country. Others are just interested in serving themselves.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

35. Yeah, but W was still passing old cough drops. :D

[keithbvadu2]

21. Laura is happier now.

Laura is happier now.

She can compete on even ground with another woman.

It was not a fair contest with Dubya's earlier sweetheart, Jeff Gannon.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3525935

[marble falls]

23. It seems for whatever reason, Michele and W have a special bond. I think she has more ...

... than enough qualification to judge the character of someone. I ain't going to be the one to take her to one side and give her the dish on ol' Dubya.

[ChazInAz]

25. Hmmm...

I feel the same way toward her.

[marmar]

27. I find W the private citizen less offensive than W the president....

..... because he was pretty awful at that.

[kirkuchiyo]

36. This 100%

From what I've seen he seems like a nice guy to have a drink with, he was just a shitty president. I wouldn't even want to be in the same room as 45, he can f*** right off and die.

[iluvtennis]

31. Love this! nt

[Chemisse]

32. The pictures in this thread are so sweet. n/t

[paleotn]

37. That's a "W" alright.

He has an interesting sense of humor. And, he's actually human. I can't say that about Donnie Poopy Pants.

[spanone]

46. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️K&R ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[CaptainTruth]

51. It's a shame the PNAC used W as their "useful idiot" to push their Iraq war.

He was taken along on their ride of lies like millions of others, & folks who don't know the details blame him for it.

[Skittles]

52. he was all too willing

fuck him then, and fuck him now

[LudwigPastorius]

56. Yep, he may be an affable mass murderer, but...

he's still a mass murderer.

He wanted that slaughter as much as, or worse than, the PNACers.

[alterfurz]

71. Instead of the timeline where Ellen and Michelle mug with an unrepentant war criminal...

...I want to live in the one where DuhBya has been sentenced to pick up bomb rubble around Tikrit, tend the graves of the city's war dead, and polish the shoe monument for an hour per day for the rest of his life.

[LudwigPastorius]

73. Or, a never-ending line of Iraqi orphans and mangled U.S. servicemen...

get to kick/punch him in the balls as hard as they can.

[MustLoveBeagles]

53. LOL

[Kaleva]

55. W cared for the children living in the dark dungeons of the Internet.

The top 25 Bushisms of all time.

[LymphocyteLover]

61. I heard Michelle is very fond of W because the Bush family really helped them settle into the WH

and made the transition easier.

[LAS14]

70. Too funny. Is it true? Gotta be. nt