It's a Nice Place to Visit, but the President Won't Stay Long

[kskiska]

By ELISABETH BUMILLER

More than a year ago, when Karl Rove and President Bush began planning the Republican National Convention, they picked New York City in early September so that the event would flow into the third anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks.

Some Republicans said then that Mr. Bush might even visit ground zero, despite the risk of appearing to make political use of the tragedy. Most others said the convention's timing would remind voters of what the campaign considers Mr. Bush's finest hour - the moment he grabbed the bullhorn in the rubble at the tip of Manhattan and shouted that the people who had knocked down the buildings would hear from him soon.

But now it turns out that Mr. Bush may not spend a single night in the city that helped transform his presidency. At this point, the unofficial plan is for him to arrive in Manhattan sometime on Thursday, Sept. 2, the final day of the four-day convention, deliver his acceptance speech that night, then leave immediately for Pennsylvania.

(snip)

Republicans acknowledge that one reason for the president's quick drop-by is their concern that he not be seen as taking advantage of the deaths of 3,000 people. What seemed like a good idea a year and a half ago, before Mr. Bush put on a flight suit and declared major combat operations in Iraq at an end, does not seem like such a good idea in the highly charged political environment now. "They are being very sensitive not to exploit 9/11,'' said one Republican close to the campaign.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/23/national/23letter.html

[bluestateguy]

1. Their attitude towards New York is similar to John Rocker's

A Georgia native whose true colors sometimes ran to redneck, Rocker attended both high school and college in Macon. His immature antics could be classified under youthful exuberance until he irrevocably altered his life in a December 1999 interview with S.I. writer Jeff Pearlman. In a bizarre tirade, Rocker imagined riding the city's Number 7 subway train through Queens to Shea Stadium, "next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing."

As if that wasn't bad enough, Rocker added that, "The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. I'm not a very big fan of foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?" He even referred to a black teammate (undoubtedly first baseman Randall Simon) as a “fat monkey”.

http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/R/Rocker_John.stm

[KittyWampus]

2. Now, If Only They'd Stop Exploiting Viet Nam Veterans

[gratuitous]

3. Holy smokes!

What kind of hay is the Kerry campaign going to make out of this?

Actually, screw that. I'm going to make all kinds of hay out of this!

What a buttmunch, doesn't even have the courage God gave an opossum. Can't bear to face the city his administration has so badly wrong. In, stumble through his speech, and out. The "W" stands for "wimp."

[Racenut20]

4. One might get the idea that the pRes is a coward.

[frylock]

5. maybe they can reenact his "finest hour"..

by building a mockup of the pile of rubble, aka the grave site of 3000 people, and he can address the adoring crowds through a bullhorn. Karl Rover can yell out from the wings "we can't hear you" just like he did the last time.

[fearnobush]

6. Why exploit something you caused?

Just about a third (Not a scientific poll) believe Bu$h Co. caused 911, by gross failure or by LIHOP MIHOP. No matter what the reason, I know of hords of people in the Greater NYC area that believe Bush was big failure leading to it. Now they want to exploit it. These people are truely sick fucks.

[frylock]

7. they are completely out of touch with reality..

one of the many drawbacks of surrounding yourself with yes men.

[loftycity]

8. Complete Coward

[K8-EEE]

9. Is He At Least Bringing A Plastic Turkey?

...like when he snuck in and out of the Baghdad airport?

WHAT A WUSS HE IS!! I'll bet anything he's in full-on, barking mad, Nixon-talking-to-the-portraits mode, and they are trying to keep him out of any uncontrolled situation lest he SNAP!

[poliguru]

10. Run!! Get me out of here! This is a liberal state!

He's probably afraid Hillary will kick his ass. Now THERE'S a Celebrity Cage Match I'd like to see!

[Cronus Protagonist]

11. There's that "sensitive" thing again

They're getting all touchy-feely and it creeps me out.

Swiftboat Veterans for Bush

SHOVE IT! - Drop Bush Not Bombs! - Hero Kerry AWOL Bush
http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13