"What's His Excuse?" (Making a list)

[A_Possum]

Yesterday Kerry gave a blow-out speech in Detroit. He handed us the perfect accurate label for Bush:

"His is the excuse presidency: never wrong, never responsible, never to blame. President Bush's desk isn't where the buck stops — it's where the blame begins...He's blamed just about everyone but himself and his administration for America's economic problems. And if he's missed you, don't worry, he's still got 48 days left until the election."

The Excuse Presidency.

RW's have hit us with flip-flops and bandaids. Time to hit back HARD with our own visuals and drive the point home that B*sh has nothing but EXCUSES for the American people.

Can we compile a list of his lifetime of excuses? Here's a couple to start:

"I inherited a recession."

"I didn't take my flight physical because my personal doctor was in Texas."

"The CIA told me that WMD's in Iraq were a slam dunk."

Got some to add? How long a list can we make? If it's long enough, maybe our visual can be a roll of toilet paper with all the excuses typed on it.

[chimpymustgo]

1. Excuses = LIES.

I wish Dems would challenge Pukes when they say "* inherited a recession". The recession officially started in March, 2001 - after months of the BFEE talking the economy DOWN during the election - as an EXCUSE for their irresponsible tax cuts.

[A_Possum]

2. Well, I think the word "excuse" does challenge it

That's the point of this thread. We are collecting excuses, and excuses are often lies.

[chimpymustgo]

6. Didn't mean to imply I am not THRILLED with this line of attack!

It's hard-hitting and fact-based. The recession line is just a pet peeve of mine, because it should be slapped down every time it's mentioned. I'm happy to join the fun:

"We lost a million jobs because of 9-11". This is just a number they pulled out their *sses - there has never been any empirical evidence to support this.

[A_Possum]

9. Good one

9/11 figures in many of the more recent excuses. Maybe the list can be alphabetized, starting with 9/11 at the top.

[MsTryska]

7. Well now.....as i believe Dale Carnegie said....

"Excuses are the tools of the weak and incompetent."

[cheshire]

75. Send this to Kerry fast.

[Roland99]

3. On the economy

The 9/11 attacks have hurt the tax cuts

[Tom Rinaldo]

4. Did not have specifics about where and when Al Quada would attack us n/t

[A_Possum]

5. "We didn't know the Iraqi Army would just melt away"

[Tom Rinaldo]

8. "Congress didn't send me a bill to extend assault rifle ban". n/t

[A_Possum]

10. ooh I love it!

didn't think of that one, but it's a perfect example

[Tom Rinaldo]

11. "I can get more work done staying at the ranch"...

... concerning the record amount of vacation time Bush took during his first year in office.

[Tom Rinaldo]

12. "They don't like me" Re: failure to addresse N.A.A.C.P. during Presidency

[Tom Rinaldo]

13. RE: Failure to include tax relief for the poorest of working poor:

Republican Congressional line: "They were too poor to pay taxes, so they can't get any tax relief" which Bush did not fight to reverse.

[A_Possum]

14. "I didn't want to frighten the children"

"So I sat there reading My Pet Goat after being told the nation was under attack."

[Tom Rinaldo]

31. and the follow up: "I was collecting my thoughts". n/t

[Francine Frensky]

37. Add that to the flip flop list as well

[newyawker99]

73. LOL....He was collecting his thoughts?

He doesn't have any to collect. What a loon!

[Tom Rinaldo]

15. "Enemy combatants are not soldiers covered by Geneva accords"

So we can do whatever the fuck we want with them, just like Saddam did. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..."

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. "I want to protect their privacy" Re: Ban on coverage of true cost of war.

and his failure to attend any funerals of those killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Tom Rinaldo]

17. The science on Global Warming is unsettled. RE: pull out from Kyoto n/t

[Tom Rinaldo]

18. Executive Privilege forces secrecy of Cheney Energy Task Force n/t

[A_Possum]

20. Oh yes "executive privilege!"

That's gotta be a whole catagory in itself, like 9/11.

You're a master at this, Tom!

My memory is much less sharp.

[A_Possum]

19. "No one could have imagined using planes for suicide attacks"

Anybody's excuse in the administration counts on this list.

[BootinUp]

21. "No one ever thought planes would be used as weapons"

[BootinUp]

22. "I miscalculated the Iraq War"

[BootinUp]

23. "corporate scandals!"

[Tom Rinaldo]

24. Having government negotiate prices with Drug companies is Socialistic

So we will pay what the market bears because the Drug companies have to make all their profits here because every other Government in the Industrial world negotiates lower prices on behalf of their citizens.

[A_Possum]

25. "My dad didn't actually make the call to get me into the Guard"

"It was some friend of his."

[A_Possum]

26. "I don't have time to testify before the 9/11 commission"

[Tom Rinaldo]

27. "I can't testify without Dick Cheney by my side"

[A_Possum]

28. "I didn't file the insider trading forms with the SEC on time because

the Harken lawyers made a mistake."

[A_Possum]

29. "The SEC lost the forms"

excuse #2 for same illegal act.

[Tom Rinaldo]

30. The Biggie: "We can't afford to pay for additional (fill in the blank)"

Because the richest 1% of Americans deserved to get thousands of dollars in tax cuts and I am a fiscal conservative who is drawing the line by not paying for increased port security, fully funding "No Child left behind", etc. etc.

[A_Possum]

32. "I didn't really know Ken Lay very well"

"We weren't close friends."

[Tom Rinaldo]

33. We're safer fighting Terrorists in Iraq than having to fight them at home"

That is Bush's excuse for creating another "failed state" breeding ground for terrorism via his botched Iraq war. Now in places like Fallujah Terrorists organizations have essentially reconstituted their training camps, and militants from throughout the Islamic world are forging close bonds and sharing ideas and methodologies as they flow into Iraq, across it's now porous borders, to kill Americans. Over 1,000 American service men and women are dead, but it is the future that is most alarming. Al Quada grew out of the cooperation of militants resisting the Russians in Afghanistan. What is growing in todays Sunni Triangle?

[A_Possum]

34. I have to say we are winning in Iraq because...

the truth would make me look indecisive."

[democratreformed]

35. "Even though I have been in charge for almost four years....

CLINTON DID IT!!!!!!"

[Tom Rinaldo]

36. Had to invade Iraq when we did because UN inspectors were incompetent...

...or even worse, corrupt. Those accusations were being made at the time. Afterall, the U.S. had "solid evidence" of WMD in Iraq, we even "knew where it was", so any UN inspectors who didn't find them couldn't be trusted with more time to look. Hence, fuck the world, full speed ahead.

[Tom Rinaldo]

38. It was the CIA's fault for not stopping Bush from citing discredited

...intelligence about African Yellow Cake Uranium being slipped into Iraq during his State of the Union Speech, even though the White House already know it was discredited before Bush made his address.

[Strawman]

39. "Someone else hung that 'Mission Accomplished' banner" n/t

[Tom Rinaldo]

40. That one was great, lol n/t

[BootinUp]

41. LOL n/t

[A_Possum]

44. OMG I forgot that!

Great one! Keep it up!

[BootinUp]

42. "I never thought we would have the TRIFECTA!" :puke:

[Tom Rinaldo]

43. Those Official National Guard Records were lost or misplaced...

... OK we found some, that's all there is. Well, OK, we found a few more, satisfied? No? Um, maybe we'll find a few more...

[BootinUp]

45. "Its a sign of desperation"

AKA: "We have them on the run."

[Tom Rinaldo]

46. I was still a young man when I was acting like such a spoiled brat

You know, mid 30's, ten or 15 years older than most of the men and women I'm currently sending to Iraq to risk their lives for our country.

[Strawman]

48. "When I was young and immature, I was young and immature"

Classic Bushism.

[buycitgo]

47. that's a GREAT hook! What's his excuse?

Excuse of the day:

My father made me cry when I was a baby

My mother DRANK while I was in her big fat fungoid womb

[myrna minx]

49. the 16 words...

"The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

Its Britan's fault!!! ;-)

[BootinUp]

50. "Its up to the Board of Pardons and Paroles to review these executions"

(As Governor Death of Texas.)

[A_Possum]

51. I like these ones that go back into his history

He's never EVER taken responsiblity for ANYTHING.

[Tom Rinaldo]

53. OK, "I didn't know that Bob Jones was a bigoted religious nut case"

After speaking at Bob Jones University.

[Strawman]

52. "The neighbors' garbage cans ran into my car, dad ! (hiccup)" n/t

[Tom Rinaldo]

54. "France and Germany represent Old Europe" who needs 'em when...

...we have the support of "New Europe" (you know, Poland and Bulgaria).

[A_Possum]

55. "Osama bin Laden just isn't that important"

How did we forget that one?!

[Tom Rinaldo]

57. Yes, a true classic.

[Tom Rinaldo]

56. "We need tax cuts because some of the big surplus should be given back...

...and those who paid the most deserve to get back the most. Oh wait, now we need that tax cut because we need to create jobs, and wealthy businessmen are the entrepreneurs who drive economic growth.

[myrna minx]

58. Trial lawyers are responsible for high medical insurance premiums.

[A_Possum]

60. Ah ha

good catch

[A_Possum]

59. "The ground was muddy and made me fall off my bike"

[myrna minx]

61. An evil doing pretzel beat me up.

Like Homer Simpson: "I can't go to work, my baby beat me up."

[Tom Rinaldo]

62. "doesn't matter that I'm the first Pres. since Hoover to lose jobs...

...during a 4 year term, because we've added (lower paying) jobs this year." (On edit: This should have been a stand alone post that was accidently added as a reply to the agressive ground post)

[myrna minx]

63. The media "filter" is keeping all of those

ticker tape parades the Iraqis threw for the Americans off of the front pages and news programs.

[A_Possum]

64. "Joe Wilson is married to a CIA agent"

"so of course I believed that Saddam was buying yellowcake from Niger."

[Tom Rinaldo]

65. This doesn't quite fit, but I love it: "I'll be a uniter, not a divider..

...said during the last campaign, followed more recently by "But what do you expect from a Senator from Massachusetts?"

I could say: What do you expect from a Governor from Texas, but that would be divisive wouldn't it, implying that citizens of a certain state routinely exercise poor judgment compared to other Americans?

[myrna minx]

66. Paul O'Neill, Richard Clarke, Colleen Rowley et. al.

are all disgruntled crackpots and not whistle blowing professionals.

[A_Possum]

67. oh yes!

another excellent one! Every single expert who speaks out against him is "disgruntled" (if not insane.)

[no name no slogan]

68. "Cocaine's a hell of a drug" ??? (n/t)

[A_Possum]

69. LOL, but he hasn't actually USED that excuse

and it's probably his only realistic one. ;)

[Tom Rinaldo]

70. " I was forced to change my mind Re: Anti Gay Marriage Amendment

to the U.S. Constitution because of activist judges".

[A_Possum]

71. "Democracy is messy"

Rumsfeld excuses that little catastrophic success in Iraq.

[A_Possum]

72. "Drug production in Afghanistan is KARZAI'S fault!"

Here's a brand-new one just today! Bush accuses Afghanistan of being a problem drug producer and says Karzai is unable to "prevail in the provinces."

Oh. My. God.

If this doesn't just take the cake.

Bush Rebukes Afghans, Others for Drug Production

[democrat_patriot]

74. "We released all my military records....the pentagon accidentally destroye

"No WMD's?....but there are PROGRAMS that could make them..."

Can't speak before (insert many names) due to a scheduling conflict. (Said twice before schedule was given to him).

[A_Possum]

76. Cheney says he can't tell the truth because

if he did he wouldn't be a "true leader."

Another one hot off the press this minute! Jeeze, this is too easy.


Cheney Lectures Kerry on True Leadership

Vice President Dick Cheney criticized John Kerry for telling National Guard veterans Thursday that he'll always tell the truth to the American people, saying "true leadership requires the ability to make a decision."

[cheshire]

77. We inherited this ressesion from Clinton. Lying little turd.

[DeepModem Mom]

78. kick

[Tom Rinaldo]

79. Any Friday DUers got any to add? n/t

[myrna minx]

80. Democrats are responsible for the energy crisis.

[myrna minx]

81. Activist judges are destroying 'Murika. n/t

[cheezus]

82. We'd all love to testify before the 9/11 commission, but

it's um, unprecedented, and it would set a precedent

[cheezus]

83. I would have owned up to the drunk driving charge, but

it might have been a bad example for my daughters

[cheezus]

84. I would have taken immediate action on 9/11, but

I didn't want to frighten the children

[cheezus]

85. cheney: The economic numbers may not look that good, but

they don't count people making money on ebay

[cheezus]

86. I wasn't going to take a Guard position to get out of going to Nam, but

I wasn't prepared to shoot my eardrum out

[cheezus]

87. I'm usually real good at riding my bicycle, but

it was real muddy from that rain 10 days ago

[cheezus]

88. We could manage the debt by taxing the rich, but

the rich just cheat on their taxes anyway

[Tom Rinaldo]

89. Class Warfare. "I can't protect the needy, that would be Class Warfare".

Had to go way back to find this thread to post this one, but avoiding "Class Warfare" is one of Shrubs favorite excuses for allowing the poor to be shafted.

[Tom Rinaldo]

90. "There wasn't time to do competitive bidding to rebuild Iraq...

Halliburton and Bechtel etc. were the only companies available with the resources to get the job done in the time frame needed" So, how much of the money authorized to rebuild Iraq is still sitting around unspent?