President's father says inaugural address didn't signal foreign policy shi

[Rose Siding]

President Bush's inaugural address, with its emphasis on spreading democracy and eliminating tyranny throughout the world, was not meant to signal a new direction in U.S. foreign policy nor to portray America as arrogant, his father said Saturday.
"People want to read a lot into it -- that this means new aggression or newly assertive military forces," former President Bush told reporters during an informal visit to the White House briefing room. "That's not what that speech is about. It's about freedom."
...
"They certainly ought to not read into it any arrogance on the part of the United States," the former president said.
...
"I'm convinced the {Iraq} elections will come off," he said. "I honestly don't keep up with the details about what sheik is doing this and what Muslim leader is saying that. I hate to say, but I'm out of it. I'm still interested, and I still read up, but I don't discuss that a lot over here (at the White House)."
...
The former president visited the briefing room shortly after the current occupant of the White House returned from a mountain bike ride that ended just as heavy snow began falling in Washington. Although indoors, the elder Bush stayed bundled in his charcoal gray overcoat, scarf and blue tie as he talked about the "jillion" relatives in town for the inauguration.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2005/01/22/national1329EST0508.DTL

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. You know Jr really screwed up

when they have to trot Poppy out to patch things up.

Oh no, that's not what W meant. Yeah sure, whatever.

[Rose Siding]

5. I love the attempt at portraying it as spontaneous

"The elder Bush dropped by the White House's blue-curtained briefing room in the West Wing...An aide said Bush came in while showing Morse and others in his party the executive mansion."

ROFL- the EX-president just sort of wandered into the WH press briefing room for some off the cuff remarks.

[Daphne08]

20. Yes, you are so right!

[truthpusher]

2. s-h-i......t? n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

4. That is exactly what I thought too. heh heh

[Wilms]

21. Too, funny! n/t

:smoke:

[uppityperson]

3. But the USA isn't arrogant.

Why can't we get a president who can speak clearly and concisely and succinctly and say what he means in an understandable fashion? Oh that's right, we do, it's just that what he says is written off as "stupidity" or "he didn't really mean that" or "bushisms".

[The Doctor.]

24. Check this;

“The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

—H.L. Mencken, The Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920

[driver8]

27. Even when democracy isn't perfected -- we get a moron.

Daddy Bush bailing out his son again, eh? But Jr. didn't mean what he said. Give me a fucking break...this was shrub's chance to speak to "his people." He spoke, and told us right where he is going to "lead" us...to war after war after war to spread his idea of freedom and democracy throughout the world.

Do these motherfuckers tell the truth about ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!??????

[uppityperson]

33. My point=he does speak the truth, then others rush to excuse it

saying "he didn't really mean it" when he did. I do like the moron in the white house quote.

[Laurab]

35. You know every time I see that Mencken quote, I think

WHY THE HELL DID HE HAVE TO WRITE THAT???? I mean, I learned all about self-fulfilling prophecies (except maybe the spelling), and I think it's H.L. Mencken's fault we're in this mess!

At any rate, the office certainly doesn't represent MY inner soul. That office doesn't have a soul.

[rooboy]

6. My ASS he's "out of it"...

you can bet he still gets his CIA briefings as per usual.

[Rose Siding]

15. Imagine the phone calls that might have been behind

this decision to send out the old man. From Baker? Scowcroft? "George, you have to fix this. I'm getting calls from across the globe. The Saturday round of backpedaling articles didn't take. They'll listen to you. Fix it!"

Maybe he just sprung it on Jr. -This article even makes the point:

The former president visited the briefing room shortly after the current occupant of the White House returned from a mountain bike ride that ended just as heavy snow began falling in Washington.

[driver8]

28. Big George tells junior..."son, you fucked up again..." n/t

[shanti]

30. sho you're right!

he's in the mix, without a doubt.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. Daddy Bush, over 80 years old and still fixing up his son's messes

and giving him money for the church offerings.

[BattyDem]

8. Other world leaders can speak for themselves.

Our "leader" needs his daddy to speak for him. How humiliating ... for him and for us. :(

[bullimiami]

9. my son is not a zealot meglomaniac monster.

really, he isnt.

papa bush.

[enough]

10. Hard to believe he still thinks that anyone else thinks

what Junior says has any meaning or any repercussions. They whole world knows that the US now does whatever it wants within its power. No need to read or ponder anyone's statements.

Poppy is living in a world that no longer exists.

[underpants]

11. Man they couldn't backpedal faster could they?

No no no that's not what he meant*

*BTW spreading freedom and self rule has been US foreign policy since the end of WWI-Carter added the human rights part.

W can't get agreeing with everyone right either.

[Senator Lamb]

12. i feel bad

all those people who attended the inagural had to sit through a speech that basically said,"freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, liberty, i love freedom, freedom, freedom,..." for nothing. they arent even going to get a new radical policy. or are they..........

[Erika]

13. I was watching C-Span today

where they showed Bush as saying in his first "election" that he had to give off an air of humility so the world would perceive him as humble and respond accordingly. He said if they perceive me as being arrogant they would perceive the U.S. as arrogant.

His goal accomplished. His actions has shown the world perceives us as arrogant.

[justiceischeap]

14. Apparently everyone who heard the speech

got it wrong.

"No, you only thought it meant something radical. Just because it sounded radical, doesn't mean it is. Although the speech quacked like a duck, it's not really a duck... Walk away, nothing to see here."

My question is this, just because an elder Bush says it isn't so, does it mean the tree still fell from the reviewing stand?

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Erika]

16. Uh, He says he will save the world and destroy those

who disagree with his neocon policies, and wonders why he could be seen as a Messianic nut with the power of the U.S. military behind him. Four more years of hell.

[xxqqqzme]

17. was there a 2nd speech no one

heard but poppy? That lazy lipped ass pimple delivered the most militaristic speech I have ever heard. no shift???? bushit!

[Wilms]

18. The biggest proof of Election Fraud is such an idiot as * in the WH. n/t

x(

[Erika]

19. But his daddy said

he didn't really mean it that way. God, rid us of the Bush's.

[LynnTheDem]

22. They sure came out fast to admit bush was just LYING AGAIN in his speech

Usually they wait until they're FORCED to admit bush was just LYING AGAIN.

[Robbien]

23. If Junior didn't mean it, why is Cheney threatening Iran and Rice

bad mouthing Venezuela?

[fooj]

25. Didn't he have something like 20+ rough drafts? That's not what he meant?

After 20+ times, I find that one a bit hard to swallow! He meant exactly what he said! "Read into it"...right!

[Erika]

26. You mean, Bush's father was wrong before he was right

on the message of Bush's speech? God, four more years of Bush hell.

[phasev]

31. read my lips

no new wars!

[Rose Siding]

32. Was this mentioned on any of the morning shows?

It seems like a big deal to have an x-pres answer calculated press questions from inside the WH. If there's no domestic buzz, it would only reinforce the idea that this was meant to soothe the foreign diplomatic arena.

[moondust]

34. It's a personal shift.

Before moving into the White House Li'l George had virtually no interest in the world at all as demonstrated by the fact that he didn't travel despite growing up in a wealthy family. (What a million poor foreign language and international affairs students wouldn't give for such opportunity!) And now old incurious George wants to remake the world in his image because HE KNOWS BEST what's good for everybody! It's not just a shift--it's a born-again transformation! It's the all-new-and-different Li'l George!

:puke:

[llmart]

36. I don't even want to read this thread......

because I'm sick to death of hearing what that old dinosaur and his bug-eyed wife have to say about anything. The world will be better off when we are rid of these people.