Elder Bush safely completes 80th-birthday skydive | Houston Chronicle

[Ediacara]

Elder Bush safely completes 80th-birthday skydive

By TONY FREEMANTLE
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

COLLEGE STATION -- Former President George H.W. Bush successfully jumped from an airplane today to celebrate his 80th birthday, a more leisurely reprise of his fabled bailing from a crippled aircraft during World War II.

The jump was originally to have been a solo effort, but high winds that delayed it also forced Bush to be strapped to an Army parachutist in a tandem jump.

"This was a real thrill for me, and I had no fear because I was in the hands of experience paratroopers," Bush said after touching down.

Bush and five other jumpers were flown to a height of 13,500 feet by a DeHavilland Twin Otter aircraft. Shortly before 1:20 p.m., the group left the plane. The free-fall part of the jump lasted about a minute and took the former president below 5,000 feet, where the chute opened.

More at the Houston Chronicle

[Emboldened Chimp]

1. ppppppppppplllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

who cares?

[Bluebear]

2. Oh goody, more P.R. from Team Bush

What a he-man.

[lovedems]

7. I just think of The Fonz jumping the shark.

Poppy is jumping the plane.

[mike_c]

3. you've got to respect that....

Whatever the combination of cajones and stupidity that put him up to it, it's still a pretty cool way to top off an 80th birthday. We should all be so lucky.

[ElectroPrincess]

13. No we don't it was a cheap political stunt :P

No, we don't have to have respect for a tawdry political stunt such as this. My full respect goes to the Manassass, Virginia Grandmother, also on her 80th birthday. She had more balls that elder Bush because she put her faith in the local parachute club in these parts and didn't hijack the US Army's Best Parachute Team to pull off this brave endeavor.

The only comfort I can take away from this is - "Thank God he didn't jump solo today." Why? Because technically that would mark his 5th solo jump. And as I know the Bush Team propaganda campaign the parachute wings that, to my knowledge, would have been presented to him were the coveted Parachutist Badge from the US Army's Airborne School in Ft. Benning, Georgia, i.e., standard at the end of this infantry school is to complete 5 solo parachute jumps.

My brother's buddies in the 101st Airborne Division didn't meet this honorable standard and some die for our country, so that some old wannabe dynasty coot like Bush 41 is granted this for doing little to nothing to EARN his badge.

Ya know, I think we (the Democrats) may have God on OUR side because the media swarm of Bush 41 being presented these wings by the US Army Golden Knights would have been seemingly never ending. Trust me on this, if Bush 41 would have jumped solo, he would have been awarded them with all the pomp and circumstance.

Perhaps, God gave us a cloudy and windy day in Texas today to humble Team Bush. For that gift we are blessed. Sa-lute! :-).

[Tellurian]

20. he was probably more frightened his chute wouldn't open

and wanted backup just in case!

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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

[NC_Nurse]

5. Yeah...and...

so what???

[muchacho]

6. Just his way of saying...

bite me Ronnie!

[rfranklin]

8. Tandem...strapped together? Every time I've seen that it looks like...

two people having anal sex. I hope there are some dorky photos of that action.

On edit: I see there is a photo. Yep, anal sex simulation! And he appears to really, really like it!

[SoCalDem]

34. What a doofus... here's a great pic

[smirkymonkey]

43. What a dork!

[mountainvue]

9. How much

did this little shindig cost the taxpayers? There is no end to the conspicous consumption of this crowd.

[readmylips]

10. From the PR build up, I thought he was really...

parachuting by himself. Instead, bush sr was carried throghout the whole jump. When we were kids, we would go to Coney Island (NY) and jump off the parachute ride, nobody carried us. Poopy, John Glenn, you aint. Now, go change your diaper.

[stickdog]

11. Did the others in the plane fare better than they did the last time he

bailed out?

[TrueAmerican]

12. Not News

Not Late Breaking


wrong forum

[Ediacara]

17. funny

The news story was 2 minutes old when I posted it. The only news items on this in this forum was that he was planning on doing it, and that it had been delayed.

This news item states that he did do it, and is safe. I suppose if he had fallen to his death you would consider that "not news, not late breaking, wrong forum" as well?

[TrueAmerican]

38. It's a PR stunt

nothing more. You are just helping the re-election of Dubya.

[Jacobin]

14. Your tax dollars at work!

:mad:

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

15. Tandem jump! What a wimp! Who gives a shit, anyway?

So, Poppy has to perform more and more over-the-top stunts to gain his son's love and attention. Too bad he doesn't realize that GW is ratshit crazy and has a direct line to his "real" father -- god.

JB

[Peregrine]

36. I caught the tail end of the jump on Fox

just channel surfing. Apparently Brit Hume and Chuck Norris jumped also, both tandem jumps.

[imax2268]

16. and...

I should care because...why...?

[number6]

18. whoopi ass doo

:boring::boring::boring:

[qwertyMike]

19. Credit where credit is due

Landing from such a jump is like jumping off an 8 ft wall.
Quite a feat of an 80 year old without breaking a hip.
Senior was quite the athelete at Havaad

[ElectroPrincess]

23. Did you actually see him land ...

Yeah yeah ... I jumped off of 8 foot platforms ad nausea to learn the PLF (Parachute Landing Fall) at the real deal (Ft. Benning, GA). FYI The Golden Knights do not use the chutes that drops the average trooper like a rock ... as you just eluded. If the wind is calm, these skilled paratroopers from the Golden Knights land like a feather. :-)

Question: Did you see elder Bush land with his partner today? In tandem?!? It was nothing, nada. Hell, I've seen Disneyland kiddie-rides give my little girl a bigger jolt than that old crone sliding on his bum today. No credit, no slack, the Bush team are shameless attention seeking propaganda mongers. :P

[qwertyMike]

28. OK - Sure it's proaganda

whatever

[buff2]

29. It is propaganda

Why do you have a problem with the truth?....it's all repukes know how to do....exploit themselves and smear their enemies.

[0007]

21. Dang!

[jdj]

22. Bush and Reagan PROVE that only the good die young.

[truthisfreedom]

24. talking to the tv? hmm... maybe it runs in the family.

quote from the article:

"Get out and do something. If you don't want to do a parachute jump, do something else. Just don't sit about watching TV and talking to it," he said.



edited to add image

[Cicero]

25. Let us not forget...

...to all those sniping about how Bush 41 is a wimp by having a tandem jump instead of going solo, that he is a much braver man than his son is. After all, Bush 41 actually did see military service in WWII, and was shot down in the Pacific, IIRC. Bush 41 actually put his life on the line in the service of his country.

He'll always have a modicum of respect from me for that, even if he was a lousy president, and begat an even more lousy son.

(I was going to type lousyer, but it kept coming out loser. Actually, both would have fit, no?)

Later,

[Ediacara]

27. maybe lousier?

And I agree, he was a crap-wad of a president, but he didn't shirk his duty as his crap-wad son did.

[GingerSnaps]

26. If he didn't jump alone then why are they giving him a medal

I don't understand why he is getting publicity for a stunt that he didn't complete on his own.

[buff2]

30. I'm so sick of the bu$hes

:puke: :boring:

[goforit]

31. Bet yah it was really a stunt man for Poppy.

He's just trying to send a personal message to
all his loyal thugs. I'm still Boss.

[mondo joe]

32. Great Pic of Elder Bush

"I'm a little old man in a near fatal attempt to get some press for my son!"



If he had 2 little black circles on his helmet he'd look like Mickey Mouse.

[ResistTheCoup]

33. Was he tethered to Cheney?

That's what Jr. would do

[Southsideirish]

35. How long will Repubs be allowed to dominate the news? First it was

St. Ron then is was the Bush "birfday" celebration - unbelievable - are we going to sit by and take this?

[AlFrankenFan]

37. Glad to hear it

cause if it went wrong I don't think I could endure another consecutive week of excessive coverage from a dead conservative...

[porkrind]

39. Big whoop.

I almost washed my car today, but I never got around to it. Alert the presses.

---

Read about the Right-Wing "Master Plan": http://www.zmag.org/chomsky/sam/sam-contents.html

Have you read "War is a Racket"?: http://lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm

[Spazito]

40. What is it with these bush men, did they get shorted in the "goods" end

or what? They keep trying to prove their "manhood" with infantile stunts. If the asshole wanted to do something that had value then volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, do something of REAL value. This kind of stunt just makes them look smaller, imo.

[PartyPooper]

41. But, afterwards, who changed Poppy's diaper?

Was it Babs, Junior, or Pickles?

Inquiring DU'ers wanna know!

:D

[TrustingDog]

42. Would like to have seen this...

Babs having a garaaage sale with Poppy's chute: label says:

Parachute for sale, small stain, never opened.