"We've got a problem, George."

[H2O Man]

Patrick Buchanan was just interviewed on MSNBC. He said that the president is furious with those around him. President Bush recognizes now that the world views him with a combination of distain and contempt. The scenes of him giddy with a piece of cake, focused on golf, and strumming a guitar while the hurricane destroyed a huge section of the United States have not played well.

Curiously, there was no focus on the human suffering. No one saying, "Holy shit, George, people are dying because of our incompetence!" Instead, there is concern about George's image.

I could fucking puke. The thought of Karl Rove talking on the phone to John Rendon about what images they need to use to manipulate the public's perception is obscene. Buchanan made clear that they are going to project this as a case of a strong leader being let down by advisors. If the president had been in Washington, this never would have happened.

While our primary focus must remain the delivery of emergency services which the administration delayed for unexplained reasons, and our secondary goal must remain the long-term recovery efforts, we still need to counter the Rove/Rendon misinformercials that began yesterday with Bush hugging the girls on his "tour."

Two quotes stick out for me. One is older, the other new. But they combine to define Bush:

"I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president. Maybe someone needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
-- "Losing America"; Senator Robert Byrd; page 170

"It's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But it's also important for me to go one with my life, to keep a balanced life."
-- Newsweek; September 5, 2005; page 25

I will find some appropriate photos of Bush, put one or both of these quotes on it, get copies to friends, and post them on the bulletin boards in stores and laundry mats and other public places. I will call in to tv and radio talk shows, and use these quotes. If he wants to take credit for being president, he needs to start taking some responsibility.

[leftchick]

1. Pat said all of that?

before your quotes are you paraphrasing him or are your comments in there as well?

[H2O Man]

8. Pat B's only

in the first paragraph. Sorry, I could have been clearer. I try not to get angry, but watching the tv and thinking about the low nature of these snakes really bugged me this morning. All I could think of was that shithead Karl Rove saying the republicans could benefit from images of war in mid-term elections in 2002. And to see that they really do not give a fuck about human suffering, they identify it only in political/image terms. Normally, I try to think things out before posting. I'm reaching a point where anger may have replaced reason when I typed that. (But if Pat Buchanan wants copies of my mini-posters to hang up around his town, I'd send him copies.)

[leftchick]

14. I appreciate your anger

You don't need to apologize, I feel exactly the same. It really is beyond my comprehension how evil they are. I am beginning to think bush is indeed the anti-Christ. He certainly exhibits all of the qualities.

[H2O Man]

19. It is hard.

I try not to dislike people, at least not intensely. But George Bush is the type of guy I couldn't stand when I was a little kid, and sure as hell didn't like in high school. I find it annoying to watch him under the best of circumstances. (Okay, I enjoyed the first debate with Kerry.) But I have a physical reaction to seeing the guy on tv now. He is so fake. He reminds me of a few of the guys I used to have to deal with in the "jail groups" I ran through the mental health clinic. He just reeks of the "I can get over on anyone" pathology. Of course, he should be in a jail group.

[leftchick]

30. I feel exactly the same

I have just vented here about his bushbots.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4603433

[H2O Man]

39. I just posted on

your thread. I find it unacceptable that people will invest in the evil lies about "they were warned to leave."

[SammyWinstonJack]

46. I don't give a flying fuck if they were 'warned to leave' and didn't.

We all know why they didn't leave, it was because they didn't have the MEANS to leave! God Damn it! The FACT remains that they DESERVE TO BE RESCUED AND EVACUATED long before this! THIS IS UNCONSCIONABLE BEHAVIOR on the part of this very evil administration AND ANYONE WHO STILL SUPPORT IT!

[H2O Man]

51. Exactly. Exactly.

On Leftchick's thread, the discussion focuses on the ignorance of those who cling to the "they were warned to leave, so it's their own fault" line of stupidity. I said that this is as foolish as saying that Africans stubbornly chained themselves to slave ships, so that they could come to the USA to enjoy our freedoms and democracy. Poverty chained the poor to New Orleans. Jesse Jackson again explained this morning that tens of thousands of families of "working poor" average $8000 a year.

Those "working poor" are today's slaves. The Bush's America is a modern plantation. And when the hurricane threatened the ship we call New Orleans, the Bush-types were more concerned with saving their luxury items than in the human cargo.

Babies! There are tiny babies. Children, the elderly, the sick, and the disabled. They were chained by circumstances far, far beyond their control. But it was not beyond Washington's control to help them in these past few days. It was only beyond their value system.

[SammyWinstonJack]

59. I used that analogy this morning when talking with my husband

Slaves on a ship . NO is a slave ship now.

[H2O Man]

63. Sad but true.

If you work for $8000 a year, you are nothing if not a 21st century slave.

[NJCher]

71. maybe that is sinking in everywhere

Because I wrote the same to a friend in an e-mail.




Cher

[Eloriel]

108. It's not stupidity, it's racism. n/t

[Arkana]

134. I know! I am so sick, sick, sick of the hypocrisy.

In Bushworld, abortions kill babies, but the babies that died in New Orleans deserved it because their parents weren't smart enough to leave.

How twisted and warped does that sound?

[Greylyn58]

50. I'm with you

I tolerated the jack-ass during the debates, but I can't stand to watch him talk about anything. I usually switch the channel or turn down the volume and put on Closed Captions(just so I can see what is being said). I think yesterday was the first time in a long while that I actually listened to him. I think what I dislike the most is that smirking, smarmy smile he has when he speaks--like everything is a big joke. I find it incredibly creepy.

Yesterday morning before he left the WH to survey the damage(that his ineptness has wrought) he made some of the stupidest, rambling comments I have ever heard(and that's saying alot) And he mumbled through most of them. I know my mouth fell open and I just stared at the tv. I remember thinking "What the Hell was that!"

To my surprise every commentator I watched had a similar reaction. I just hope that when most of this crisis has abated, they don't fall back into their "we love the Prez crap".

[H2O Man]

52. A couple days ago

the New York Times editorial called his first flood speech the worst of his political career. When we consider how terrible so many of his speeches have been, that says a lot.

[PinkyisBlue]

72. George

I feel exactly the same way about him. He was the smarmy frat boy in college who knew he could get whatever he wanted with minimal or no effort. I couldn't stand him from the beginning.

The problem is, the RNC seems to be filled with people just like him. These are people (mostly white men) from privileged backgrounds who are intent on keeping other people down and boosting themselves up. They are so ego-centric; their perceptions of reality are based only on how they are affected by events and how they can benefit from these events. So Bush isn't concerned about the victims of the disaster, only that he appears to be caring and concerned. It's all about his image.

[Arugula Latte]

118. Bingo.

Reminds me of William Hurt in "Broadcast News."

[CrispyQ]

128. What I really can't fathom is the level of

GREED that these assholes have. There is never enough. They always want more, more, more. Their greed is insatiable.

Welcome to DU, PinkyisBlue! :hi:

[enid602]

116. Antichrist?

The timing of all of late (hurricane news displacing Iraqi failure, and now a SC Justice's death displacing hurricane news) seems to point in that direction. If the media falls back in to line during the coming week, I'll feel even more certain.

[im10ashus]

22. No need to apologize for being angry.

You may have needed to apologize if you weren't angry. In fact, if everyone in America isn't angry about this, they aren't human.

I believe that they have finally been shown as the monsters they truly are, and the rest of America is finally waking up.

They have already begun to use this as their political back-scratching before it made landfall. When I saw the bubble boy make a joke about "N'awlins" yesterday, I wanted to throw something at the television.

It's been nearly a week and people are still stranded. How bad do you have to be to not recognize your own failures as protectors of the people.

9/11 stunned us, put us under their spell. Katrina slapped us back into reality. This time people will demand the truth.

[H2O Man]

41. True.

Good points. Anger can be a positive force, if properly channeled. We need to channel the rising tide of discontent towards the White House.

*** On edit: we may need to issue an evacuation notice for the administration. Resign now, and let some real leaders take over.

[im10ashus]

44. I saw a beautiful display of properly channeled anger last night.

Michael Eric Dyson was on Bill Maher last night. The man was on fire.

If our Democratic leaders do not take this and run with it they are FOOLS. Fools I tell you. This is a perfect opportunity to show the differences in leadership that we could possibly have offered WHEN it was needed. Not five days later.

[H2O Man]

47. I watched Jesse Jackson

on MSNBC this morning. I like Jesse a lot. I was proud to stand near him in the park in Boston in 1988. He had, by every objective measure, earned the right to be offered the VP spot on the democratic ticket. And it would have been successful. Jesse's message reached a wide range of Americans -- and that scared the "stick-in-the-mud" democratic leadership as much as it did the republicans.

I do not care what color people are. I do not believe that there is any such thing as "race." We are the human race, and there are obviously different ethnic groups, composed of extended families/clans/tribes. But we're one race, the human race, an extended family. However, it is apparent that in congress, it is the Black Caucus that is providing the moral leadership today.

I'm not going to throw my support behind any man or woman based on the color of their skin. Nor would I hold my support back for such a reason. But I will say that we should look closely at who actually is representing our values in today's world. This is an opportunity for democrats to re-establish their position of leadership on the "values issues."

[im10ashus]

49. Race has no bearing on how I treat someone.

And it certainly shouldn't be a factor for a president, especially when taking care of the sick and injured. These people weren't just dropped there overnight. They've been there suffering for decades. It's just now being put under the microscope we can call the American conscience.

Value-based leadership is something we have sorely been lacking and this is when we stand up for that type of representation.

I just have a couple of Dubya quotes to add:

"God speaks through me."—Smoketown, Pennsylvania, July 16, 2004 (first reported in the local papers, including the Intelligencer Journal and the Lancaster New Era)



Only to change his mind, shocking as it may be.

"I'm also mindful that man should never try to put words in God's mouth. I mean, we should never ascribe natural disasters or anything else, to God. We are in no way, shape, or form should a human being, play God."—Jan. 14, 2005

[H2O Man]

54. Thanks

for those quotes. (I rarely thank anyone for something that makes me feel like puking. He is so gross.)

[Karenina]

48. Is this the picture you were thinking of?

[H2O Man]

55. Perfect.

Thank you!

[Skidmore]

2. I told yall last week that ole Pat would find his way back to the

reservation after people started ignoring him. He loves the limelight and beltway entree. He always comes back to kissing up. Not much of a maverick really.

[H2O Man]

18. Yes, you were right.

It is true that he is not a "maverick" when it counts. I assume that he thinks that it is important to try to calm passions now. But in doing so, he betrays his responsibility to be honest.

[hippiechick]

3. And that's the SAME BS explanation they gave for 9/11 ...

... it wasn't that George is a doofus, but that his agencies didn't get him the right 'intelligence' in time to do anything ...

... and WMD -- it's not that he's a war mongering fool who was going to invade Iraq anyway, but that the spooks and spies division gave him 'bad information' ...

Yeah, the grown up's are in charge. :puke:
Yeah, restoring dignity to the White House. :puke:
Smarmy little sonofaBITCH.

[H2O Man]

15. I think it is interesting

that a number of reporters on the scene, including a couple on Fox, are speaking out in strong terms about the low-quality response to this crisis. If a die-hard republican like Joe Scarborough says that any politician who claims Washington is doing the best it can is a liar, then it is reasonable to think that the rank & file has similar thoughts.

[Imagevision]

84. BUSH; 9-11 he's reading a child's book- Katrina,he's playing guitar

while americans are drowning in New Orleans

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

42. But this time he can't blame it on the CIA. You don't need spies to know

a hurricane is coming. All he had to do is get off his widdle twicycle, put down the bottle of Jim Beam, and turn on the damn teevee. He could have learned all he needed to know from the freaking Weather Channel. That lame excuse -- nobody told me about it -- won't fly this time.

[H2O Man]

45. Exactly!!!

How in the hell is this man going to claim that he was the only adult in the United States that didn't have a clue what was going on? (Usually, people on DU would agree that he is the dumbest shit in the country, but about the weather? Pathetic.)

[Botany]

4. * taking charge

/print

watch him go to work

[H2O Man]

20. Yikes!

Just photos of this guy show that he only sees this in terms of himself. It's always "all about George."

[FormerRepublican]

5. We might point out to Rove and Co that their strategy implies...

...that Chimpy is completely incapable of thinking for himself or feeling compassion for Americans without being told to do so by his aides.

Of course, we know this to be true. But does Rove really want to craft a strategy to cement that in public perception?

[H2O Man]

24. The total lack

of ability to take responsibility doesn't play well. I think the public gave him a pass on this for years .... far too long, of course. But it gets old. We all have the "pleasure" of knowing someone who just refuses to admit they are ever wrong. They tend to want credit for everything good, no matter if they had anything to do with it or not. And they always blame others for their own errors. These people are obnoxious to be around. And George is being identified as that type of guy these days.

[XanaDUer]

6. Either he is a heartless incompetent,

or he selects and surrounds himself with nothing but those who are. Either way, he needs to be impeached.

[H2O Man]

10. If he cared

about people -- if he had a speck of human decency -- he would announce his resignation when he makes his special appearance in the Rose Garden this morning at 10.

[BlueEyedSon]

7. I don't think Bush is furious. I think he couldn't give a rat's a$$.

He turned the civilians of NOLA into the civilians if Iraq. Iraq didn't bother him one bit either.

[rodeodance]

11. as i read it he is furious that his image is in the trashcan--it is not

whether he cares or not.

[H2O Man]

29. Right.

Great leaders do not give a shit about their image, especially not in times of crises.

As far as "caring" goes, this guy makes Richard Nixon seem warm and compassionate.

[fasttense]

9. Not curious at all.

"Curiously, there was no focus on the human suffering. No one saying, "Holy shit, George, people are dying because of our incompetence!" Instead, there is concern about George's image."

If I have learned anything during the last five years of watching the bush administration act and react it is this: They Just Don't Give a Damn About Anyone But Themselves.

Always remember this when watching their behavior and you will be able to predict it. Why five days of waiting to help hurricane ravished victims? They don't care about them. Why no order to fly the flag at half mast? They don't care. Why wait to send supplies until bush and laura had a chance to show their faces? They don't care. Why play the guitar while New Orleans is destroyed? They don't care.

The next three years will be pure hell. Get ready for it. Hang on.

[H2O Man]

12. You are correct, of course.

I think that the next three years will be cruel for the bottom of the middle class, and all of the people with lower-incomes. We are in for a prolonger season of suffering in America. And this administration doesn't care any more about poor people in NY or LA than they do about those in NO.

[CrispyQ]

130. I honestly believe it's a class issue more than a race issue.

It just so happens that most of the lower class are minorities. Stephanie Tubbs Jones said this the other night.

We are engaged in a class war in this country & if the lower income sheeple don't wake up & realize their 'man of God' is full of BS, their situation is going to get drastically worse than it already is. This also goes for the middle middle-class, who are slipping lower & lower with each piece of bad legislation.

[H2O Man]

132. Race is a "class issue."

Black Americans have a much higher infant mortality rate than whites, and a much shorter life expectancy than whites. While poverty is not exclusively "black" in America, those statistics alone indicate that race is absolutely a class issue.

[rodeodance]

13. hey--that guitar scene is making it around. good.

,,,,and strumming a guitar while the hurricane destroyed

[H2O Man]

33. Unreal.

It's as if Dave Chappelle came up with that one.

[Me.]

117. Sometime The Ledge Gets A Little Slippery

But if those people in NO can hold on, so can we all

[sattahipdeep]

133. Flag at full mast after Katrina and half mast after Rhenquist. n/t

[Beetwasher]

16. "Delayed for Unexplained Reasons"

Well, the reasons may be unexplained by the admin, but I think we all know why they were delayed. They were delayed for PR purposes. So Bush could ride in w/ the cavalry. As you said, it is all about image w/ these scum and I could see them thinking this way.

[H2O Man]

26. Yep.

They will manipulate tragedy for their own selfish purposes.

[applegrove]

17. "Georgie Porgie Pudedington Pie ...." - how does the rest go?

[BiggJawn]

21. "Kissed the girls and made 'em CRY..."

"When the boys came out to play,
Georgie-Porgie ran away..."

[applegrove]

25. Tks.

[peekaloo]

35. laughs at the poor while he sucks us dry

when the boys came out to play

he put 'em in busses and carted 'em away.

[XanaDUer]

38. "Starved the poor and made them die."

...

[Gary173]

23. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house

-- he's lost his entire house -- there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch. (Laughter.)
This from bush speech


And we're gonna sip bourbon and make plans for all that great real estate we stole from them suckers.

And we're gonna have some big laughs about them idiots thinking we were gonna spend Halliburtons money to save their black asses. {Hoorah, YeeHaw]

And I'm gonna promote Chertoff and Brown as soon as I can.

[H2O Man]

27. My daughter keeps asking

why Bush keeps smiling when he talks about people suffering. She is 11 years old, and she recognizes that there is something very wrong with the way this guy talks about tragedy.

[BlueEyedSon]

28. From the mouths of babes....

[CrispyQ]

131. I absolutely do not doubt that boosh & his rich developer friends

will swoop in & offer pennies on the dollar to the desperate people of NO. Then they will re-build NO making billions. This of course, AFTER they fix the levee. Can't have their precious investment at risk!

Welcome to DU, Gary173! :hi:

[sinkingfeeling]

31. You, it doesn't matter if he's furious or not. He's the one that has

to have COMMANDER IN CHIEF printed on everything he owns. He has the responsibility to ensure the federal government functions. That's the job: the buck stops on his desk!

[H2O Man]

34. Right.

If you take a 5-week vacation, a few things might pile up on your desk. And this guy -- the fucking president! -- is pissed off because some responsibility has been placed on his desk.

[PA Democrat]

32. My problem with Bush is that buck NEVER stops on his desk

HE is the President and he should have been on the job marshalling resources and leading his team as soon as it became apparent that a MAJOR hurricane would strike the Gulf coast. It is inexcusable that only NOW, 5 days and how many needless deaths after the fact that Bush has roused himself out of his self-absorbed stupor to "kick some ass" as the mayor of NO put it.

A real leader would not be MIA when everyone was saying that a horrific catastrophe is imminent. If Bush can't get his pathetic ass to Washington and LEAD when told that a tremendous CRISIS is imminent and when leadership is needed most, then he is useless.

[H2O Man]

36. Right.

And a real leader wouldn't be investing tax-payer dollars in an "image-control campaign." The real leader would say that every spare dollar goes to save those tiny babies' lives.

[im10ashus]

62. I've seen his "image-control campaign" before.

9/11/2001:



8/30/2005:



This time it won't play!

[OneGrassRoot]

37. Where is YOUR personal responsibility, BushCo????? n/t

[Sydnie]

40. How about adding two more quotes?

The "Now Watch this drive" quote with the "I'm about to fly out of here" quote from yesterday. Both of those quotes show that he felt his "duty" was done and he could get on with his "balanced" life again.

H2O Man, you are an inspiration. I am going to do the same thing too. Put them everywhere I can. If someone could make up a flier and post it here ... please? We need to get the word out and now before more people die.

[H2O Man]

43. Good quotes!

Thanks for adding them. And it would be great if some of our talented people posted some easy-to-reproduce fliers here. A little tribute to our good friend Swamp Rat!

[Stephanie]

53. Here are your photos >

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4550031

[Stephanie]

56. and some from yesterday's photo-op >

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4596979

[H2O Man]

57. Thank you.

How can anyone look at this man and think: "Leader"?

[JHB]

58. When they spin it as "let down by his advisers", one thing to point out...

...will be how, as if by magic, the only "advisers" who get canned will be some 2nd or 3rd-tier appointees, not any of his inner circle who do the most advising.

He ran in 2000 as Mr. "I know how to delegate". If they're going to pursue that line of argument, throw it back in their faces that the proper response would be the one thing * can never afford to do: a thorough housecleaning at the Cabinet and WH staff level (and spy-exposer Rove in particular).

[H2O Man]

61. Great points.

Very important points for us to remember when discussing this.

[Gregorian]

86. Where does the buck stop, in this administration?

But what does one expect from "a war president".

These guys are going to stand trial.

[Me.]

92. It Doesn't

until it reaches the pockets of Halliburton and the Carlysle group.

Where is or isn't Cheney?

[H2O Man]

93. VP Cheney

is down in the delta area, doing hands-on work with the most desperate of the hurricane victims. That's part of Dick's low-key style. He doesn't want any attention for this type of thing. But if you look at photos, you'll see Dick in the cover-alls, doing his thing.

[Me.]

99. Well, I Heard A Rumor

that some guy was diving for loose change in that fetid water, was it him?

[H2O Man]

100. No.

Dick is stealing pennies from the eyes of the dead.

[Me.]

102. Well I Also Heard

That while he was deep under the water a croc came by and after a nibble moved on because even he doesn't like the taste of chicken...hawk. You sure it wasn't him?

[H2O Man]

104. "crocs"

don't eat alligators.

60. faux president

I can't look at him on the TV anymore either. I turn away when they show his photo-ops. It is impossible to fathom his psyche. I think all he cares about along with his cronies, is themselves, power and their power structure. The only reason they will show concern is to cover their asses in the public eye. He seems to know his human touch with people carries him, but it is so obvious that there is nothing real behind his facade. We elected this guy (not me personally) and this is the human we get, not much of a human at all. They say the the feds actually told the red cross to not go in and to wait. THe feds would rather let people die, then let someone else help out and spoil their entrance.

[meganmonkey]

64. You do have a problem, George - IT'S TOO FUCKING LATE

Everyone has seen through you. Everyone has seen the pictures of you eating cake and strumming guitars while NO was dying of dehydration.

It's too fucking late.

YOU ARE DONE.

See you in a few weeks in DC, Georgie. You fuckhead.

[H2O Man]

70. "See you in a few weeks in DC, Georgie."

You made this old man happy with that statement. Despite some nagging physical problems, I think I may make it down there, too. I'd be very proud to march arm-in-arm with other DUers.

[meganmonkey]

74. I hope you can make it!

There will be lots of DUers and a few meetups planned for evenings and mornings throughout the weekend.

Hope to see you there, and if you can't go, we will see you there in spirit!

:patriot:

[H2O Man]

78. Thank you! n/t

[zippy890]

65. kick

[Me.]

66. Rant On Brother!

A damn fine rant!

So the people, who won’t be fired or replaced, around B*** let him down! That certainly includes Pickles whose “stepford” performance yesterday was a disgrace. And Mike “Brownie” Fema must be sorry too he didn’t do better by George, but the poor guy can’t be blamed, after all his only managerial experience before this was handling an Arabian horse association that he put into bankruptcy. Arabian horses, Saudis…hmmmm.

You know, before the last election I read a very credible astrologer who said that without question B*** would get in. Then she added that his administration would begin to unravel like a ball of yarn and that he would end up being the most reviled president in history. This month I saw how she could be right. This was the month of no constitution in Iraq, Cindy Sheehan and now this tragedy. He is also facing more problems in Iraq, high gasoline prices and continual conversation about NO. And that’s what we know is out there. The great unknown may be delivering further unravelings that we can’t even forsee at this point. And he won’t be able to deal with or deliver on any of them because he is incapable of caring.

No one will ever be able to convince me that they didn’t just sit back in their chairs when this was unfolding and continue eating cake, buying pricey shoes, laughing at Spamalot, and eating fine dinners prepared by chefs while devastated people suffered. They ignored this, they ignored the warnings about 9/11. What else will they try to disregard?

And where is Cheney?

[H2O Man]

73. Well by George,

I believe I shall.

[jayfish]

67. A Sad Commentary On A Pathetic Lot.

Highly recommended.

Jay

[Gregorian]

68. And in contrast, Shiavo was phoney concern.

As I read your post, I realized that these evil beings were running around with their movie cameras to stage a phoney presence for George, while people in New Orleans were literally dying. It doesn't get more reckless than that.

Nobody steals elections just to be president! They had a job to do. These people are criminals

I don't think this administration has done one thing for the good of the nation. In fact, the damage that has been done to the judicial system has very likely destroyed the very freedom these people keep spewing about.

I feel very fortunate to know people like you. I know you've worked very hard reading and patiently working to find the facts. You have my utmost respect. Thank you.

[H2O Man]

75. Thank you.

I really appreciate that.

[Buns_of_Fire]

69. He just NOW recognizes that the world thinks he's a twit?

Poor widdle georgie. Watching his "legacy" trickle into the Gulf of Mexico. :nopity:

[donco6]

127. I had to laugh at that to.

How thick can you be? EVERYONE laughs at that moron. The world papers delight in posting his latest ineptitude. While our papers focus on "more important" things, like the biggest car wreck or missing white girl.

[mzmolly]

76. "Personal Responsibility" does not apply to the Bush administration.

Today on MSNBC I heard a former FEMA official respond to claims that a lack of communication made this disaster more of a disaster.

He stated that there was NO excuse for what occurred because AMERICA knew this hurricane was coming and should have prepared with back up communication etc.

I predict there will be a fall guy, (Bush will fire his first crony) but I don't think America will forget who's ultimately responsible and we have to be certain our Democratic leaders DON'T let Bush off the hook.

Thanks for the post H20.

[H2O Man]

79. The choices for "fall guy"

are going to be limited. Clinton is needed now, so that takes him off the short list. Maybe Ted Kennedy?

[mzmolly]

81. I'm thinking the head of FEMA will be canned?

At least I hope so. Following that, America needs to can these so called Republican "leaders."

As for Ted, I am sure he'll give Bush a shellacking for this disaster and I personally look forward to it. I hope Bill will do so eventually but it doesn't sound like that's the case?

[H2O Man]

83. The FEMA shithead

will likely be promoted to a UN position.

I think Clinton is hoping to save as many lives as possible, and he probably can do more good by taking the route he has.

Have you seen Jesse Jackson in the past day or so? I'm pleased with his presentation. Very impressed.

[mzmolly]

85. "The FEMA shithead"

LOL. Given this administrations record you are likely correct about a promotion. I assumed for moment that we'd have some rational leadership. Silly me!

I think your right about Bill Clinton, perhaps he feels he's more effective if he's civil. I have seen Jesse Jackson he's amazing as usual.

[Pobeka]

77. Bush is a lame duck scapegoat. He is now serving a different purpose

for the GOP.

They can put all the blame for the past 6 years squarely on his shoulders.

It's obvious to even his supporters that he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

What purpose does this serve? It lets the GOP congress off the hook.

But we need to press the point home that this was a group effort, both the congress and the president working together to weaken and corrupt the government to the point that this humanitarian disaster has happened, and the magnitude of the crisis was largely preventable.

How hard is it to parachute crates of water down to the convention center or superdome, after all?

How hard is it to get a school bus and drive people to shelter -- even a 14 year old can see the obvious.

[H2O Man]

91. I think that the republicans

in the House and Senate will begin to separate from Bush, if only because of his lame duck status and his growing unpopularity. At the same time, many within the neocon movement will become more desperate to cling to power. That could play out in a number of ways, several of which are potentially dangerous to the country.

[Contrary1]

80. I don't get this statement...

"President Bush recognizes now that the world views him with a combination of disdain and contempt."

He didn't have the slightest inkling before now? The world has seen him in that light for quite some time now. If the man possessed even the slightest bit of compassion or common sense, he would not need his handlers to tell him what to do, or how to act.

He's just pissed that the wheels are coming off his trike. And that means his continued raping of the average American citizen will be far more difficult now.

Medicare, Social Security, national sales tax...go ahead Smirk. Bring it on.

[H2O Man]

82. I think that

he has always taken pleasure in having democrats, Greens, and other assorted leftists dislike him. But now it's his fan club. When Joe Scarborough on MSNBC and Shepard Smith on Fox are lashing out against the administration's lack of efforts, he is going to take that differently than if Michael Moore and Will Pitt do.

[im10ashus]

124. And the reason that bothers * is because

they bought the press in the first place. It was all part of Rove's little plan to have shills for the right in place before the 2000 election, and steadily feed the press what they saw fit, in terms of opposing candidates and naysayers who saw through their oh-so-clever lies and twisting of words.

[leftofthedial]

87. telling quote

"If the president had been in Washington, this never would have happened."


but he wasn't. he was on his twentieth frigging vacation since stealing office.

we need to rid the world of the rich. their bottomless greed is killing us all.

[sattahipdeep]

88. It's a big area to get lost in....

You do realize they won't find and evacuate all of the people.
Some of the people no longer trust them.

Responsibility...that is where it lies Bush didn't do the right thing before the storm.

I would hate to bet my life on Bush doing his job nothing happened till he got done
with his cake an guitar plucking.

[H2O Man]

89. He didn't do his job

before the hurricane, and there was a long delay in providing emergency services since the storm ended.

You are correct that everyone won't be evacuated. Not all of the lives that were lost will be counted. And, in truth, under the best of circumstances, this hurricane would have been a crisis event that brought tragedy to NO. Yet babies who went days without proper care could have been cared for. And that is Bush's responsibility.

[sattahipdeep]

112. I wonder how many

I am talking about the ones that are alive and still there.

The people that do not want to be found and do not trust the authorities.

Those are the people that Blackwater are hired to find and I'm sure that more
babies are still suffering.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4570927&mesg_id=4570927

[Me.]

90. Kick n/t

94. bush shifting blame

I took some excerpts from Bush's speech today on the radio.

I think they are shifting blame by emphasizing that there was danger from looters and that local government failed because of the danger (taking the responsibility off the federal government).

Excerpt --

Ø rescue workers risking their own lives to save the lives of others.
Ø result is that many of our citizens simply are not getting the help they need
Ø main priority is to restore and maintain law and order, and assist in recovery and evacuation efforts.
Ø We will complete the evacuation as quickly and safely as possible.
Ø We will not let criminals prey on the vulnerable, and we will not allow bureaucracy to get in the way of saving lives.
Ø crisis has created tremendous problems that have strained state and local capabilities.
Ø I discussed these problems at length with Governor of Alabama, Governor of Mississippi, Governor of Louisiana and Mayor of New Orleans. All of us agree that more can be done to improve our ability to - restore order and deliver relief in a timely and effective manner.

Full speech
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050903.html

[H2O Man]

97. Very good.

That's exactly right. It is their style to blame the victims. They continue to play the card that the victims were a dangerous threat to the rescue mission. They hope that middle class America will find groups of poor folk scarey. It is their best chance of successfully accomplishing the "perception management" that justifies their inaction.

[LisaL]

95. We got a problem, George. You are our problem.

[Warren DeMontague]

96. "If the president had been in Washington, this never would have happened."

...Hmmm, that's going to be a tough one for the fucker to spin. He was on Vacation, then he was jaunting around the West Coast trying to shill for the war in Iraq at a bunch of planned photo ops with troops--- by drawing ridiculous comparisons between Iraq and WWII, The Norman Conquest, and Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore".

[H2O Man]

98. The comparison

between Iraq and WW2 alone should be grounds for arrest, if not impeachment.

[Warren DeMontague]

101. I know. Who needs to make stuff up...

Reality has become pretty fucking weird under these incompetent clowns.

[im10ashus]

125. With ammunition like that

you wonder why the Democratic party isn't being more vocal. They have so many examples of egregious administrative flaws to take down a whole cauldron of these witches in the White House.

[Garbo 2004]

103. Bush furious that he looked like the uncaring elitist that he is?

Who's to blame for that? In this case the perception is the reality.

People were dying and he was out in his eternal Versailles of the mind where if you run out of bread you can simply eat cake.

[H2O Man]

105. Bush views this tragedy

entirely in terms of his own selfish needs. He is insulted that people are more concerned with the victims of the hurricane than with if he enjoyed his cake.

[Garbo 2004]

111. I bet Bush is pissed that he had to bother with this at all. Even just for

PR purposes.

[Eloriel]

106. About that second quote

It's obvious to me that Bush was simply repeating back what someone had told HIM, and which wasn't meant for public consumption. They were explaining to him the position and rationale, not giving him talking points -- and he got all confused.

[H2O Man]

109. That makes sense.

It is hard to believe that it could be anything else. Good point.

[Cocoa]

107. if he's furious he must be firing a lot of people

right?

[H2O Man]

110. One would hope.

I've never had a job where performance wasn't important.

[Me.]

113. Kick! eom

[Redstone]

114. No, the "misinformercials" did NOT start with those girls,

they started with the single most cynical, soulless act ever committed by an American president. They started when that "Cavalry Convoy" was released to Fox News cameras, just in time to coincide with The Descent From The Skies Of The Savior Of Storm-Struck America.

Sorry for the bold type, but I still want to vomit every time I think about that.

Redstone

[H2O Man]

119. I try not to

watch Fox at all. The other night, people on DU were saying that Shepard Smith was telling Sean Hannity the truth .... so I turned it on. It was hard for me to imagine Fox news letting that type of image be carried on.

I've read a few posts desribing the scene you write about. It sounds exactly like the type of "perception management" that The Rendon Group does for the Bush folks. (They "created" the Jessica Lynch fable, for example.)

These people have no decency.

[bribri16]

115. GW is furious with those around him? Is it because he doesn't have the

sense to know that all those photo ops were stupid. Can he ever have an original thought that shows some wisdom? Just goes to show you that this President was unqualified for this position. It's the "affirmative action of the elites" It's called "privilege."

[H2O Man]

120. Those around the president

were attempting to provide an image of a relaxed, in control type of guy. They recognized that the rest of the country is getting worked up. Images such as craters of fire in Iraqi streets, and Cindy Sheehan in the ditches of Texas, were waking the people of America up to the nasty side of this administration. And they were trying to counter that with the "good old boy, George" image.

Then the hurricane came aong, and it took the fuzz right off the peach. Bush knows that "his people" were long gone before that storm hit. Not a one of them was in harm's way. And the poor people left behind surely are not "his people." His view is in line with the "black folks are dangerous looters!" film clips that were on the news for a day or more before reporters recognized that these "looters" were trying to survive.

[Octafish]

121. To the Con Man, Image is Reality.

Great post, H20 Man! Certainly reveals these NAZIs for what they are.

[phylny]

122. President is furious with those around him. Those who make the

decisions, those who do the work, those who are in power.

Wake up, Dimson - YOU are the decision-maker, YOU do the work, YOU are in power. This is what happens when you're all image, no substance. You know, all hat, no cowboy.

Lord, man, step aside and let a real leader take over.

[H2O Man]

123. Just like with Iraq,

Bush is unabled to see the situation in NO etc as distinct from his needs. Everything is about George. This is what we normally expect to see in a 3-year old -- and I'm not joking, or attempting to insult the man. But that is a developmental stage that marks a 3-year old's view of his/her world. Certainly, by 5 years old, that child is able to recognize that other people had feelings, wants, and needs. But this freak can't grasp that his feelings, wants and needs are not shared by many .... much less ALL .... people.

Add to that his seeing people in but two groups (those he likes are "ggod," while those he dislikes are "bad"), and knowing that he has a vicious dislike of "bad" poor people (unless they join the military), we can put his frustration into context: Bush is furious that he is expected to help his enemy.

[jokerman93]

126. re: these "quotes" of the child-prince

"I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president. Maybe someone needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
-- "Losing America"; Senator Robert Byrd; page 170

"It's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But it's also important for me to go one with my life, to keep a balanced life."
-- Newsweek; September 5, 2005; page 25

When I hear these kinds of incoherent Bush mutterings, it strikes me immediately that he's actually repeating verbatim the coaching points he gets from his image nannies. The man has the mind of a nine year old.

[H2O Man]

129. I would agree

that someone like Karl told him the second one. But the first one sounds more like his mom.

[Nikia]

135. He should have thought of that earlier

Ideally, he should thought of those people in the Gulf states earlier, but we all know that he lacks empathy anyway.
It really did suprise me that even if he didn't care for any of the people suffering down there, that he would at least care about how not responding would make him look. Did he really believe that other Americans would just not care? Did he really believe people would not speak out? It just shows how out of touch he is. It is too bad that this wasn't the election year instead of last.

[H2O Man]

136. I am convinced

his handlers were convinced if Fox news played an up-dated version of the Willie Horton ads, that the general public wouldn't see through them.