Just George W. Bush, Acting Goofy, at a FUNERAL

Michelle Obama trying gamely to play along with the goofball.

Politics is weird, and getting weirder. There are double-standards, and then there are stark, bold-letter, hypocritical double-standards, you know? I mean, think about what it must feel like to be these presidential contenders, listed with the thing that pretty much ended their chance to be president:

- Michael Dukakis: filmed driving a tank, wearing a helmet
- John Kerry: wore a hazmat suit at a science facility, went windsurfing that one time
- Howard Dean: screamed enthusiastically at a rally, magnified by a unidirectional microphone
- Al Gore: sighed audibly at a debate

Why is one of these things not like the other?

Yup. Almost universally, people would agree, those men's hopes of election were stopped by those little events. Matched up against the lengthy list of foibles, flubs, and downright outrageous things said and done by Donald Trump, they don't amount to anything. But that was it for them. For all the whining about there being a double-standard for Bill and Hillary Clinton, Trump seems to have a permanent "SKIP" UNO card when it comes to disqualifying events. Nothing shakes his base, and virtually nothing goes beyond a couple days in the news cycle, before they reset to default.

But here is another double-standard, and it goes to the double-standard for Clintons that is much more rarely addressed. For all of the certainty so many claim to have that the media and the system are "in the tank" for the Clintons, the fact is, they're held to a tougher standard than most. Making it more remarkable when they do manage to bounce back, or shrug off the brutal treatment they get. Case in point.

Bill Clinton was at a funeral for Sec. Ron Brown, and was seen on camera smiling and walking with someone. When he noticed a camera trained in his direction, he did what your grandmother would scold you to do: he wiped that smile off his face right quick, and tried to look somber. This was and remains fodder for right-wingers to this day, as an example of Clinton disingenuousness. When in fact, it's something probably anyone might do. Contrast that with yesterday's memorial for the police officers slain in Dallas this past week.



Presidents Bush and Barack Obama both gave stirring speeches. Dubya's was much shorter, obviously prepared for him, and rehearsed. And he couldn't help but keep his colloquial Texas twang. But it was fine. But check him out later, while holding hands with his much more mannered wife, and our current first lady (who, poor lady, is fairly trapped there with this goon) dancing around and acting goofy. At a funeral.

Think this will be brought up endlessly--or ever--by conservatives? Or even make more than a light ripple on the news before going down the memory hole?

Dubya Introduces Jebbeh!

Should President Obama Pardon Bush/Cheney for War Crimes?

Image found at TrueActivist

Every so often, in politics, there is a really interesting play on the table. Something you didn't expect. Something that may accomplish part of a long-held goal, but possibly in a roundabout way. That's happening right now, though the odds are long that it would ever happen.

Just about everybody agrees that the George W. Bush-Dick Cheney administration authorized "enhanced interrogation techniques" in the years following September 11, 2001, and that they were. . .extra-legal. Most people agree that these techniques went over the line, and I'd be willing to guess that a majority consider them outright torture. Where a partisan divide appears is in whether or not we care that we tortured people.

One could argue that a patriot should care. The United States of America is not supposed to commit war crimes with impunity, torture with no oversight, or imprison without due process. Especially at times when we're burning for vengeance, or just plain scared. Those are the times when our laws, our treaties, our moral compasses, our humanity and our Constitution need to be vigorously defended and adhered to. If not, exactly what are we defending?

Image from the (hopefully ironically titled)
WeMeantWell.com

So, while we quibble about how much over the line GWB & Co. went, we know they crossed it. Many of us think of them as outright war criminals. But we're also aware that--even though the other side can impeach a sitting president for lying about a trifle--there is no political stomach for trying and convicting any of those involved for said crimes. Which gives zero incentive for future presidents to follow even the most serious of laws. And the clock is running. Can we really expect the next president, or the next, to act on something so far in the rear view?

And act how? No way there's a trial or trials. It's just not going to happen. But someone has come up with a novel solution: Have President Obama pardon them all. It's a radical solution. It lets everyone off the hook. There might even be international blowback just for that. But it also brands them all as war criminals. Exonerated, but criminals, nonetheless. It's an asterisk that will be in every history book. And it would potentially act as a deterrent from a future president from crossing that line. Every person who wants to be president has an outsized ego. They do not want to be branded a war criminal, no matter how power-hungry they are.

All of that said, I think there's close to a zero chance that Obama would do it. I think personally, he'd love to. But I'm not sure the political will of the party apparatus is even there for that. Which is a pity. But think about this: should the GOP follow through with their "Operation: Kill Obama's Legacy" plan in the next two years, this could be in his back pocket.

[Excerpt]
 

Maddow: Pardon Bush for Torture To "Make It Clear Crimes Were Committed"



RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC: Tonight, the head of the national ACLU has just published this op-ed in the New York Times. It calls for President Obama to issue a pardon to former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney and other senior Bush administration officials for overseeing torture as the U.S. policy for years. . .

Read more at: Real Clear Politics

The GOP's Latest Money Beg: "I Miss W" Mugs

The only thing these things are good for is as
a substitute for clay pigeons.

If you really can't live without it,
you can get your mug by following this link. But I'm going to assume you're using them for target practice.

GOP

Right Wing World: "Obama's Katrina"

 

[Hey, look, it's a Right Wing World trilogy! Moving on to other subjects after this, promise.]

It's interesting, with all of the disastrous things that happened during the George W. Bush administration, that it's Hurricane Katrina that gets called out the most. I guess it did sort of put a button on it, in a way. At the time, there was a lot of poo-pooing of liberal complaints about Katrina, of course. But it's almost universally acknowledged to have been a dark part of the Bush era. And ever since President Obama was inaugurated, Right Wing World has been trying to affix "Obama's Katrina" to virtually everything.

Remember when they used to stage photo ops for everything? This
image was intentionally presented as one, but came to be remembered
for the detachment of Bush during Katrina.

What kinds of things? Well, a) Healthcare.gov, b) Hurricane Sandy, c) BP Oil Spill, d) H1N1 flu vaccine shortage, e) Ft. Hood shootings, f) Haiti earthquake, g) Christmas Day Underwear Bomber, h) Chicago housing policies, i) the financial crisis that Bush left him, and--wait for it--j) Benghazi!!! And now, it's the children immigrant problem. All Katrinas. Apparently.

[Excerpt]

Media Consecrate Their Latest "Obama's Katrina": Unaccompanied Minors Edition

Right-wing and even mainstream media have eagerly pushed the suggestion that the recent increase in unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border is "Obama's Katrina" -- an inane comparison that repeatedly surfaces inside the conservative media echo chamber. . .

Read more at: Media Matters

Right Wing World: Sarah Palin Advocates Impeachment

You know, because when it comes to matters as serious as the impeachment of the President of the United States, I always look to half-term, half-wit governors from states with a population that is dwarfed by 17 US cities. I'm aware that I should ignore this shrill, past-her-prime mean girl, as attention (and money) is what she thrives on. But as long as Right Wing World looks to this clueless twit as some sort of political guru [get better heroes!], she's not going away. And when she stirs up shit, it tends to splatter around.

So, Palin adds her endorsement of the idea of impeachment. Someone will have to explain to her that it doesn't involve actual peaches, I suppose. Her reasoning seems sort of screwy to me. But we know from the Bill Clinton impeachment that the right will use absolutely anything as a reason. It's not so much an impeachment for a specific reason, but one just for the sake of it. Just like last time. But last time, it just made Clinton more popular, set his wife on a wave of sympathy and congratulations, and probably lead to the upcoming candidacy of Hillary Clinton.

But, I'm telling you. When Nancy Pelosi said, "impeachment is off the table," in regard to George W. Bush, the right should have taken that great gift, and returned the favor. Because if any president deserved impeachment, it was Dubya.

Image from source, NewsCorpse

[Excerpt]

Impeachment Fever: America Rejected Sarah Palin, Now She Rejects America
 
The “Quitta From Wasilla” is making headlines again by displaying symptoms of acute Obama Derangement Syndrome. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP nominee for Vice-President, who was soundly rejected by American voters, is now calling for the impeachment of President Obama (again), who was elected twice with significant majorities. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

GOP Counts on Dubya's Legacy for Fundraising

Not in a million years

Below, is the unedited, pasted-directly-from-the-email, money-beg from today's GOP. I present this to you, merely because I couldn't believe it. While the GOP and the tea party hate President Obama, they're also usually quick to disavow former President George W. Bush. Except for the rare (and odd) "Miss Me Yet" billboards with Dubya waving, and grinning like a loon, it's the rare conservative who will openly embrace his legacy.

Pressed to come up with the good things Bush accomplished, I have a very hard time. Extending Daylight Saving time is about the only thing I can come up with. Interestingly, I think a huge swath of the population would say that Bush "significantly diminished the United States’ standing in the world — and worse, he has made us less safe," particularly the first part of the sentence. The last part might be argued, but hell, I'd argue it in the case of Obama too. What, precisely, has President Obama done to make us less safe than Dubya?

In case you forgot, Bush ignored signs that 9/11 was coming. He started an unnecessary war against a country that did not attack us--though the administration tried damned hard to get us to make that connection. He instituted torture as policy.  He and his cohort Dick Cheney invented the "unitary executive," overusing executive orders and "signing statements," and non-transparency to unprecedented levels. Those very things--used more sparingly by the Obama administration--are now some of the primary things the GOP complains about.

[Email begins]

Like f  Share this on Facebook GOP.com Friend, Resolute and decisive. That’s what I remember when I think of the leadership of President George W. Bush. He led our nation through some of the most challenging moments of our nation’s history. He led. The President we have today thinks our country should “lead from behind” and has significantly diminished the United States’ standing in the world — and worse, he has made us less safe. I miss the leadership of President George W. Bush. And I miss him. I had the privilege of serving in his White House, and I saw the character that he and his family provided our nation. I will be forever grateful for their service. Tomorrow is President George W. Bush’s Birthday. It’s a moment that has reminded us of what leadership in the White House really looks like. And we’re working to send principled leaders to the Senate and House in 2014 and to the White House in 2016. Would you help make that possible by contributing $27 to get your official “I Miss W.” t-shirt today before his birthday? Order your official “I Miss W.” t-shirt today. Thank you, Sara Armstrong RNC Chief Operating Officer P.S. If you haven’t already, you can still sign President George W. Bush’s birthday card here. Contribute Now

[End of email]

But, by all means, get the Dubya T-shirt! Wear it in public! I think you might get some odd looks, perhaps questions about your sanity. And you may find yourself pretending that you're wearing it ironically. Maybe you'll even say you got it at a thrift shop as a joke. . .after all, that's where most of these are going to turn up.

A Lie-By-Lie Deconstruction Of How We Got Into the Iraq War

Image from source, Mother Jones

What are the odds, do you think, that the real story of the run-up to the Iraq War becomes the official story? Will the history books rely on a he-said/she-said CNN transcript? Will it rely on press releases from the Dubya administration? Will the implausible-but-true rehabilitation of so many of the administration players color how the story is ultimately sold? I ask, because they continue to this day to try and polish this turd.

[Excerpt]

Lie by Lie: A Timeline of How We Got Into Iraq

At A congressional hearing examining the march to war in Iraq, Republican congressman Walter Jones posed "a very simple question" about the administration's manipulation of intelligence: "How could the professionals see what was happening and nobody speak out?" Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former chief of staff, responded with an equally simple answer: "The vice president. . ."

Read more at: Mother Jones

Jeb Bush Thinks History Will Look Kindly on His Brother

Which brother is that, Jeb. . .Neil? Because if you mean your brother George, you are still inside that bubble Mitt Romney was in when he thought he was going to win so handily.

[Excerpt]

Jeb Bush: 'History will be kind to my brother'

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush says that the public will view his older brother, former president George W. Bush, more favorably as time passes. "In (my father's) four years as president a lot of amazing accomplishments took place," said Jeb Bush, the son of former President George H.W. Bush, during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. "So my guess is that history will be kind to my brother, the further out you get from this and the more people compare his tenure to what's going on now. . ."

Read more at: NBC News

Texas: Secede or Become Five Separate States?

Image from FlawdLogic

I couldn't come up with five separate Texas state names (or at least I couldn't top all of the names submitted in the comments), but I think if Dallas/Fort Worth gets to be its own state, it's got to be called "Dee-Eff-Dubya."

[Excerpt]

It's time to pick a new name for Texas

As you know, Texas is now talking about seceding from the Union. Tom Delay, the former House Majority Leader who lost his job after being exposed as a criminal, is suggesting that Texas split into five separate states (which he says Texas is permitted to do), and then Democrats in Washington would be so incensed by the notion of ten new Texas Senators coming to DC that they'd kick Texas out of the Union. . .

Read more at: AmericaBlog