In the Tuesday interview for PBS Newshour, host Jim Lehrer asked Bush why he has not asked more AMericans.. to sacrifice something” for the war in Iraq.
The President replied: “I think a lot of people are in this fight. I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence on TV every night.”
Bush did not specify whether he believes people who become afflicted with carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of channel surfing should be eligible for military disability pensions.
I have been amazed at the last few interviews Bush has given. His doggerel seems to be surpassing all previous bounds, and yet… many Americans continue to believe, and most of the Washington media continues to grovel.
Jim,
This got me thinking, which may not be a good thing.
“The President replied: ‘I think a lot of people are in this fight. I mean, they sacrifice peace of mind when they see the terrible images of violence on TV every night.’”
Bush is right. Every day, thousands of Americans get up and during the course of the day get on the phone to some neocon like Limbaugh or Boortz, or get on the computer and start typing on websites like “Free” Republic. It is on these venues they show their true grit, patriotism and determination, fighting and bitching about “liberals and democrats” and “islamo-fascism”, whatever the hell that is.
Yes, they are making quite a sacrifice.
Ryan, I think there is actually a ‘badge of honor’ emblem among pro-war noncombatant bloggers – something like the “Chicken Hawk Network” or some such. I saw the emblem on some guy’s website whose prose made the New York Post look sedate.
I don’t see much support out there for GW. Most don’t say anything while others just seem to downright hate what he is doing. I think he is nothing but a puppet and serves as the perfect figurehead for those in charge. He comes from a corrupt family so what do you expect?
I love jim “master of the softball” lehrer; a “newsman” who thinks it’s okay to sit still while his guest tells him a bald faced lie.
I’ll second the motion on Lehrer. No one, and I mean not even the best that Fox has to offer, betters Lehrer on the ‘establishment’ front. His so-called moderation of Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates are legendary. Not even Stalin, in his wildest dreams, could have found a more suppliant enabler. Despite Lehrer’s rearing in Texas, he is the true face of modern Washingtonians: faux-cerebral, undertaker-like clone.
Only Dubya can top this boob!
Jim,
I really must say, why in heaven’s name ought we give pride of place to channel surfers heroes with carpal tunnel when we have perfectly health, stand-up patriots out there driving around with dual “These Colors Don’t Run” pennants flopping in the wind. I’d add that one reaches through to a genuinely new level of love of country if the flopper involved previously had displayed a Pittsburgh Steelers ensign. The whole thing brings a tear to one’s eye.
John Lowell
The White House “press corps” is a friggin’ joke. They’re usually fawning, deferential, and oh-so-gentle with Bush. You’ll never hear any of them say, “Come off it, Mr. President, that’s a bunch of shit!”
I do remember Helen Thomas–the veteran UPI reporter–getting into a verbal donnybrook with Bush a while back. Refreshing, but rare.
Of course we have all sacrificed mightily for Bush’s war. Speaking personally, I’ve had to give up the beliefs that Congressmen had either guts or brains, that American presidents would never flush America down the toilet just to save their own useless gluteus maximi, or that conservatives I once considered philosophical kin were actually interested in limited, peaceful government.
I’ve had to sacrifice the belief that my fellow Americans wouldn’t witlessly follow a lunatic or so blithely dismiss the deaths of hundreds of thousands they are responsible for. Blasted is the hope of a more thoughtful people pursuing John Quincy Adams’s dictum of America not as dictratrix, but shining beacon. Evaporated is the wish that my children will see a freer, better America than the one we used to know.
Sacrifices? Bush hit it right on the head.
After reading so many stories in Antiwar.com, looking pictures in television channels all around world, I as an Indian wonder how fool American people are as their commander-in-cheif throwing them people in a war which he is fighting illegally, & cannot do anything to throw him out of power….Shame on Democracy…..
I saw the Lehrear and Bush show. I wondered why Bush after 6 years took time off Golf and riding his bike,to speak to us Americans. What does this mass Killer along with the side kick Chenny do during the day ? They don’t appear at the Senate or Congress. No wonder Gagnon the Hooker vists the Whitehouse on regular vists.
Rome came to an abrupt end when rampent homosexuality took over.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=omDTHJWP1ZI&feature=PlayList&p=AD067EB9AF3EF5BF&index=0
Jim, Josh Marshall has the Hagel-Biden-Levin Resolution linked here
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/iraq-resolution/?resultpage=1&
I saw the interview you referred to and also took note of what an incredibly stupid and uncaring thing that is to say. I wonder what the families of these soldiers that have been killed and wounded think about him saying this….that the people watching on tv have had to suffer.
John Lowell,
I know we are “Bovard Brothers,” but please dude, take it easy on the Steelers. Its been a rough year.
On your manin point, I agree we should bring a Marin and army recruiter to the next College Republicans meeting. I’m sure the boys and girls there will knock one another over in the stampede to sign those enlistment papers.
Original Steve,
I wonder if you are an orthopedist by trade…I’ve noticed that the appearance or even mention of military recruiters causes College Republicans to declare that they have “bad knees”. You know, “old football injury” and the like.
Original Steve,
No offense to the Steelers intended, Steve, just a little of that wholesome feeling that comes with knowing that the same guys that vicariously live out those Sunday fumbles and blown passes understand so intimately the requirements of the well lived combat life. I mean can’t you tell? Their faces are painted aren’t they?
John Lowell
Wes & Klyde – I agree on Lehrer’s softball style.
Prior to writing things that spooked good Washingtonians, I was on the MacNeil Lehrer newshour once or twice. I was confounded how the hosts would treat every two-bit hack congressman as if he was George Washington.
This is a natural danger of having government-funded television: it treats the government indecently.
I have to stand up for the Steelers here – my family originated out of the Pittsburgh area. They have had some great & colorful teams & players in the past…
under combat I am sure the terrible towel is quickle replaced by the white hankie….
Jim [Lehrer] did a fine interview with George Bush. Look at all the non verbal communication going on between Jim and George. Jim is cool and calm and Bush is ridged and hot. George essentially hung himself in front of America’s best informed televison audience. From what I could make, George is indicating that the Generals have all but ceded defeat in Iraq and probably the entire middle east. The question of oil came up several times as well as WMD’s. I strongly recommend Linda McQuaigs’ book “It’s The Crude Dude”. Many of us just simply need to all be honest with one another now and look at what North America has become. Capitalism is based on 3 things, greed, consumption and waste. We’ll need to fix this and fix it quick. Jim didn’t need to grill George, we need to all look at George as a mirror of are collective failure. Either democrat or republican we have to face up to the fact that we are all part of the problem of the terrible injustices that are the middle east past and present. It will difficult time for all of us but we will change, like it or not. Listen to Erase The Pain.
Wait a minute, Chris! Let’s not blame the Iraq fiasco on capitalism. Whether W reasoned that he was somehow protecting our “energy security” with this adventure or not, no one familiar with the workings of the free market could confuse this with defending capitalism.
To Orville Larson:
You’re right, the White House press corps isn’t worth crap.
You mention Helen Thomas. She’s 86 years old, and has been a reporter for over 57 (!) years. She’s covered every President since JFK. Last March, she was called on by Fearless Leader, and this is what she asked him:
“I’d like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is: Why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet–your Cabinet officers, your intelligence people, and so forth–what was your real reason? You have said it wasn’t oil–quest for oil, it hasn’t been Israel, or anything else. What was it?”
Fearless Leader responded by blowing smoke about Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban.
Also, read Thomas’ book “Watchdogs of Democracy?: The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public.”
Does anyone find the total incompetence of the handling of the Iraq war suspicious? If the military was really making the decisions why was the Iraqy army disbanded? Even the Romans knew not to distroy the local police force when the enemy was beaten. Does anyone not recognize the subposed incompetence of the administration as an out right buisness decision by them to position their own interests in a dazed and confused country. Money is now flowing into the construction (Haliburton) and oil interests at an unpresidented rate. I feel the American people have been duped by a shell game played be a very dishonest and criminal administration.
Remember, like their most of their network anchor associates (Rather, Jennings, Schieffer), (both MacNeil AND) Lehrer are 11/22/63 Dallas “veterans”.
Jerry Bremer disbanded the army according to “Fiasco” by Tom Ricks. Bremer was a moron.
Of course, Einstein Bush gave him a medal for it when he got back home.
Steve – good point on Bremer.
And yet the Washington Post treated him like a conquering hero when he returned. The Washington Post food section even did a long article slobbering over Bremer as a gourmet chef entitled “From Diplomacy to Demi-Glaze.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/13/AR2005091300404.html
Typical of how the Washington press corps is more impressed by culinary pretensions than by the slaughter of Iraqis that occurred during Bremer’s Viceroy gig.
“Many Americans continue to believe and most of the Washington media continues to Grovel”._ Profound and true statement! To all this I’d just want to
add or reiterate the headline of the British Newspaper “The Independant” on the morning after “Non-president” Bush was
reelected–“HOW CAN 95,000,000 AMERICANS BE SO STUPID?” Aparently the
rest of the worlds citizens are much more intelligent than the “live-in -comfort,arrogant and totally irresponsible and unaccountable” Americans. We are in effect showing the
rest of the world how really dumb we are by supporting this chimp and his neocon criminal administration!
_’Nuff said.
In the comments, I liked John Lowell’s observation on Jim Lehrer’s being a “face of modern Washingtonians: faux-cerebral, undertaker-like clone”. I have been avoiding Lehrer for years for the same reason, only I called him the undertaker of democracy.
John Owen