# Bush 'Angry' at media, second-guessers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 2, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946 "2003-04-02T13:18:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/61 "2003-04-02T19:52:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rjung \* > Summary of the USA Today article: Bush Upset That Reality Doesn’t Match The Bullshit Fantasy He Was Espousing. \*\* You make it sound like he is mentally unfit to be POTUS. Ok here’s the problem I’ve having, and it’s making me look like a Bush defender, which I sure as hell ain’t. Bush is not the only one calling the shots, I think his entire administration is to blame. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/62 "2003-04-02T20:23:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Bush is not the only one calling the shots, I think his entire administration is to blame. \*\* True enough, but if Bush truly believes he was “called by God” to wage war on Saddam Hussein (and I have little reason to doubt this assertion), then he’s living in the same fantasy world Napoleon inhabited. I’d say **rjung** ’s comment was right on the mark. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/63 "2003-04-02T20:27:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > **You make it sound like he is mentally unfit to be POTUS.** You think? 😉 > [@](#): > > \*\*Ok here’s the problem I’ve having, and it’s making me look like a Bush defender, which I sure as hell ain’t. Bush is not the only one calling the shots, I think his entire administration is to blame. \*\* I agree with you there, but the article is really about his personality more than his decisions. The article paints a picture of an ego-inflated, imperious, thin-skinned child. That’s all on him, not his administration. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/64 "2003-04-02T20:44:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\* I think his entire administration is to blame. \*\* Fair enough, if blame is deserved. OTOH I am sure you’ll be the first to give credit to him and his administration if Iraq turns out well. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![BickByro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@BickByro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BickByro)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/65 "2003-04-02T20:52:29Z")
**World Eater** , I don’t want to totally hijack this thread, so I’ll just start a new one. God knows we need more Pit threads on this topic… ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/66 "2003-04-02T20:53:23Z")
Spin, spin sugar. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/67 "2003-04-02T20:54:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > \*\*True enough, but if Bush truly believes he was “called by God” to wage war on Saddam Hussein (and I have little reason to doubt this assertion), then he’s living in the same fantasy world Napoleon inhabited. > \*\* Then again the fault lies on his administration for not throwing him in a loony bin stat. His administration and handlers are a big part of the problem any which way you dice it. People who are suggesting that he is living in some delusional fantasy world should be fitted for tin hats. More likely he is corrupt, incompetent, being taken advantage of, or a combination of all of the above. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/68 "2003-04-02T21:00:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by december \* > \*\*Fair enough, if blame is deserved. OTOH I am sure you’ll be the first to give credit to him and his administration if Iraq turns out well. :dubious: \*\* Well of course, provided you mean turns out well for Joe American, not Halliburton. FTR I’m a for this war. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/69 "2003-04-02T21:19:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*People who are suggesting that he is living in some delusional fantasy world should be fitted for tin hats. > > More likely he is corrupt, incompetent, being taken advantage of, or a combination of all of the above. \*\* What, these things are mutually exclusive? He can’t be corrupt, incompetent, taken advantage of _and_ living in a fantasy world? I’d say the latter trait facilitates the former ones. 😉 Seriously, though, I think the “fantasy world” we’re talking about isn’t Narnia or anything… what I mean when I think of Bush’s fantasy world is the world in which his plans and ideas are all perfect, with no real-world difficulties undoing them or making them go awry. When someone says Bush is living in a fantasy world, I take that to mean that his policies and ideas (whether one agrees with them or not) are largely fantastical, but do not seem to work as planned in a real-world setting. I’m not trying to say that he thinks he’s at Hogwarts rather than the White House (though it’s an amusing image). ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/70 "2003-04-02T21:36:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > \*\*What, these things are mutually exclusive? He can’t be corrupt, incompetent, taken advantage of _and_ living in a fantasy world? I’d say the latter trait facilitates the former ones. 😉 > > Seriously, though, I think the “fantasy world” we’re talking about isn’t Narnia or anything… what I mean when I think of Bush’s fantasy world is the world in which his plans and ideas are all perfect, with no real-world difficulties undoing them or making them go awry. When someone says Bush is living in a fantasy world, I take that to mean that his policies and ideas (whether one agrees with them or not) are largely fantastical, but do not seem to work as planned in a real-world setting. I’m not trying to say that he thinks he’s at Hogwarts rather than the White House (though it’s an amusing image). \*\* Very well put, and I totally agree. It does seem in these days of red tape and microscopic hair splitting over the smallest issue, that getting anything accomplished in a real world setting is nigh on impossible. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/71 "2003-04-02T21:51:25Z")
This is what happens when the President isn’t getting regular blow jobs. Surely there’s a busty 21-year-old intern _somewhere_ in the White House? Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/72 "2003-04-02T22:05:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by \*\*MrVisible \*\*\* > Poor foreign policy decisions. Another unfortunate side effect of… hunger. How is it possible that this absolute _gem_ escaped recognition? Good one **MrV**. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/73 "2003-04-02T23:18:11Z")
> [@](#): > > More likely he is corrupt, incompetent, being taken advantage of, or a combination of all of the above. I’ll buy that. It’s what happens whenever we have a weak leader in the White House. Grant, for example, was totally taken for a ride by his corrupt cabinet. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/74 "2003-04-03T00:13:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by skankweirdall \* > \*\*Get your fucking asses elected and stop fucking whining already. Take your fucking bark-o-lounging ass over there and do something better. Talk about fucktards. > \*\* granted, i don’t see the point of this pit thread on a stupid article, but i can’t be elected president since i’m not old enough. I respect this thing called the constitution so i can’t go around disregarding it willy-nilly. That may come back and bite me if and when i do decide to run for public office, but i’ll take a lose by honesty over a crooked win any day. **World Eater** > [@](#): > > Get over that, that was years ago, and stamping your foot ain’t gonna change shit. Go fucking volunteer in Florida so it doesn’t happen again, perhaps you would make more then virtual difference. Demmies will give that up the day the Pubs stop blaming Clinton for everything that happened in recorded history “oh, Clinton had a blowjob, oh clinton imported slaves, oh clinton sent a mighty meteor to kill the dinosaurs, oh Clinton tempted Eve with an apple…” it’s just tit for tat ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/75 "2003-04-03T01:12:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > Ok here’s the problem I’ve having, and it’s making me look like a Bush defender, which I sure as hell ain’t. Bush is not the only one calling the shots, I think his entire administration is to blame. Well, as the Bush supporters kept telling us soon after he was sworn into office, “George W. Bush might not be as smart as Al Gore, but he’s smart enough to surround himself with experts who _do_ know all that’s needed to run a nation. A good CEO surrounds himself with qualified subordinates.” (paraphrased) By _that_ logic, even if the entire administration is to blame, George _still_ gets the flak for being the guy who hand-picked them to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![skankweirdall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@skankweirdall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skankweirdall)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/76 "2003-04-03T01:28:23Z")
Ok, I’m going to try and find a cite with this info. It was reported on local news around here (Central Florida) that the votes were finally counted and that GWB still won the state of Florida. This was awhile back though so I don’t know what kind of luck I’ll have finding anything. Anyway it was just a small blurb on the local news. I’m sure that if it turned out that Gore had won the state it would have been headline news shouted from the mountain tops so let’s let it go. The republicans don’t blame Clinton for the all the FU’s in the world either. Frankly I don’t care that he got a blow job, I fully support him in his efforts to do so, just not while he was minding the store. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/77 "2003-04-03T01:47:24Z")
> [@](#): > > It was reported on local news around here (Central Florida) that the votes were finally counted and that GWB still won the state of Florida. Knock yourself out if you simply want to start that feud all over again. There were at least three separate reports between April and July 2000 that purported to show who “really” won. Every one of them was tainted (in the eyes of its opponents) by either including or excluding too many of the ballots that the other side felt should have been excluded or included. All that the reports showed was that this country is capable of producing “evidence” for whatever we choose to believe. ---
**Author:** ![skankweirdall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@skankweirdall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skankweirdall)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/78 "2003-04-03T02:05:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > **Knock yourself out if you simply want to start that feud all over again.** Certainly not my intention to start a feud over it, I just want it to end. Let it go, get over it already. Even Al is over it why can’t the rest of his supporters let it go? Anyway, I did find this. It seems to be a fairly comprehensive assessment. > **[The Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News and Analysis](https://www.washingtonpost.com/?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A12623-2001Nov11¬Found=true)** > > Breaking news and analysis on politics, business, world national news, entertainment more. In-depth DC, Virginia, Maryland news coverage including traffic, weather, crime, education, restaurant reviews and more. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/79 "2003-04-03T02:05:12Z")
Yes I’m sure we can dredge up tons of reports that could prove a great many things. I just hate the mindset that if Gore had been elected we would be living in some utopian paradise, which of course we don’t know. Bush has led us down a shitty path though, that’s for damn sure. Anyway in an attempt to steer this back to the OP, I think a lot of people are frustrated with the media, it appears the Bush happens to be one of them. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946/80 "2003-04-03T05:30:45Z")
(just because this is such a great quote) “Bush believes he was called by God to lead the nation at this time, says Commerce Secretary Don Evans, a close friend who talks with Bush every day.” Damn, that’s like, fuckin’ Charlemagne 'n shit! Wuzzat called, Lunch Box? Divine right? /Jay Mewes [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-angry-at-media-second-guessers/165946.md?page=5)