# Bush: Being Called a Racist was the Worst Moment of my Presidency **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 4, 2010, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441 "2010-11-04T12:13:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/61 "2010-11-06T17:37:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Well, Rove is a slimeball of the highest order, certainly not one above pulling these sorts of dirty tricks, even if it meant going around Bush. While I’m no fan of Bush, I can easily see Rove doing this without the boss’ knowledge or approval. > [@](#): > > So, assuming Bush really does abhor racism so much, why didn’t he fire Rove for such a disgusting act? > > Is there even any record of him giving Rove a firm talking to? > > If you knowingly let slimbags continue to do slimebag things on your behalf; then guess what, you’re a slimebag too, and too chickenshit to your own dirty work. I don’t think Rove was a racist either. I see Rove as an amoral opportunist who was willing to use other people’s racism if it helped get his candidate elected. Bush’s flaw on the subject was that he didn’t see racism as a problem that he needed to address. He probably felt that as long as he wasn’t personally racist, he didn’t have a duty to do anything about the existence of racism in general. Which arguably is an acceptable attitude for the average citizen but is unacceptable for a President. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/62 "2010-11-06T19:27:55Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > - Really? Being called a racist by a moronic twit is the lowest blow? People with a LOT more credibility and gravitas worked really hard to call you criminal, stupid, a disgrace to your office and country - and THAT’s what you single out? Well, you know, criticism always stings the most when it comes from your peers. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/63 "2010-11-06T21:07:24Z")
Bush doesn’t hate people who are black because they are black. Like other posters have said, he despises poor people because they are poor. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/64 "2010-11-06T21:42:50Z")
To tie this back into what Kanye originally said, I don’t think he despises poor people, he just doesn’t care what happens to them or anyone else not like him is station. ---
**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:** [November 6, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/65 "2010-11-06T22:44:59Z")
Yeah, I don’t think it rises to hatred or even contempt. It was sheer indifference – almost an obliviousness to their very existence. His entire life has taken place within an isolated bubble of aristocratic privilege and entitlement. In his universe, poor people are only there to wash the dishes and drive his limos. They are beneath notice. They aren’t real. The only real people are other rich people. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/66 "2010-11-06T23:06:50Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > So, assuming Bush really does abhor racism so much, why didn’t he fire Rove for such a disgusting act? > > Is there even any record of him giving Rove a firm talking to? > > If you knowingly let slimbags continue to do slimebag things on your behalf; then guess what, you’re a slimebag too, and too chickenshit to your own dirty work. While I don’t believe Bush is racist, I do believe he is gullible enough to swallow a denial from one of his trusted henchmen when, and if, he ever asked him about this incident. This is after all a guy who tricked himself into believing a lot of things during his administration, in spite of much evidence contradicting many of said things. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/67 "2010-11-06T23:51:21Z")
"Let’s do Iraq! _Sir, they were Saudis._ They’re all Arabs." ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/68 "2010-11-07T00:07:00Z")
Did anybody see this article, [George W. Bush calls Katrina photo a ‘huge mistake’](http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101105/pl_yblog_upshot/former-president-bush-calls-katrina-photo-a-huge-mistake)? > [@](#): > > “Let’s get to the picture that we may have seen more of you in the last couple years of your presidency than any other picture,” Lauer said. “You’re sitting in Air Force One, flying back toward Washington. You fly right over New Orleans and you look out the window.” > > “Yes,” Bush responded. “Huge mistake.” > > The full Lauer interview airs 8 p.m. Monday night, with Bush’s book hitting shelves the following day. But NBC released the following excerpt Friday: > LAUER: Yeah. And in comes the press and they take that picture. And it made you look so out of touch. > > BUSH: Detached and uncaring. No question about it. Not a mistake to have done it. Just a mistake to let someone take a picture of him doing it. ---
**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:** [November 7, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/69 "2010-11-07T00:10:24Z")
Actually, I read somewhere (I think it might have been _Game Change_ or something, but maybe not. One of the insider political books) that the plane picture was Rove’s idea because he actually thought it would make W looked caring and involved. It did just the opposite, obviously, but it was a posed photo, not something the media did to him. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/70 "2010-11-07T03:32:31Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Yeah, I don’t think it rises to hatred or even contempt. It was sheer indifference – almost an obliviousness to their very existence. His entire life has taken place within an isolated bubble of aristocratic privilege and entitlement. In his universe, poor people are only there to wash the dishes and drive his limos. They are beneath notice. They aren’t real. The only real people are other rich people. I would add that he never suffered any real consequences of his bad behavior when he was growing up (getting off a drunk driving charge, using cocaine, bailed out from bankruptcy, etc.). You can blame president Bush II for the misery he brought upon himself and the nation, but you can’t discount the fact that his parents, and to a lesser extent, his friends were unwilling to let him suffer the consequences for his bad choices. He then surrounded himself with people who were willing to maintain that illusion not only for him, but themselves on a national scale. It’s like Nixon in a dry frat house without the paranoia. I wonder if Bush I and Barbara are haunted by this. Not that it really matters, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/71 "2010-11-07T06:45:10Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > So being called a torturer is less disgusting than being called a racist? > > So sitting down in White House meetings and discussing how much you can beat prisoners and how close you can come to drowning them by waterboarding were not disgusting moments? Are you kidding? He’s proud of waterboarding: > **[Bush on waterboarding: 'Damn right'](https://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/11/05/bush.book/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%2Brss%2Fcnn_topstories%2B%28RSS%3A%2BTop%2BStories%29)** > > Former President George W. Bush has stayed out of politics since he left the White House and, except for his own career, he largely keeps the subject at arm's length in his new memoir, "Decision Points." > [@](#): > > Not a mistake to have done it. Just a mistake to let someone take a picture of him doing it. I’m no fan but I’ll give him a pass on this. Dude’s not allowed to look out the window of his airplane? But taking a picture and publishing it sends a message of “Look at me, up here… flying the fuck away from your misery!” ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/72 "2010-11-08T18:33:28Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > I wonder if Bush I and Barbara are haunted by this. By all acounts, Ms. Bush is a vicious bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/73 "2010-11-08T18:39:59Z")
Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/74 "2010-11-08T18:53:22Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > By all acounts, Ms. Bush is a vicious bitch. i’ve only read Al Franken’s account. Who else? Also, does anyone suppose Taylor Swift got a call from W. after the award show thing with Kanye? 'Cause it would be funny if she did. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441/75 "2010-11-08T19:29:25Z")
[Franken’s account](http://books.google.com/books?id=igqMIP7OjrAC&pg=PA345&lpg=PA345&dq=%22barbara+bush%22+franken&source=bl&ots=AsrXJRO0Tx&sig=CxhOAYGdTbAwHR0cW-S7ff7HDWw&hl=en&ei=sE7YTL6aOsjInAeD76GwCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false) was the one I was thinking of specifically. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-being-called-a-racist-was-the-worst-moment-of-my-presidency/559441.md?page=3)