What’s the big deal? Is it parchment or papyrus or something?
:: d&r ::
This is what makes the story totally unbelievable. To think that one of Bush’s aides would ever dare say anything even remotely critical defies any semblence of reality. Even if true, so what? All of us say things in the heat of the moment that we don’t really mean. You can’t hold a man accountable for every word he utters in private.
It wouldn’t be unheard of for someone to try to sweeten a story upon the retelling by portraying himself in a more noble way than actually occurred, perhaps imagining the words being spoken by a handsome actor in the film version. If no competing version of the story emerges, that becomes the truth.
Bob, the story refers to “Republican leaders”, suggesting Congressmen/Senators rather than his own aides. It’s less incredible that they’d speak up.
I’d expected an Evangelical Christian would have chimed in to express incredulity over their President having broken the first commandment.
That goes too far. Do you imagine that there is no debate at Presidential staff meetings?
But in a narrower sense, I agree with your point. A subordinate, as vocal as he might be in private, would never make such a statement with outsiders present, and the story makes it clear that members of Congress were in the room.
Elvis, you have a very good point. Bush’s aides would never say such a thing, but a Congressional aide (if he was quite courageous) might. I think it far more likely that if a congressional aide felt strongly about something, he’d discuss it in private with his boss. That’s how I’d behave as an aide, anyway. But some may feel empowered to speak in such a manner.
Random, yes indeedy I do believe that there is no substantive debate in the White House. I believe the changeovers at Treasury and State are testament to that- you parrot Bush or you’re gone.
Don’t be silly. He knew better than to represent himself as a left-wing blogger. He simply represented himself as a gay military escort.
“I am the Lord thy God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. Thou shalt not have any gods before me.”?
Exactly. The god Halliburton never led nobody out of Egypt. 
I believe Captain was talking about the second Catholic one.
Daniel
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the
right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”?
Actually, that bit sounds like dialogue from “The West Wing”.
no shit.
I think we may have tracked this urban myth to ground…
I believe that upon careful textual analysis, we may confirm that the story is, alas, a canard.
Bush is, as we know, slow to metaphor, suspicious of simile.
As reported, the sentence flows smoothly from start to finish, with no stammers, no “uh”'s It should say, if true:
“The , the ,…theee um, Con, constitution? That’s, um, that’s nothin’, …nothin’ but a uh, a uh, scrap, a scrap of paper.”
I rest my case.
To those who call Capitol Hill Blue a “lefty blog”–they’ve been around for a long time, and they famously published a lot of the more ridiculous and unsubstantiated stories about Bill Clinton.
Any relationship between their stories and the truth is entirely coincidental.
You seem to be assuming that Clinton was a leftist…or more importantly that LEFTISTS thought he was a leftist. 
As for the OP…well, I think enough has been said on it at this point. If some real proof comes out that Bush actually did say this (in anger or coldly), well…I won’t be voting for Bush next time either.
-XT
C’mon, that’s not fair.
“Consti–Constitutible? heh heh. The Constitutibles are made of paper, that’s the lesson of 9/11! heh heh heh.”
Daniel
I’m with Captain Amazing. If he actually said it, I’d think “What a dumbassed thing to blurt out in anger, especially when you’re the Pres” but beyond that… I’d be more amazed at the thoughtless stupidity than outraged that he verbally crapped on my country’s founding document.
I mean, what, this is supposed to be THE SMOKING GUN proving he doesn’t care about separation of powers, freedoms, constitutionality, motherhood, and apple pie? I’d rack it up to stupidity and hotheadedness, not necessarily a personal credo (or party platform).
Bill Clinton made the left nostalgic for Richard Nixon (who was left of Clinton on most important issus, INCLUDING habeas corpus–Nixon would have cut his hand off before siging the 1996 Gutting of Habeas Corpus and Guaranteeing The Execution of Innocents Act)
The horror, the horror…