There’s the link to one of several sites saying this exchange of words happened on August 27, 1987 between the former president and Robert I. Sherman, a reporter for the American Athiest news journal. Now I’ve been searching for a while for a site trying to debunk that this conversation ever took place and have never found one yet many people still say this is a urban legend. Now I see where they may be coming from thinking that the whole story should be bogus considering Madalyn O’Hair wrote it. But is it really? To tell you the truth I wouldn’t be surprised if Bush really did say something like that. So once and for all can you guys prove to me if this conversation ever took place since I don’t hear alot about it.
I’ve heard of this before, but never saw the article you linked to. Thanks, it’s pretty interesting. I doubt that voicing such an opinion will cost him much in the polls, so it’s a pretty safe thing to say.
Why don’t you ask Bill O’ reiley, of Fox News?
Peace,
mangeorge
Actually, the correct comment is that it WOULDN’T HAVE cost him much in the polls. The incident is alleged to have taken place in 1987, sixteen years ago, and the Bush in question was George H. W. Bush, who did in fact prevail at the polls over Michael Dukakis in 1988.
Your response suggests you interpreted this as being a story about Shrubya. If I’m wrong in this, please accept my apologies.
To the OP: the alleged incident has been discussed here on the SDMB ad nauseum, mostly in the Pit, and occasionally in GD. The end of such discussions is usually inconclusive, but tends to follow the pattern of Bush critics being unable to be convinced that it did not occur, and Bush supporters being unable to be convinced that it did. Complicating matters are the opposing facts that Sherman has not provided unassailable corroboration, and that the Bush PR machine has not issued a clear-cut denial.
Says Bush Sr. right there in the OP, doesn’t it. Sorry.
At any rate, athiests are probably one group you can pick on without much worry about any repercussion. Witness the treatment of the above mentioned Madalyn O’Hair.
Atheist Right checkin’ in here. I’ve seen it posted before, and I’ve never been able to confirm it. On gut feeling, it doesn’t siit right with the Bush gestalt.
I doubt either Sr. or Shrub feels that way, but even if they did, why would a consumate politician feel the need to make a divisive statement as such. There’s no appreciable gain to be made.
Without some firm evidence, I’m inclined to think it’s just more BS from the opposition.
As another solid atheist, I’m with Ringo on all points as he outlined them. I can’t imagine a politician making such a statement. Atheists may be a minority in the US, but so are the homeless–and no politician would slam them.
As xenophon points out I examined this excchange and a subsequent one between Sherman and one of Bush’s representatives.
The case that it happened:
Bush has not denied it.
Sherman has offered corroboration (which has not responded after 3 requests)
Sherman is a reporter with credentials. I fabrication would be a serious offense.
I have found no case of Sherman fabricating anything else.
Bush has replied to a request for a clarification that he “stood by his original statement.”
The case against it:
Not on tape, or successfully corroborated.
My personal guess as to what happened:
It occured substantially as Sherman reported. Possibly it went under the radar of the rest of the reporters because (and this is just an impression) Sherman may have been perceived as an annoying pain in the ass to all present and deserving of a snubbing. Indeed according to a later incident it looks like there was a deliberate attempt to snub and blow off Sherman in the worst way possible when he met with Ed Murnane.
Clearly the elder Bush and company had little compunction of letting anyone who cared to know what they thought of Sherman and American Atheists.
Here are a few sites that include the claim, looking through them it does appear that the reporter (who interviewd him)claims that is what Bush said, but the cliams only seem to appear in published form two yeaqrs after the event.
Sure there is. In a party so completely in the clutches of the religious right, there’s plenty of political advantage to solidifying one’s religious credentials at the expense of the tiny atheist vote.
Here’s hoping we aren’t off to Great Debates, or the Pit.
Making such a statement would not simply have increased Bush Sr.'s standing with the religious right. It would have been leaped on (IMO) by virtually all of the reporters who were present when the statement was allegedly made. This was a campaign, in which any whiff of controversy or scandal was manna from heaven to the press.
Not a single one of the other reporters present at the time either remember that it happened, or reported it at the time.
If he had said something like that when Sherman claimed he did, I would expect him to have said something else like it some other time. Not even Sherman claims that he did.
Shodan, I also don’t see that logic. He can only say something more than once, but not just once? I’m not saying I think he said it; I don’t have enough info either way. But that logic makes no sense.
We’re not. I’m done moving legitimate General Questions to other forums because folks refuse to follow the forum rules. Instead, I just ban the offenders.
Everyone listening?
That said, I believe this one is going to defy a definite answer – there just weren’t enough witnesses to the (alleged) event.
