Didn't really like the 'tude from Bush today

The BBQ Pit
1

Can’t beleive there’s not a thread about this, but I was watching Bush’s press conference today, and he was being questioned closely about Rumsfeld and he said:

“You can understand why, because we’ve got people’s reputations at stake,” Bush said of his aversion to speculation about personnel matters.

“And on Friday I stood up and said, 'I don’t appreciate the speculation about Don Rumsfeld; he’s doing a fine job; I strongly support him.”

Okeydoke. Standard stuff.

But when pressed further:

“I’m the decider, and I decide what is best. And what’s best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense.”
Now generally speaking I support Bush supporting his man, but there are certain phrases that really irk when I hear them.

When Gore spoke about all the the things he would “give” the American people I was irked because he should know that neither government nor he can give us anything.

When Judge Dredd said “I am the Law!!!” I found thought to be somewhat arrogant.

When Alec’ Baldwin’s character proclaimed “I am God!” after cutting out Nicole Kidman’s ovary, I thought that to be extreme.

When somebody shows up and says: “I’m from the government and I’m hear to help you” I want to scream and run away.

When Bush says “I’m the decider, and I decide what is best!” A big part of me goes “ummmmmm… oh boy,”

You can read the quote and context here:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/18/rumsfeld/index.html

2

What an idiot! :smack:

Everyone knows the correct term is “decisioner” or “decisionary”. :slight_smile:

3

Well, he is the decider, so I’m not sure how that is similar to the other examples you gave.

Bush simply decided that the best strategery is to be the decider that Rummy stays. :slight_smile:

4

Man, thats pretty awkward phrasing there. :smack: Bush speak at its finest.

I have to agree…when a guy who we essentially hired (what got into us anyway? :wink: ) starts getting all high and mighty I start getting a bit worried.

(naw, not really…I really just roll my eyes a lot and start ticking down the calendar until the guy is gone and we get the next bozo in :stuck_out_tongue: )

-XT

5

Starts getting high and mighty?

6

:rolleyes:
Here we ago, another typical Bush bashfest from the usual… oh wait.

7

Bush delivered a awkward sound-bite, tinged with the faintest hint of arrogance? Oh dear.

There was a chance I could forgive the vigorous campaign against habeus corpus and privacy, the flouting of international treaties, and the bellicose posturing that passes for diplomacy. But this is beyond the pale. Beyond. The. Pale!

8

this is what pushes you over the edge?

9

We can only hope, friend Scylla, that our President does better as a decider than he as done so far as a uniter. Only a cynical Bush-hater would suggest that we can hardly expect much deciding from our President until our Vice-president tells him what his decision ought to be. Consider that said.

There is an echo of Napoleon I here (from a man who more nearly resembles Napoleon III) “In war a thousand men are nothing and one man is everything.” It doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it? Maybe Mr Bush need a horse to pull it off in true imperial style. A guy doesn’t look or sound sufficiently majestic and powerful making pronouncements like that from the seat of a bicycle.

10

You’re doing a heck of a job Rummie!

11

Lately I’ve been feeling sorry for Bush. I think he was severely damaged in his childhood, and isn’t capable of being a fully-functioning adult. I still hope he dies, but I hope it’s quick and painless.

12

I jumped off whatever small purchase I had on the the Bush bandwagon after it was revealed the extent to which we were cynically conned into invading Iraq. Clumsy phraseology is the least of my issues with Bush at this point.

13

“You can understand why, because we’ve got people’s reputations at stake,” Bush said

Specifically his own

14

You mean it doesn’t just FILL you with pride and confidence when Bush addresses America like he’s its Daddy? What ever could be your problem with that? :rolleyes:

This is almost sad. Bush continues to stick to his guns, but he doesn’t seem to be trying. I’m not unhappy that he’s having trouble, but I never would have guessed his second term would go so bad so fast.

15

Every Mr Creosote has his wafer thin mint :stuck_out_tongue:

16

Impeach That Bitch.

17

It’s probably stress. Maybe Bush needs a blow job

d + r

18

What was he supposed to say? The accurate phrase would have been “Stupidity got us into this mess, so it’s up to stupidity to get us out”. That wouldn’t have made you any happier, would it?

19

Totally.

If there was only some way we could have known he was like that, eh? Some early indicator, a warning. Maybe even one that came before he was sworn into office.

“If this were a dictatorship, it’d be a heck of a lot easier - just so long as I’m the dictator.” - 18 December 2000

But of course!

20

I am not a fan of this administration (you can look it up). But it is refreshing, in the much-too-little-far-too-late-but-still-noticeable way, to finally see the man stand up, straighten his shoulders out of that Nixon hunch a little bit, and publicly make an unpopular (and really bad, let’s face it, but not calculated to boost his approval rating) decision that cannot be blamed on anyone else later. So much of this man and his whole administration runs on fear (fear of gays, fear of dissent, fear of foreigners, fear of public scrutiny, and most and saddest of all, fear of their own constituency), that to catch even a brief glimpse of this small glimmer of personal moral courage* rouses me from the tempting depths of “they’re all just evil and there is no human explanation for them” pessimism.

Then I consider that firing Rumsfeld would turn the rest of his presidency into a forum, disguised as Senate confirmation of a successor, for trumpeting each and every failure so far all over front pages everywhere, and I get a little cynical again.

*This is assuming, of course, that Rumsfeld destroyed his copies of GWB’s full Air National Guard service record when he got the post in the first place. But he would have, of course. Ask the president: Rummy’s an honorable man.