For those that are interested Democratic activist Tom Connolly of Maine has confirmed he is the source of the report. The article is at http://www.foxnews.com
If people like GW then they wont care. If people dont like GW, it validates their opinion. It will only matter for a small minority.
Others: If people like neither but htink this is a dirty trick by the Dems, they skew towards Bush.
If people see Bush as a man who can overcome personal challenges, they skew toward Bush.
If people see Bush as a guy who preaches morals and then covers up his dirty laundry, they skew toward Al.
If people see DUI as unforgivable, they skew toward Al.
So what is Bush supposed to do? Apologize, plead guilty, pay his fine, never do it again, and quit drinking?
He already did all these things.
Of course, he could lie consistently about it for years, cover it up, and hire private investigators to smear those who caught him.
Oh wait, that would be another politician…
Can anyone say ‘no controlling legal authority’?
As I always tell my children, “Well, so-and-so did it too!” is never an excuse. If you are comparing misdeeds between two people, then fine. If you are examining the misdeeds of one, then it is silly to defend one person’s misdeeds by bringing up someone else’s.
It is not that he got a DUI 24 years ago- Cheney got 2, and they were no big item- because he admitted them. GW specifically was asked about this (also in 1996, when he was selected then released from a DUI jury)- and he denied it. He LIED. Now, Gore has been called on a few 'stories", that turned out to be less than fully truthful= and GW made a HUGE issue of how Gore LIED, and how Bush is the “truthful” cand. Now- he is the hypocritical cand. If, GW had admitted this crime, it would have been no big deal- but he lied.
The DNC had nothing whatsoever to do with the story. So. “it is all a Gore plot” is bushwa.
He didn’t do the other stuff, but he has lied about it consistently for years. Besides the Texas reporter who specifically asked him whether he had ever been arrested, and Bush said “no”, I consider omissions to be lies.
Look, I have no beef here. I don’t think this conviction disqualifies him. I also think, however, people aren’t being completely honest if they claim that Bush’s decision to cover up his conviction says nothing about his character.
If I were a Bushie, I’d be taking the advisor who told him not to come clean on this out to be shot just about … now.
Sua
Because it might be the one thing that convinces just enough people of what is a fact anyway:
THE MAN IS A LYING, SNIVELING,SMUG,CONNIVING, INCOMEPETENT BOOB that does not in ANY manner, deserve to be president of the most powerful nation on earth, and I continue to be APPALLED that the race is even close, much less that he’s actually even the NOMINEE!!!
Did you all know he’s been arrested THREE FUCKING TIMES??? Theft at a hotel (dunno the details on that one) disorderly conduct at a football game, and DUI.
I’ve never been arrested ONCE. Three times? And HE is going to set himself up as an example of honesty, values, blah, blah blah for ME??? It’s GALLING, fucking GALLING.
I will LOSE it if that smirking moron wins…just LOSE it. it won’t be just a disappointment, get on with my day. I will have hysterics. I will have hysterics for four years.
SAVE ME. VOTE.
stoid
You know, I’m gonna get blasted for being hypocritical on this, but I’m gonna say it anyway.
I am a drunk. I have a DWI. I now choose not to drive because I don’t entirely trust myself to not do it again. I needed to completely rearrange my life and my career in order to keep off the road. And I did. I changed my life for the better in so doing.
I have a left testacle that says that at some point in this two-year long campaign, Bush was directly asked if he ever had a DWI. The man would have won some small admiration from me if he had simply admitted it. Hell, he could have even used that information constructively.
Disclosure would have shown me that he wasn’t afraid to admit his failings. And he would have had the opportunity to use a bad experience to show that he is now a good person.
The bottom line is that this story is a bunch of bullshit and likely would have been dismissed as such if he had confronted the issue early. Instead, the guy kept the shit under the rug and dodged it for two years, obviously in the hope that he could make it to election day without the story coming out. That’s dishonest whether or not he was “directly” asked about it, and as I said before, I’ll bet you anything he was.
So what has the Bush campaign been running on? Issues? The guy didn’t even have any until he had to spit some up come primary time. High intellect? Let’s be honest here. Knowledge and familiarity with the process? He plans to appoint people who have that stuff.
Integrity. That’s what they’ve been stressing. That’s what a lot of people are stressing in this forum. But it is becoming obvious to me that the appearance of integrity on the part of this man is based largely on evasion and nondisclosure. And that seems embarassingly familiar.
From your post, it looks like you have already begun your hysterics.
Stock up on the valium, 4 years is a long time. And for at leat 2 of them, there will be a Republican House and Senate.
Gee. Look at this:
“Wayne Slater, a Dallas Morning News reporter traveling with the Bush campaign, said the governor denied being arrested to him during an impromptu interview in 1998 on the sidelines of a news conference in Austin, Texas. Slater said he asked Bush whether the governor had been arrested after 1968, when Bush had been arrested for being involved in a fraternity prank. Slater said Bush said, ‘No.’”
What’s next? Define “no?”
Is this true??? the last time I was on the witness stand for jury selection, I had to answer questions ** under oath** believe that is the standard across the states.
The hotel theft, I’d heard on the news, was a wreath from a Christmas display, sounded like a combination of booze, college/frat, and lack of critical thinking skills. IOW’s, yes a theft, but apparently for prank vs. profit. Course, my 15 year old son (who put a substitute teachers’ coffee mug into a classmates locker as a prank) was threatened with expulsion, prosecution as an adult with a felony, and was suspended for 5 days…
Maybe that’s why GW is so strongly in favor of “accountabilty”
I’m glad you put that one up, sailor. I was tempted…
There is a bright spot to this whole thing of sorts. If this incident is taken seriously by the American people, we may find them actually voting on the issues that they consider important. That could be an interesting thing to see.
Dubya has been revealed for what he is, a [ack] politician. My greatest hope is that this revelation will cause the election to be about issues and competency, as both candidates are now revealed to have no high moral fibre.
On the issues alone, I must cast my vote for John McCain.
What’s that? He’s out? Aww, shit.
Sua
Getting closer…
Sofa King, you seem very interested in this, so maybe you haven’t seen this on ABCNews that indicates Bush replied “No” when asked if he had ever been arrested, and intentionally left his jury questionaire blank where it asked about being previously involved in a criminal case.
Hey, Sofa, I just wanted to say thanks. Your openness took guts, and I appreciate it.
Awesome! Thank you for that link, hardcore. And thank you, Andros, for the compliment.
I am very interested in this. My interest is both personal and professional. That might be worth explaining. Some folks might take issue with my motives, otherwise. (And some might once I explain.)
Personally, I want to know about this guy. I have been deeply suspicious about this campaign–the sketchy biography, the lack of a position on so many issues for so long. Bush, to me, has appeared to be a sort of “cut-out” candidate along the lines of William Henry Harrison. (And nowdays they can treat pneumonia.)
Furthermore, this particular issue strikes a resounding chord with me because I had to face my similar problems honestly. It is a little distasteful to see someone try to skate on this same issue, which I will have to deal with for the rest of my life.
My opinion above was from a personal point of view, but personal and professional are intertwined for the following reasons.
Professionally, I work as a historical (and legal, and general) researcher in American Indian affairs. My clients want to know what Bush’s position is on Indian Country. Bush’s position was, at first, completely ignorant. When “clarified,” it became essentially a non-position. Many of my clients fear that an uninformed President Bush could fall into the pocket of the oil, mineral, fishing, and state interests, all of whom stand to make a huge profit by exploiting Indian land and reducing their rights. (This sort of thing really does happen in our day and age.)
Then we got a press release saying that in the event of his defeat in the Senatorial election in Washington, Slate Gorton would be first choice as Secretary of Interior. I am not kidding, this bastard is evil when it comes to Indian affairs, and as SecInt, he would be supremely well placed to destroy Indian sovereignty. If Indian tribes get reduced to glorified Kiwanis clubs, there won’t be anyone around to pay me.
The bottom line is, in the event of a Bush presidency, my job–and my career–is endangered, for real. That makes it personal as well as professional.
This information that you have helped me to assemble will be e-mailed out to my clients tonight. My clients, in turn, may choose to forward it to the members of their respective tribes. What they’ll make of it I can’t guess, but I will have done my job by getting information to the people who pay me–and the SDMB helps me do that almost every day.
I hope Cece doesn’t try to collect royalties off of me.
People keep on complaining about Bush’s intelligence level, but what does this incident tell us about the public’s? Let’s see: he tells us that he had a serious drinking problem when he was younger. He tells us that he did many things which he now regrets. What, do you people need flashing neon lights? How many people do you know that have a serious drinking problem for several years who don’t ever drive while drunk?
Indeed. And what does the very fact of this man being the nominee tell us about the public’s level of intelligence?
I saw a man-in-the-street interview the other night:
Man: Well, he didn’t do such a great job as Governor of a state, but maybe he’ll do better with a country.
Reporter (understandably incredulous): You mean to say that you think he was a bad governor, but you’re voting for him anyway?!
Man (stopping to ponder the question): uhhh…uh huh. (nodding)
And after I calmed down, I realized that this guy represents the reason that Dubya may in fact become our next president…because a scary percentage of the American public are complete idiots. (And I didn’t point the finger at anyone in particular and call them an idiot. If you’re voting for him, perhaps you have good, understandable reasons. So don’t go taking it personally.)
stoid