# President fiddles while soldiers burn **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 7, 2005, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978 "2005-08-07T10:05:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/161 "2005-08-09T18:48:35Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > Saying Bush lied to the American people is like saying Clinton cheated on his wife - it’s a non-partisan acknowlegement of the facts. Bush deserves a bad reputation because he’s earned it. There was solid proof of Clinton’s cheating. But the funny thing is that there is no proof of Bush’s ever having lied to to the American people. And yet the libs run around squawking “Bush lied” like a bunch of parrots on crank. You want to zing him for screwups, I’ll join you. He sure as hell needs to lead the charge on securing the borders, scrapping the income tax and privatizing Social Security. Apart from a few gestures at SS, he’s been sadly lacking in all of that. I used to rate him at a B to B minus, but until he pulls his thumb out of his ass on those topics, he’s dropped down to a C, pushing a C minus, in my book. But the bad reputation he has comes from the libs bitching because he had the audacity to win the 2000 elections. It started then and hasn’t stopped. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/162 "2005-08-09T19:04:55Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I guess “bragging” is the eye of the beholder as none of those statements fit the bill in my book Yeah, I think you’d have to actually _see_ the president making those statements to make the call. Still, the bragging vs non-bragging is open to interpretation. I find the president’s use of “THE” war president a little disturbing, but that could just be Bush being Bush. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/163 "2005-08-09T19:17:53Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > But the funny thing is that there is no proof of Bush’s ever having lied to to the American people. Great Og Almighty. Some people didn’t just drink the Kool-Aid, they mainlined it. > [@](#): > > But the bad reputation he has comes from the libs bitching because he had the audacity to win the 2000 elections. Oddly enough, I though it was because of his war, his failure to fight terrorism, and his disastrous handling of the economy, for starters. Thanks for clarifying the \*real \* reason. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/164 "2005-08-09T19:54:08Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > he had the audacity to win the 2000 elections. Well technically, he didn’t win that time. He was appointed by the supreme court. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/165 "2005-08-09T19:59:21Z")
> [@Greathouse](#): > > Are you implying… Nope, but I said it so clumsily I wouldn’t blame you a bit for taking offense. Sorry: I do not think there’s anything inherently wrong with Texas or Texans. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/166 "2005-08-09T20:00:08Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Well technically, he didn’t win that time. He was appointed by the supreme court. 🙂 No, technically, the result of the SCOTUS decision was to let the Florida vote count stand. So, he he actually did win the election. :)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Greathouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greathouse/32/2992_2.png) [@Greathouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greathouse)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/167 "2005-08-09T20:12:31Z")
> [@The King of Soup](#): > > Nope, but I said it so clumsily I wouldn’t blame you a bit for taking offense. Sorry: I do not think there’s anything inherently wrong with Texas or Texans. Cool. Thanks for clearing that up. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/168 "2005-08-09T20:44:52Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Yeah, I think you’d have to actually _see_ the president making those statements to make the call. Still, the bragging vs non-bragging is open to interpretation. Yes, the same statment can be interpretted differenly depending on the intonation. But someone making an assertion is the one with the burden of proof, and making that assertion without clear, incontrovertable evidence is silly. Especially in a thread that is as much of a trainwreck as this one is. Kinda like a person who keeps digging even those he’s already deep in a hole… ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/169 "2005-08-09T21:28:12Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > But, since \*\*Liberal \*\*has decided not to respond, and my post was directed particularly at him, I will assume that he cannot refute any of my points. I got distracted. To address your question, in his interview with Tim Russert, Busy _repeatedly_ refered to himself as the war president. Once is informative. Twice is redundant. On and on is bragging. Incidentally, I’m not obligated to respond to your questions; therefore, the assumption you made is a logical fallacy. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/170 "2005-08-09T21:50:09Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > To be governor of the state of Texas, one must be a Texan. The current President of the United States of America has held the office of Governor of Texas. Therefore, the man is a Texan. Good thing his last name isn’t “Clinton,” or he’d be a damn filthy carpetbagger. 😛 > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Great Og Almighty. Some people didn’t just drink the Kool-Aid, they mainlined it. **Clothahump** bathes in Republican kool-aid for 45 minutes every morning, I hear. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/171 "2005-08-09T21:57:54Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I got distracted. To address your question, in his interview with Tim Russert, Busy _repeatedly_ refered to himself as the war president. Once is informative. Twice is redundant. On and on is bragging. No, it’s boring. There’s a difference, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you didn’t know that. > [@](#): > > Incidentally, I’m not obligated to respond to your questions; therefore, the assumption you made is a logical fallacy. You are obliged to back up your assertions with cites, and since most of my questions were nothing more than a request for cites, I think we can safely assume that you were talking out of your ass; trying to fling more shit against the wall since the batch you flung in the OP didn’t stick. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/172 "2005-08-10T10:47:36Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > No, it’s boring. There’s a difference, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you didn’t know that. I know boring. You, for example, are boring. A man with the ability to annihilate the known world, and who brays endlessly that he’s the War President, is a braggart, a blowhard, and sick fucking puppy. > [@](#): > > You are obliged to back up your assertions with cites, and since most of my questions were nothing more than a request for cites, I think we can safely assume that you were talking out of your ass; trying to fling more shit against the wall since the batch you flung in the OP didn’t stick. This ain’t Great Debates, Kimosabe. Your assumptions are to reason and common sense as a dice roller is to a game of craps. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/173 "2005-08-10T12:38:20Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > No, technically, the result of the SCOTUS decision was to let the Florida vote count stand. No, technically, the decision was not to allow the count to be completed. No surprise you refuse to get that, though. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/174 "2005-08-10T15:45:58Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I know boring. You mean to tell us that you inflct those repetitive hijacks on us on knowingly? :eek: > [@](#): > > This ain’t Great Debates, Kimosabe. Your assumptions are to reason and common sense as a dice roller is to a game of craps. Of course it’s not GD. That’s why people come here to talk out of their asses. But whether you tell a lie here or tell one in GD, it’s still a lie, Tanto. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/175 "2005-08-10T15:49:50Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > You mean to tell us that you inflct those repetitive hijacks on us on knowingly? :eek: I on object to your on premise, on sir. I do not on hijack threads on knowingly or on otherwise. > [@](#): > > Of course it’s not GD. That’s why people come here to talk out of their asses. But whether you tell a lie here or tell one in GD, it’s still a lie, Tanto. You think I’m a Samurai knife? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/176 "2005-08-10T15:51:09Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > No, technically, the decision was not to allow the count to be completed. No surprise you refuse to get that, though. If we’re getting technical, it was to not allow the recount to be completed. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/177 "2005-08-10T15:58:39Z")
No, the problem was all the ballots that hadn’t been counted in the first place. Finishing the job =/= doing it over. **Lib** , yes, you routinely hijack threads, this is just the latest example, and it takes neutron-star density on your part not to see that the problem just might be you. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/178 "2005-08-10T16:04:39Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > No, the problem was all the ballots that hadn’t been counted in the first place. Finishing the job =/= doing it over. Well, yes, but those ballots had been excluded in the original count because they didn’t (or may not have) met the neccesary standards for valid ballots. The problem was determining which ballots weren’t counted were actually valid ballots that should have been counted. So what was stopped was a manual recount of all the ballots, including those marginal, possibly valid ballots. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/179 "2005-08-10T16:24:59Z")
You could have stopped after “Well, yes”, ya know. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978/180 "2005-08-10T16:45:03Z")
I probably could have, but I was going for clarity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/president-fiddles-while-soldiers-burn/315978.md?page=10)