# To the divisive shit-stains making asses of themselves at a time like this **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 16, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037 "2001-09-16T23:58:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/1 "2001-09-16T23:58:22Z")
We have all been through a lot lately, and Harping on really useless stuff now will do more harm to your pet cause than anything else. As a liberal _not a Democrat_ I have been horrified to here people dissing president Bush. I’ll be the first to speak up when he does something stupid, but whining about how long it took him to get to the white house is just fucking pathetic. Thanks a lot Moynihan, you just won Bush another term. As an athiest I didn’t participate in the day of prayer, but I see why it was done. To Pat and Jerry, thanks fellas you have done more to end the reign of the christian coalition than an army of homosexual pagan abortionists could ever have done. I hope we all remember those who showed their true colors when this is over. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/2 "2001-09-17T00:03:07Z")
What exactly did Moynihan do? I haven’t seen anything about him. ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/3 "2001-09-17T00:22:04Z")
Sorry, I’m trying to find a link. The basic story is that on tuesday he made a statement to the effect that Bush too too long to get to the oval office and address the nation, I seem to recall _not sure this part was Moynihan_ some ignant fuck saying Air Force one was never a target so there was no need to hop scotch across the country to protect the Prez. Even if Air Force one was never a target it seems obvious to me that killing the president would be a good way to disrupt the country. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/4 "2001-09-17T00:28:57Z")
Only a dumb-fuck would suggest that the Presidient of the Unitied States should fly into a dangerous and unsecured area before adequate precautions were established to minimize the risk to arguably the most important person on the planet in a time like this. And Monynihan is certainly not a dumb-fuck. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/5 "2001-09-17T00:39:11Z")
Are you sure that was Pat Moynahan, and not Marty Meehan, who has a pit thread already for comments saying that Bush was cowardly for jumping around? ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/6 "2001-09-17T00:43:54Z")
I hope that I have been a dupe. I can not find a link to the story that I remember. I have seen the statements I referred to, and I thought they were tied to Daniel P. Moynihan. I sincerely hope he didn’t say that and apollogise for spreading this story. God, now I feel like one of those anonymous assholes I despise. I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/7 "2001-09-17T00:46:02Z")
You are correct, I got the name wrong. I sincerely apollogise for slandering an innocent person. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/8 "2001-09-17T01:11:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grendel72 \* > \*\*We have all been through a lot lately, and Harping on really useless stuff now will do more harm to your pet cause than anything else. > As a liberal _not a Democrat_ I have been horrified to here people dissing president Bush. I’ll be the first to speak up when he does something stupid, but whining about how long it took him to get to the white house is just fucking pathetic. Thanks a lot Moynihan, you just won Bush another term. > As an athiest I didn’t participate in the day of prayer, but I see why it was done. To Pat and Jerry, thanks fellas you have done more to end the reign of the christian coalition than an army of homosexual pagan abortionists could ever have done. > I hope we all remember those who showed their true colors when this is over. \*\* My only problem with Bush in this is his fight against evil. I think that this is just propaganda that only makes people feel righteous in their vitriole. The enemy, may be evil, but the United States is not the good guy out there to smite him. Erek ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/9 "2001-09-17T01:28:40Z")
I think the talk of good/evil is, much like the day of prayer a way to help some people deal with the events. I **strongly** admire Bush for denouncing hatred, even when it is coming from the man who helped put him in office: Pat Robertson. One thing I think Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree on is that the president is ten times the man his father was. Not just as a leader, although I have noticed that the current president bush has the ability to form complete sentences unlike his father, but as a human being. Before the events of last week I laughed when he was called a compassionate conservative, he has now shown compassion beyond a shadow of a doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/10 "2001-09-17T01:43:15Z")
I saw one article that criticized Bush for leaving DC, contrasting him with JFK who stayed there during the cuban missile crisis. I’m no fan of Bush, but he did the right thing getting the hell out of Dodge. Why give the terrorists another possible victory? ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/11 "2001-09-17T01:57:23Z")
Revtim… Bush was not in DC when the attack occured. He was in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/12 "2001-09-17T02:00:01Z")
Bill O’Reilly (of Fox News’ “O’Reilly Factor”) mentioned something about this on a show a few days ago. He said he noticed a little bit of grumbling about Bush shuffling about that day, but it soon stopped when the collective American voice said “ **SHUT UP** ”. (I just loved the way O’Reilly said that. Really deliberate and slow, like, “SHUT. UP”.) That’s exactly how I feel. To be so nitpicky about something like that is absurd. In fact, what I heard, Bush’s security people really didn’t want him to return to the White House as early as he did. He went _against_ the advice of his SECURITY people and rushed back to DC! So why the hell would anyone be bitching about this? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/13 "2001-09-17T02:13:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*Revtim… > > Bush was not in DC when the attack occured. He was in Florida. \*\* That’s true, the article must have been critical of him not going directly to DC as soon as the incident occurred, not leaving DC as I originally wrote. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/14 "2001-09-17T03:00:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Revtim \* > > \*\*That’s true, the article must have been critical of him not going directly to DC as soon as the incident occurred, not leaving DC as I originally wrote. \*\* Speaking from a purely pragmatic point of view, I would have lost respect for Bush if he HAD made himself an easy target. He isn’t an invididual any more; he’s America’s chief executive. The whole nightmare unfolded so rapidly. I applaud the common sense behind the maneuver, no matter whose decision it was. (And I’m no Republican by any long stretch.) Federal power and authority are remarkably diffused so the actual government was never in real jeopardy. Bush kept himself mobile and effective in Air Force One–which really IS the “flying White House”. Anything less would have been grandstanding and irresponsible. Veb ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/15 "2001-09-17T03:42:57Z")
I’d like to add the [Boston Phoenix Editorial Page](http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/editorial/documents/01814640.htm) to the list. In another thread I compared these people’s expectations to criticising Reagan for letting himself be shielded while Hinckley was shooting at him. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/16 "2001-09-17T04:49:59Z")
The time it took Bush to get back to the White House is fairly trivial. What’s the time difference if it was a direct flight, 2-3hrs tops? Doesn’t seem like a giant issue, he was being careful. No biggie. Since the WTC disaster my main criticism is that he has no charisma. His entire job is to soothe the country and tell it that everything will be okay(in this situation anyhow). When he’s giving a speach he looks like a 15 year old giving a lecture on nuclear physics. He seems to be over his head. Colin Powell should be your president. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/17 "2001-09-17T04:55:13Z")
> [@](#): > > His entire job is to soothe the country and tell it that everything will be okay(in this situation anyhow). His _entire_ job? WTF? He is the Commander in Chief of our military, and we have just been attacked. Our country does not want to be soothed. We want to hear what we are going to do about this shit. And his primary concern is to figure that out, then tell us. Incidentally, he can’t do that if he’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/18 "2001-09-17T05:08:13Z")
He’s a figurehead. That’s it. He is the mouthpiece of his government. The extent at which he decides policy ends exactly after he’s hired the people that actually know something about that particular area. It’s the same with every damned democratic government on the face of this earth. > [@](#): > > _originally posted by Me_ > The time it took Bush to get back to the White House is fairly trivial. What’s the time difference if it was a direct flight, 2-3hrs tops? Doesn’t seem like a giant issue, he was being careful. No biggie. Is this not me saying it was fine for him to take a little extra time. I wasn’t being sarcastic. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/19 "2001-09-17T05:14:21Z")
Keep in mind that the stopover was in Omaha, Nebraska, home of the Strategic Air Command. Not what I would call cowardly. I may have my beef with Bush, but I’m willing to put that aside if he handles this situation well. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037/20 "2001-09-17T05:26:41Z")
I said this in another thread, where I was basically told to shut up too, regardless of whether my comments were politically biased or not (I don’t think they were). I can understand why the president went to Nebraska, and while I personally wished he went to Washington in the face of danger, if only to show his resolve and fearlessness, I can understand the reasons. What bothers me about this whole thing is the spin Washington is putting on it. That is, they’re making it sound like Bush was hell bent on going back and he was essentially forced to go to Nebraska against his will. I’m sorry, and maybe I’m overly cynical (Even if this were another president in another party, I’d still feel the same wayt), but the spin job being done on this is ridiculous. If the president was scared and fled for a bunker, then say it- don’t say otherwise. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-divisive-shit-stains-making-asses-of-themselves-at-a-time-like-this/82037.md?page=2)