I read early on that George W. Bush was a coke user at one time. Can this be confirmed? What impact might this have if true?
It would be a pretty big impact, seeing as his father said in a speech that cocaine was the “scourge” of our nation, and that both he and Dubya are pretty cool with the idea of the drug war.
Dubya says he hasn’t done any in the last 26 years, so he’d pass a test to work in the White House, but that’s all he’ll say. My opinion is that he did it and is too drunk to remember. 
Here’s a really good Tom Tomorrow cartoon dealing with the subject:
Impact? Well it would change the nature of the “line item veto” debate.
picmr
Why isn’t saying “I haven’t done any in such-in-such years” considered an admission that he did in fact do it, albeit years ago?
Why isn’t this admission as big a deal as when it was discovered Clinton did pot many years ago?
Isn’t cocaine a wee bit worse that pot?
If we really had such a “liberal media” shouldn’t he be hammered by the press?
Revtime, you don’t watch much TV, do you?
George W. Bush HAS been hammered for (alleged-but-not-proven) cocaine use. The print media and the network news shows made much hay of it for months, before they finally realized that people cared even LESS about his alleged drug use than they did about Bill Clinton’s sex life.
Of course, while “serious” news media have given up pursuit of that story, you STILL can’t turn on LEno, LEtterman, Conan, or Comedy Central without hearing 50 jokes about George doing lines. IF George is elected, you can be sure those jokes will continue unabated for 8 years.
As for the facts at hand, all we KNOW is this: MONTHS ago, when there were still numerous contenders for both party’s nominations, reporters asked all contenders a list of “Have you ever done this-or that questions.” Everybody from both parties answerd “NO” to almost all the questions (except for a handful, who gave the standard “Well I puffed a few joints as a kid, but I regret that now” answer.
The exception? George W. wouldn’t answer the cocaine question. There’s no proof that he ever did, no witnesses have come forward to say they saw him do it, but everyone assumes (not unreasonably) that he MUST have done it, or he’d just deny it outright.
My feeling, then AND now, was that IF he did it, he might as well admit it, because IF he did it, SOMEBODY must have seen him buy or snort the stuff, and the scandal will only get worse later when that witness is found.
I have a slightly more sinister theory: I suspect he did NOT snort cocaine, but that there’s some OTHER skeleton of equal or heavier weight in his closet. I think he may have issued his “I’m not talking about my past” statement to hide that OTHER scandal (whatever it may be).
Maybe the other one is the dancing naked on a tabletop rumor…
How did that one come about, anyway?
Astorian, it’s true I don’t watch much TV. In fact, I watched much more TV when the Clinton-pot thing came out, so that could very well explain why it seems to me that it was made a bigger deal.
From your post, it sounds like you are saying GW never made the “hasn’t done any in the last 26 years” statement, which I would take as an admission he did partake. Am I correct, or am I reading too much into what you wrote?
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“I did experiment with cocaine one time, but I never inhaled, and never used the stuff again.”
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“It is a private matter not affecting my duties as Commander in Chief.”
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“There is no controlling legal authority.”
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“I did not have sex with that woman…”
…did cocaine years ago, or was a drunken fratboy doesn’t bother me. We’ve all done stupid things, especially in our youth.
What does bother me is the double standard of drug use. The Dubya supports the “War on Drugs” that criminalizes such behavior.
Today, a similar person would end up with jail time and a hefty fine for such youthful excess. Unless that person is rich and/or connected, where they get a slap on the wrist and maybe community service.
IF the Dubya did cocaine in the past, his social standing allowed him to escape the consequences of his actions. And supporting the “War on Drugs” maintains that social inequality.
Jesus strike me dead. I never thought I’d be defending an empty suit.
Here’s an admission:
I tried cocaine–a few times. Then, I stopped hanging out with the people who were doing it and never turned back. Frankly, I view youthful dalliance in drug abuse as a positive trait–it implies a certain curiosity and freedom of thought which I require of someone who is going to try to run my country.
That having been said, there are dozens of other reasons not to vote for that pinhead. I’m going to vote for the quy who understands and cares about the issues, assuming I can find him or her.
If he were to simply spotaneously declare “I haven’t used cocaine in 25 years”, that certainly would be suspicious. However, what happened was that after he refused to answer the “have you ever” question, he was asked “What about in the last 25 years”, and he said “no”.
It wasn’t a big deal when it was discovered Clinton did pot many years ago. That was only a medium-deal, at best. It became a big deal when he glorified his drug use on MTV to pander to the youth.
So you’re saying that if one were to do something stupid in their youth, they’re not allowed to learn from that experience and decide with later-gathered wisdom that such things can’t be good? Keep in mind, this was 26 years ago, not 26 days ago. A person can’t change his mind about drug use over the course of two and a half decades?
Oh, man, ain’t that the truth, for all sides of this election. When it comes time to fill out my ballot, I think I’m just going to vote for myself. Everyone… Vote Diddly in '00!
In politics, NOTHING can be spontaneous. If it is, you’re eventually gonna get burned, big time. I, for one, don’t blame the guy for being cautious, especially in light of the 8-year media circus surrounding Clinton.
Sofa King wrote:
[hijack] Now, I am not saying that I think it is so terrible to have dallied in drugs as a youth, but I would never consider it a positive trait! Come on! “A certain curiosity and freedom of thought”? Maybe it was different in George’s day, but in my circle of friends, not trying drugs was definitely “freedom of thought”. All my friends did it, there was a certain amount of peer pressure to try drugs. I was told “Everyone does it”, and yet I stood aside and didn’t ever try any drugs. I didn’t think there was any lack of “curiosity” on my part, either. Just didn’t see the appeal. [/hijack]
SPOOFE wrote:
I totally agree with this. I once had an argument with an old friend who thought that once someone has made some sort of mistake, they are never entitled to denounce it, or stand against it, lest they be looked on as a “hypocrite”. And I argued, “Can’t someone learn from their mistakes? Can’t they be allowed to realize that they screwed up, it wasn’t good, and they would want to warn others to not go down that road’?” Same here, I should think.
I totally agree with this, having sampled some illegal substances in my wayward youth.
The problem is that Dubya wants the kids to do 5 to 10 in the slammer for that youthful indescretion.
BTW, I have a question. Do you lose your right to vote if you are convicted of a felony?
On losing your right to vote: I’m 90% sure you are.
Spoofe B D said:
IF the Dubya did cocaine in the past, his social standing allowed him to escape the consequences of his actions. And supporting the “War on Drugs” maintains that social inequality.
So you’re saying that if one were to do something stupid in their youth, they’re not allowed to learn from that
experience and decide with later-gathered wisdom that such things can’t be good? Keep in mind, this was 26 years ago, not 26 days ago. A person can’t change his mind about drug use over the course of two and a half decades?
I think it’s great that Dubya learned a lesson from this all. That’s not the problem I have.
Kids today will end up doing time and paying fines, especially if their families aren’t rich or connected for those same youthful indiscretions.
What I’m arguing is a double standard of punishment. The Dubya gets off by saying ‘I was young and ignorant and did stupid things and promise not to do it again.’
Some other guy: 5-10 in prison and a big fine.
Nah, the statute of limitations is long past on that one, just as it is for me.
yosemiteebabe, you and I are just going to have to agree to disagree on that point. I still think you’re sexy.
Jesus again! I’m quoting Gordon Liddy now. Somebody help me–I think I’m turning into a Republican!
Here in Texas, I’ve heard for years now that Bush was a wild child and did coke in his day. It’s fairly common knowlege/rumor/whatever, ask any journalist from Texas.
That being said, I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure if he snorted blow, and that’s despite major investigations by some very large newspapers.
Does it matter? In my opinion, no, despite my Republican friends calling Clinton a “dope smoking draft-dodger” for the last eight years. Wouldn’t Bush fall under a similar category?
He is a hypocrite for supporting huge prison sentences to first time offenders for their own dalliances with drugs.
There’s a line to be drawn with regards to hypocrisy, isn’t there? A prison sentence doesn’t exist to only punish people who do wrong, it also exists to keep people from doing wrong in the first place. So he thinks people should be punished for committing a crime… where’s the hypocrisy, now? In the fact that he wasn’t always a straight shooter? Oh, consarnit, stop the presses! Apparently, society can’t have any laws, since the only (supposedly) perfect person was killed two thousand years ago!
Yes, yes, yes, that was dripping with bitterness and sarcasm, but my point is this… it’s not hypocrisy to dislike something, even after having experienced it.
SPOOFE said:
Heck, one could even argue that the reason W. supports the War On Drugs is because he knows how much getting into cocaine screwed over or nearly screwed over his life. “He knows how hard it is to get your life back after getting into hard drugs, and so he wants to make it even more tougher/dangerous for anyone else to get caught in that morass.”