This movie of George W. Bush jocularly giving the finger has made its rounds on the internet for a while, and from what I can tell, it appears legitimate. But does anyone know where it came from, and when it happened?
Click on the second picture, and you’ll see a video.
The reporters who were there agree, it was his thumb, not his middle finger.
Sam’s link is not the same video.
The first link is a VERY clear shot of W. flipping off the camera on what looks like a talk show set or something. Long before he was president.
I’m not an expert but it looks faked to me. There’s an obvious jump just before he gives the finger. And frankly the arm looks like it’s photoshopped in.
I believe the video of Bush flipping the bird is from when he was running for governor of Texas. He was about to give a television interview, and he was joking around with the camera crew before the camera went live.
It would appear the “jump” is actually the animation looping. Gimme a sec.
I have extracted the first 19 frames of the animation for y’all to see! linky
As it happens, the jump is the animation looping (it starts with Bush giving the finger) and it would appear that it’s real, what with the motion blur and all. But judge for yourself.
Sorry. That first link, for me was nothing but a still with NO finger anywhere in sight.
So, you mean Bush makes a habit of doing this? 
I’d say both are “real” videos. The second one, however, is not his finger, but his thumb as was stated earlier.
Make a thumbs-up sign with your right hand, look down your arm at it. That is the perspective it was shot at.
It’s a real video, here’s a version with sound and some more context:
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2654327
Wow. Somehow that version makes it seem even more bizarre and ill-advised.
I stand corrected
I realize that the tread was just asking if it was real, but, who cares?
No, just makes him seem like more of a dumbass.
Anyone recognize the look on his face afterwards?
Its the look of a man who just did something stupid, knows it, and is trying to play it off by smiling.
I like the sound of the muffled gasps from the crowd when he does it on the video version. It’s sort of uncomfortable to watch.
It looks and sounds to me that he was clowning around in front of a camera that wasn’t broadcasting, and that others off-camera laughed.
Well, there is the inadvertent flipping off of Australia a few years back (th reversed peace sign). Too many accidents of hand gestures and actions to be a coincidence.
Is it really a big deal if he gave someone the finger? As if 80% of the population[sup]*[/sup] doesn’t do it on a daily basis driving to work?
This is akin to Ronald Reagan’s “outlawed Russia” comment. Just general tomfoolery, perhaps in part due to being nervous in front of a camera/microphone, that happened to get taped. I’m far more offended by, say, Cheney’s use of profanity on the Senate floor – a deliberate act of offense.
[sup]*[/sup] I grew up in Boston, okay?