Monday, January 19, 2009

George W. Bush - A Chronological Retrospective

George W. Bush - A Chronological Retrospective

Eight years. We had to suffer through Bush for eight long years. What do we have to show for it? Well, here's a small sampling of some of Bush's shining moments as our EIGHT President.


Date: September 11, 2001


On the morning of September 11, 2001, President Bush was about to begin reading the story along with a group of schoolchildren at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota County, Florida when White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card informed him that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center. Bush remained and followed along as the children read the book aloud, and remained with them for more than seven minutes more. Bush's critics, notably Michael Moore in his film Fahrenheit 9/11, have argued that the fact that Bush continued reading the book after being notified that the attack was ongoing shows that he was indecisive. After spending about twenty minutes with the children, Bush was scheduled to give a short press conference at about 9:30. At the conference inside the school, Bush made his first speech about the attacks and was later taken to a secure location by the Secret Service aboard Air Force One before returning to the White House later that evening. According to Bill Sammon in Fighting Back: The War on Terrorism from Inside the White House, Bush's Press Secretary Ari Fleischer was in the back of the classroom holding a pad on which he had written "DON'T SAY ANYTHING YET."

Osama bin Laden made reference to the story in a videotaped speech released just prior to the 2004 U.S. presidential election, claiming that Bush's reading of the book had given the hijackers more than enough time to carry out the attacks.



Date: January 14, 2002


On January 14, 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush emerged in front of a press conference with a very prominent broken blood vessel welt on his cheek, and said that he had choked on a pretzel while watching television the day before. Bush had reportedly been sitting on his couch, 90 minutes into watching an NFL football Miami vs. Baltimore play-off game on television, when he choked on the pretzel, falling to the ground, injuring himself, and briefly losing consciousness before awakening to see his dogs Barney and Spot showing alarm at his state. Laura Bush was reportedly in the adjoining room at the time, and Bush was alone watching the football game.

His physical injuries consisted of a scrape and bruise across his cheek and lower lip, injured by his glasses when he fell from the couch. He was attended by a physician following the incident. United States Air Force physician Dr. Richard Tubb, who performed the follow-up examination, theorized that the food morsel may have stimulated a nerve, upon becoming lodged in the President's throat. The incident did not affect the President's scheduled flight the following day, and as a joke he had a bag of pretzels sent back to the media pool aboard Air Force One with a note scrawled on the bag, "Chew slowly", once the plane was en route.

The following day, Bush twice addressed press reporters joking that he should have listened to his mother and "chewed before he swallowed."



Date: August 4, 2002


It's a ritual when President Bush golfs: As he gets ready to tee off, reporters toss out a few questions about the news of the day from their perches on a nearby sand trap. This morning, Bush wasn't waiting. He sprang from his golf cart at 6:15 a.m. and said he was "distressed to hear about the latest suicide bombers in Israel."

Just over four hours before, as Bush slept at his parents' seaside retreat, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew up a bus in Israel, killing nine passengers.

Bush, wearing khakis and a knit shirt, was holding a driver in his gloved left hand. The rest of his foursome, including his father, former president George H.W. Bush, was waiting. However incongruous the setting, the president plunged ahead. "There are a few killers who want to stop the peace process that we have started, and we must not let them," he said. "I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers."

His business out of the way, Bush barely paused for breath before saying, "Thank you. Now watch this drive."



Date: September 17, 2002


You've got to understand there are some in this world that simply do not adhere to the ideals we believe in. In Iraq, they don't put their hand over their heart and say, "Liberty and justice for all." They don't believe in liberty. The dictator who runs Iraq doesn't believe in justice. He only believes in liberty and justice for those who he decides get liberty and justice.

There's a lot of talk about Iraq on our TV screens, and there should be, because we're trying to figure out how best to make the world a peaceful place. There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again. You've got to understand the nature of the regime we're dealing with. This is a man who has delayed, denied, deceived the world. For the sake of liberty and justice for all, the United Nations Security Council must act, must act in way to hold this regime to account, must not be fooled, must be relevant to keep the peace.



Date: May 1, 2003


"Mission Accomplished," a phrase associated with completing a mission, is in recent years particularly associated with a sign displayed on USS Abraham Lincoln during a televised address by United States President George W. Bush on May 1, 2003.

Bush stated at the time that this was the end to major combat operations in Iraq. While this statement did coincide with an end to the conventional phase of the war, Bush's assertion — and the sign itself — became controversial after guerilla warfare in Iraq increased during the Iraqi insurgency. The vast majority of casualties, among both coalition (approximately 98.3% as of October 2008) and Iraqi combatants, and among Iraqi civilians, has occurred since the speech.



Date: August 10, 2004


When President Bush was questioned about tribal sovereignty in the 21st century at a gathering of minority journalists he responded: “Tribal sovereignty means that. It’s sovereign. You’re a … you’re a … you’ve been given sovereignty and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity.” Jesse Jackson makes light of Bush’s remarks at the conference and we speak with Mark Trahant, the reporter who asked Bush the question. [includes rush transcript]



Date: November 22, 2005


President George W Bush tried to make a quick exit from a news conference in Beijing on Sunday - only to find himself thwarted by locked doors.

After answering just six questions from a group of US reporters, the president strode away heading towards the door.

President Bush tugged at both handles on the double doors before admitting: "I was trying to escape. Obviously, it didn't work."



Date: July 16, 2006


Vladimir Putin delivered a barbed retort to George Bush's muted criticism of Russia's democratic record yesterday when he told reporters at a joint press conference that he did not want to head a democracy like Iraq's.

The remark, which raised a loud laugh from the assembled press pool, capped a joint appearance that exposed how relations between the two men have become strained in the past two years, since Washington began criticising Putin's iron grip on Russia's media and politics.

Bush said that, during two hours of discussions, 'I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq where there's a free press and free religion. I told [Putin] a lot of people in our country ... would hope that Russia would do the same thing. I fully understand, however, that there will be a Russian style of democracy.'

Putin replied, smiling: 'I'll be honest with you: we, of course, would not want to have a democracy like in Iraq.' Bush interrupted to say 'Just wait' - a reference to Iraq's democracy being in its infancy - before Putin continued: 'Nobody knows better than us how we can strengthen our own nation. But we know for sure that we cannot strengthen our nation without developing democratic institutions. And this is the path that we'll certainly take; but certainly we will do this by ourselves.'



Date: January 5, 2007


President Bush has revealed a policy change during a visit by German leader Angela Merkel - no more back rubs.

Mr Bush raised eyebrows last July at the G8 summit in Russia, when he walked up behind a seated Mrs Merkel and briefly massaged her shoulders.

She initially threw her arms up and grimaced, then smiled when he let go.

"No back rubs," a smiling Mr Bush joked as the two leaders ended a joint news conference after talks at the White House in Washington.



Date: July 10, 2008
-No video.. for this one the words speak louder and more of an example of this administration as any video would.

President George Bush signed off with a defiant farewell over his refusal to accept global climate change targets at his last G8 summit.

As he prepared to fly out from Japan, he told his fellow leaders: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."

President Bush made the private joke in the summit's closing session, senior sources said yesterday. His remarks were taken as a two-fingered salute from the President from Texas who is wedded to the oil industry. He had given some ground at the summit by saying he would "seriously consider" a 50 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2050.


There you go. A run down on some of the moments through the Bush era.
There is nothing silly or lovable about that man. His awkward gaffes and aw shucks attitude aside, he is a terrible, evil man with a heart of shit. You know it's a good thing he didn't choke on that pretzel and die or Cheney would be president. The

I mean, really. This President ended an international speech like this.
"...the primary movers are Prime Minister Blair and Bertie Ahern of Irel and, who have been working very diligently on this. I appreciate their efforts, and anything I can do to help keep the process moving forward, I'm more than willing to do so. Listen, I've got to go eat a burger"



I'm still very surprised and I really c
an't believe Bush campaigned as a compassionate conservative who would be a uniter/moderate. I mean in hindsight that claim is laughable.

But to put things into a glass half full sort of mindset, Bush is still not worse than Andrew Jackson and that fucker got his face on our currency. That prick did targeted genocide and a lot worse than anything G-dawg was able to accomplish.

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