Saturday, October 17, 2009

"Sick Puppies"

Sick PuppiesIt's often been noted how much whites love their pets, dogs in particular. I love dogs, but, like kids, I love them from a distance. I don't care for the daily walks so that they may relieve themselves while I walk behind with pooper-scooper in the ready, nor the daily grind of rearing kids that would challenge a Supernanny.

Just because whites love their dogs, doesn't mean that all uses of the word "dog" is flattering. There are some phrases that make you wonder just how much people love their dogs:

"Shoot him dead in the street like the dirty, low-down, dog he is," from a possible Western movie, to "She's a dog," when you wish to speak derogatorily of a woman's lack of feminine pulchritude.

So when you hear that Bush 41 refers to Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann as "sick puppies," as he responds to a question about media civility, or lack thereof, you've got to wonder if he got his cable channels straight, and really had Fox News in mind. Compared to Fox News' Glenn Beck, and Hannity, Countdown with Keith Olbermann and the Rachel Maddow Show are pussy cats, not puppies, next to the big dogs, the dobermans of Fox News.

At no time have their shows come close to spewing the vituperative venom against his son that spews from Fox's best when it comes to the denigration of liberals, and the besmirching of the president. Nothing the two MSNBC commentators have said over the years remotely justifies his attack, but we know President Obama has been called a "racist" by Beck, and is daily the object of Fox's derision and scorn.

Both Olbermann and Maddow responded to the ex-president. They did it with humor, a measure of stupefaction, and sincerity. Watch....

It all started out well, with an invitation to President Obama from Bush senior to the Bush Library and Texas A&M. In an open letter to the Aggie Family, Bush senior wrote the following:

To My Fellow Members of the Texas A&M Family:

Howdy! As you have probably heard, I have invited the 44th President of the United States of America to come visit the Bush Library and Texas A&M, and President Obama has graciously accepted.

Along with the administration, faculty, and so many of you, I am honored that The President, our President, is taking the time and making the effort to come to College Station on October 16th to talk about an issue that unites all Americans — namely, community service and its vast importance to our continued well-being as a Nation. Our country still faces many tough challenges, and the message that will come out of our Presidential Forum on Service, I hope, is that every American regardless of age has an important part to play in helping us overcome the obstacles to our common progress.

This is not about politics. This is about the importance of service to our communities and our country."
Read more here.

What prompted the letter was how Barack Obama was received on a previous visit by some in the student body. The letter asked for civility. So it was strange that Bush 41 chose to use the occasion to be uncivil to Olbermann and Maddow.

Now I have to give George H.W. Bush his props. He did attack the GOP for attacking President Obama's choice for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor:

"Former President George H.W. Bush stood up for his former judicial nominee Sonia Sotomayor Friday, telling CNN Anchor Robin Meade that GOP critics who called President Obama's Supreme Court pick a racist were off-base, and unfair.

'I don't know her that well but I think she's had a distinguished record on the bench and she should be entitled to fair hearings. Not - [it's] like the senator John Cornyn said it,' he told CNN. 'He may vote for it, he may not. But he's been backing away from these...backing off from those radical statements to describe her, to attribute things to her that may or may not be true.'"
Read more here.

And he had some pretty nice things to say about President Obama:

"Former President George H.W. Bush told CBS News that President Obama 'is entitled to civil treatment and intellectual honesty when it comes to critics.'"

Now some of this may be to soften President Obama's willingness to bring his son up on war crimes, and hold him judicially responsible for other possible unconstitutional acts, and to give others in his son's administration, such as Vice-President Cheney, a pass, and not prosecute for crimes he may have committed as he pursued a shadow government, and a proxy presidency.

It is written: "An attack is a cry for help." This unwarranted attack against two of MSNBC premier commentators can be described as such. I understand that Bush the elder wishes to protect his son, and his legacy, from adverse criticism, but I've never observed these two MSNBC pundits trading in lies and deceit. They pretty much document their positions, and often correct the so-called factual positions of their rivals, and are quick to own up, if they get it wrong.

Clearly Bush the elder wishes more for his son than his son's record warrants, and would that all people in the media accept his son's presidential policy decisions as unimpeachable. That's what fathers hope for, but that's unrealistic: his son did some God awful things while president, attacking a country that didn't attack us first, and waging a war against al-Qaeda in Iraq, when they were miles away in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

No, George H.W. Bush, Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann aren't the "sick puppies," your son, George Bush, and the people he surrounded himself with, are the "sick puppies."

11 comments:

RiPPa said...

For papa Bush, I think this was personal. I think what he said came from a place in his heart which festered on critique of his son.

I honestly wished the old guard as it were in the republican party would be more vocal in condemning much ofn the vitriol we hear.

But then I have to think and remember that this is just the way they do things - they'll even eat their own (think Goldwater in 1964, or John McCain when he ran against Dubya both times).

vanishing point said...

Bush, Sr, is probably grateful that the Obama administration hasn't pushed to have dubya indicted for war crimes.
It occurred to me a while ago, when I bought some political buttons and a birthday card that made fun of dubya, that his administration was so similar to Alfred E. Neuman' and Mad World, that the postion itself was lowered into the valley of absurdity, dubya actually reminds me of the King of Spain who was mentally disabled, still became King, and was a puppet.

Black Diaspora said...

RiPPa said...
"I honestly wished the old guard as it were in the republican party would be more vocal in condemning much ofn the vitriol we hear."

Those that don't speak up are tacit enablers which makes them as responsible for the party's black eye, as those who're doing the actual damage.

Black Diaspora said...

kathy said...
"Bush, Sr, is probably grateful that the Obama administration hasn't pushed to have dubya indicted for war crimes."

Kathy, I think it is playing into some of Bush, Sr, decisions to speak up on Obama's behalf.

He knows President Obama can, using his presidential powers, give his son hell to pay.

So whatever Bush the elder can do to offset that possiblity, he will do--even criticizing his own Republican party.

Ernesto said...

The Bushies have a very long and infamous history. Check out the Bush Crime Family Tree:

http://tiny.cc/bushcrimefamily

It's fascinating reading. You'll note that they were at times business partners with both Hitler AND the Bin Ladens. Not too many folks can claim so many amazingly unholy alliances.

The only good thing about W. is that he finally went so far as to ruin any chance of them ever making a comeback. He's kind of a combination of Dick Nixon and Michael Corleone in that regard.

Anonymous said...

This man cannot be TRUSTED! and is the President OUT of Texas? NOT a GOOD place for a Democratic President! I am reminded of John F Kennedy!

It seem's strange that, Bush would invite this President at this time, UMP! MEDIA, CIVILITY, and RACHEL and KEITH go hand and hand, when it come's to the President!!!

The Elder Bush is SHREWD!!!! I would not be surprised if he wrote that question about (CIVILITY)! this go's on all the time! this is called having certain people (Planted) in the Audience, to ask certain question you want to answer!

This would be Bush time to come after Rachel and Keith! for he is well aware, that Rachel and Keith are the two Main Support system's that the President has on Cable New's!

I don't know what will happen on Monday, but, I am sure Bush will hate the day he said the word's (Sick Puppy's)!!!!

iseeisee

Black Diaspora said...

@iseeisee: "It seem's strange that, Bush would invite this President at this time, UMP!"

You're right: It is suspicious. Part of it, I believe, is his hope that President Obama will not have his son up on war crimes.

He's being just a bit too nice.

"This would be Bush time to come after Rachel and Keith! for he is well aware, that Rachel and Keith are the two Main Support system's that the President has on Cable New's!"

I agree, which makes this make nice with Obama all the more suspicious. MSNBC's Rachel and Keith are two of the president's biggest boosters.

I'm with you: I don't trust him.

sisterstation said...

OMG I wasn't thinking of this that way, but I sure am now. Laddie,come home.

When I first heard what 41 said about O and M, the phrase "I know you are but what am I" ran through my mind. How mature, right?
But I have a hard time finding the right words for the way words and facts are twisted around into their opposites by folks on the other side of the aisle.
Of course Mr Bush has to say Keith and Rachel are sick puppies, so he can distsnce himself from the shameful reality of the evil-doer that is his son.
I went over to Wikipedia to refresh my memory about defense mechanisms.
Denial is defined as a refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening, or a way of resolving emotional conflict by refusing to perceive or acknowledge the more unpleaseant aspects of external reality.
Projection is defined as attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts and emotions to another. Lastly, rationalization is defined as convincing oneself that no wrong was done, thru the use of faulty and false reasoning.
I always knew they were a bunch of psychotic bastards.

Black Diaspora said...

Sisterstation, it appears that Bush, Sr, is guilt of all the "defense mechanisms": denial, projection and rationalization.

Now, I'm beginning to wonder what he managed to do as president that's unconstitutional, if he can rationalize his son attacking Iraq, and
spying on the American people, deny his son's culpability, and project incivility upon those whose task it is to uncover such political hubris, and presidential excess.

Blinders Off said...

At first I thought his comment was outrageous for calling Keith and Rachel "sick puppies", but then I thought about how much he HATE Keith and Rachel. Let's not forget Bush 41 is ANGRY with Keith and Rachel for exposing the TRUTH why his son attacked IRAQ. The main goal was to avenge his Dad and KILL Hussein.

Black Diaspora said...

Hi, Blinders Off. I pray you're well. You're right about Bush the elder: He'll never forgive Keith and Rachel for exposing the real reason behind his son's attack on Iraq.

Saddam's attempt to kill Bush's parents had to be the driving force behind his attack. Iran, at the time of our invasion, was the bigger threat to our national security, and not Iraq, but Bush and company flipped the script, making Iraq the bigger threat.

Not every one has the military might of the U.S. with which to settle a vendetta. But, if you're the president, and the Commander in Chief, it's a piece of cake.