Bush endorses McCain, backhands Cheney in process.

[BroncoBuff]

OMG!

Bush endorsing McCain in the Rose Garden just now ... and a reporter asks, "how will you advise Senator McCain about who he should choose as a running mate?" Bush actually responded, quickly without thinking and in a faux-joking manner, "I'd advise him to be careful who he picks to head the search committee." Of course it was Cheney who headed Bush's search committee, and he recommended himself as we all remember.

That is a roundhouse backhand to Cheney ... and imo, a real peek behind the scenes of the Bush Administration. If you think about it, that's nowhere close to a joke-worthy comment ... if Cheney was a valued contributor and stalwart righthand man in Bush's eyes, that would NOT be something that sprung to his feeble mind in that moment.

No, this helps prove my overall theory on the topic, that Bush was of course never a man of any gravity at all, but merely a product to be sold, and Karl Rove was the marketing and sales expert. Using the burgeoning, politically active Christian fundamentalist movement, Rove first marketed and sold Bush as a governor. Then he expanded the product line for sale as a presidential candidate. When they started actually succeeding and beat McCain in the 2000 primaries, at some point they must've stopped and said, "geez, we might actually have to govern. Do we have anybody that knows anything about governing?" Of course the answer was NO ... all they had were maketing/sales people and religious zealots. But Daddy knew some people! Let's call them! And that day in Crawford, Texas ... about 8 years ago today ... when daddy's friend Dick was kind enough to head up 'that thar searchin' committee thang', THAT was the point in history when it all went to hell.

Using his keen Machiavellian instincts, honed over three decades in Washington and in mega big business, Cheney had his foot in the door. He must've realized pretty quickly that these Texas rubes were long on marketing skills, but short on Washington brains. So he named himself the running-mate, and negotiated a vice-presidential relationship such that he told Dan Quayle, "the President and I have a very different understanding" of what his duties would be. Cheney took advantage of these rubes by skillfully negotiating unprecedented vice-presidential powers, and thus the doors were opened to the neocons. At that instant, like hounds loosed from hell, into the White House flooded miscreants like Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Robert Kagan, Paul Wolfowitz, Scooter Libby, John Bolton, David Addington and Donald Rumsfeld. And the rest is tragic history. Bush was just a patsy ... just a commodity to be sold.



Long story short ... Even Bush knows, on some low-brow level, that Cheney's policies have cost him and his presidency dearly. And that is why - on the spur of that moment - he answered honestly and said, "I advise Senator McCain to be careful who he chooses to head the VP search committee."

[footstepsfrom#27]

Nothing like crawling out on a limb...he waited till McCain had the nomination in his pocket to endorse him. I guess he figured if acted sooner for McCain the party might vote for Huckabee or somebody else... Does McCain actually think this will HELP him in November? If so I'd have to seriously question his judgement.

[BroncoBuff]

Well, McCain stood right there and said he was "looking forward to the president campaigning with me" this fall.

That love of Bush (easy guys), plus his warmongering, his welcoming stance on illegal aliens, his pro-NAFTA at all costs stance, his age .... all this oughtta make this a cakewalk for any Democrat ... not even that milquetoast Harry Reid could blow this election with his droopy dawg "three day old cup of tea" oratories....

And while I'm on Harry Reid, WhenTF is Biden or Dodd (or Clinton for that matter) gonna wrest the Senate majority leader reins from his feeble hands?

[Kaylore]

Dude, it was a joke. I can't believe you wrote so much about a joke. It was a playful poke at his friend and VP. Everyone knows the conditions that Cheney was selected under, that's what makes it humorous. Calm down.

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

Dude, it was a joke. I can't believe you wrote so much about a joke. It was a playful poke at his friend and VP. Everyone knows the conditions that Cheney was selected under, that's what makes it humorous. Calm down.

No way ... that is positively not a jokeworthy comment - it was not an atmosphere for 'poking fun.' It was a serious question about whom Bush - a favorite of the right wing of the party that dislikes McCain - might endorse for VP. Besides, he's not clever enough for such a quip.

I don't think he meant it as a straightforward slap at Cheney - he did cuch it in a joking manner, but it seemed out of place in that atmosphere of endorsing McCain. I think it was one of those nervous, awkward, Freudian attempts at humor that actually reveals unintentional truth. Perhaps a bit like Bill Clinton minimizing Obama's South Carolina win by saying, "remember, Jesse Jackson won here in 84 and 88." He couched that as a serious analysis of the primary, but most people saw it as a knock atthe victory as "just a black thing." This Bush comment was very similar I think ...

[footstepsfrom#27]

McCain has bigger problems than he knows. It's a bad sign for him that the religious right that constitutes (along with African Americans) the single largest block of loyalists voters, barely made a ripple in favor of Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee. If the RR was so poorly motivated in this election in the wake of the beat down they've suffered through at the hands of the Bush regime, it's apparent they may not be motivated to give McCain the same loyalty they gave Reagan and Bush II. Hillary might motivate them to vote for literally anyone instead, but if Obama wins this thing, McCain will have trouble bringing out anywhere near the numbers of RR voters that helped Bush to a razor thin win over Gore. Factor in the fact that this dude is already the same age Reagan was when he won his SECOND term...meaning he'd finish a two term presidency at age 80...along with the dubious endorsment of a guy with a 30% approval rating...and you have the makings for a recipe that is going to be hard to sell in November.

[TailgateNut]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

Dude, it was a joke. I can't believe you wrote so much about a joke. It was a playful poke at his friend and VP. Everyone knows the conditions that Cheney was selected under, that's what makes it humorous. Calm down.

You just can't come to grips with the fact that your party has screwed the pooch for 7+ years and that the Evil One had more control than he should have had.

[Rohirrim]

Very good analysis, BB.

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by TailgateNut

You just can't come to grips with the fact that your party has screwed the pooch for 7+ years and that the Evil One had more control than he should have had.

Yes, that's part of the point I was trying to make ... that Cheney has backdoored his way into a presidency by taking advantage of these Texas rubes ... Bush, Alberto Gonzalez, Harriett Miers, Karen Hughes ... these people were WAY overmatched in Washington, and I have little doubt Cheney saw these weaknesses very early on, and took advantage of them to forward his pro-oil, big business, neocon agenda.

Even Rove is a rube from a governing standpoint ... he's just a paid political operative.

Bush's "Freudian" slap at Cheney just fits right into this mosaic of power and history perfectly ... most everybody feels Cheney has been the real power or close to that most all this time. Now we just have another piece of the puzzle that shows how it all happened. IMHO.

[footstepsfrom#27]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

Yes, that's part of the point I was trying to make ... that Cheney has backdoored his way into a presidency by taking advantage of these Texas rubes ... Bush, Alberto Gonzalez, Harriett Miers, Karen Hughes ... these people were WAY overmatched in Washington, and I have little doubt Cheney saw these weaknesses very early on, and took advantage of them to forward his pro-oil, big business, neocon agenda.

Even Rove is a rube from a governing standpoint ... he's just a paid political operative.

Bush's "Freudian" slap at Cheney just fits right into this mosaic of power and history perfectly ... most everybody feels Cheney has been the real power or close to that most all this time. Now we just have another piece of the puzzle that shows how it all happened. IMHO.

Gotta give Bush credit for one thing though...he's at least had sense enough not to go duck hunting with Cheney.

[Kaylore]

Originally Posted by TailgateNut

You just can't come to grips with the fact that your party has screwed the pooch for 7+ years and that the Evil One had more control than he should have had.

Because I don't think when Bush made a joke about his VP that he was calling out Cheney?!? You people have serious issues. The guy makes a joke at the White House and you all think it's proof he's bemoaning Cheney's evil ways, is angry at the state of the Republican party, is too stupid to tie his shoes, and was a puppet of Karl Rove?!? No one has said anything about this.

I just don't get how you lefties see the world: Everything is a conspiracy theory. The world is overpopulated, overpoluted, we live in a police state, the poor are trodden on, our economy is crashing, racism is rampant, we should save the criminals but kill the unborn children, all rich people don't deserve their wealth, China, Cuba and North Korea are "no big deal", the US is the real evil empire, and Government will fix everything. I don't know why most of you don't kill yourselves with such a depressing world view. I can't begin to see those things if I wanted to - and why would anyone want to?

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

Because I don't think when Bush made a joke about his VP that he was calling out Cheney?!? You people have serious issues. The guy makes a joke at the White House and you all think it's proof bemoaning Cheney's evil ways, is angry at the state of the Republican party, is too stupid to tie his shoes, and was a puppet of Karl Rove?!? No one has said anything about this.
I just don't get how you lefties see the world: Everything is a conspiracy theory. The world is overpopulated, overpoluted, we live in a police state, the poor are trodden on, our economy is crashing, racism is rampant, we should save the criminals but kill the unborn children, all rich people don't deserve their wealth, China, Cuba and North Korea are "no big deal", the US is the real evil empire, and Government will fix everything. I don't know why most of you don't kill yourselves with such a depressing world view. I can't begin to see those things if I wanted to - and why would anyone want to?

No no no ... this wasn't "proof" of anything, nobody's saying that! I'm just saying that the "joke" seemed out of place in the Rose Garden atmosphere of formally endorsing McCain, and on the serious topic of a veep who might placate the right wing of the party. It was awkward, I think it was one of those nervous Freudian attempts at humor that actually reveals unintentional truth ....

In terms your political leanings can understand and embrace ... it was a bit like Bill Clinton minimizing Obama's South Carolina primary win by saying, "remember Jesse Jackson won here in 84 and 88." He couched that as a serious analysis of the primary, but most people saw it as a knock on Obama's win as "just a black thing." This Bush comment was very similar I think.

It's not "proof" ... it's just another puzzle part of the mosaic of how neocons came to influence - even hijack - a president who had zero publicly held neocon leanings before Cheney came on board.

[Kaylore]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

No no no ... this wasn't "proof" of anything, nobody's saying that! I'm just saying that the "joke" seemed out of place in the Rose Garden atmosphere of formally endorsing McCain, and on the serious topic of a veep who might placate the right wing of the party. It was awkward, I think it was one of those nervous Freudian attempts at humor that actually reveals unintentional truth ....

In terms your political leanings can understand and embrace ... it was a bit like Bill Clinton minimizing Obama's South Carolina primary win by saying, "remember Jesse Jackson won here in 84 and 88." He couched that as a serious analysis of the primary, but most people saw it as a knock on Obama's win as "just a black thing." This Bush comment was very similar I think.

It's not "proof" ... it's just another puzzle part of the mosaic of how neocons came to influence - even hijack - a president who had zero publicly held neocon leanings before Cheney came on board.

No, this helps prove my overall theory on the topic

I really think you guys need to give the guy credit and realize Bush has known what he was doing this whole time and that Bush is himself a Neo-Con. He really believes in all these policies and that's why they're a problem. Karl Rove helped him get to the White House, but he picked Cheney because he thought the same way he does. They're both Neo-cons. He isn't some person that doesn't know what to do until someone tells him. Like him or not, he's doing all this of his own accord.

[TexanBob]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

Because I don't think when Bush made a joke about his VP that he was calling out Cheney?!? You people have serious issues. The guy makes a joke at the White House and you all think it's proof he's bemoaning Cheney's evil ways, is angry at the state of the Republican party, is too stupid to tie his shoes, and was a puppet of Karl Rove?!? No one has said anything about this.

I just don't get how you lefties see the world: Everything is a conspiracy theory. The world is overpopulated, overpoluted, we live in a police state, the poor are trodden on, our economy is crashing, racism is rampant, we should save the criminals but kill the unborn children, all rich people don't deserve their wealth, China, Cuba and North Korea are "no big deal", the US is the real evil empire, and Government will fix everything. I don't know why most of you don't kill yourselves with such a depressing world view. I can't begin to see those things if I wanted to - and why would anyone want to?

It's because most Democrats don't really believe the bilge they spew. It's all for effect. Depress the economy. Defeat the military. Destroy our reputation abroad. If they can't CONTROL you, they'd just as soon DESTROY you.

I remember when Reagan was president and the nightly news was a nightly parade of homelessness, AIDS, global pollution, why-can't-our-enemies-love-us? and sob stories. As soon as Clinton was elected, BAM-O! Homelessness disappeared. AIDS was cured. America was loved throughout the world and every night was another orgy for Bill and his friends to join in on.

It wasn't until 1994 and the Republican takeover of Congress that the media had anything to grouse about again. And then, after so many years of blaming everything wrong on the Republican president and exonerating the Democrat congress, they went about demonizing the Republican congress and exonerating the Democrat president.

So, you see, their entire worldview is based on whether the people running the country have a "D" after their names or an "R". Bush and Cheney are just the latest in their smear campaign but, frankly, they'll do it to anyone with an "R". The only reason they've been soft on McCain is that McCain is a useful idiot to them. Once he's no longer useful, they'll savage him the way they savage all Republicans.

[BroncoBuff]

You may be right Khan, but I read an article - I think it actually might've been a Maureen Dowd column - that traced Bush's pre-presidency policies and positions, and the upshot was Bush never publicly expressed anything close to neocon leanings or beliefs. In fact, in the primaries, there is a soundbite from a speech that I have personally heard where Bush condemns nation-building. Might've even been at the convention.

I'll betcha Bush never had any subsantive discussions pre-presidency with Perle, Wolfowitz, Feith, Addington, Libby, Bolton ... any of those guys. No, those are all Cheney's guys. Don't you think it's more likely that - after it was clear they would win the nomination - they reached out to Bush Sr.'s experienced people, and that Cheney opened the door to the neocons?

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by TexanBob

It's because most Democrats don't really believe the bilge they spew. It's all for effect. Depress the economy. Defeat the military. Destroy our reputation abroad. If they can't CONTROL you, they'd just as soon DESTROY you.

I remember when Reagan was president and the nightly news was a nightly parade of homelessness, AIDS, global pollution, why-can't-our-enemies-love-us? and sob stories. As soon as Clinton was elected, BAM-O! Homelessness disappeared. AIDS was cured. America was loved throughout the world and every night was another orgy for Bill and his friends to join in on.

It wasn't until 1994 and the Republican takeover of Congress that the media had anything to grouse about again. And then, after so many years of blaming everything wrong on the Republican president and exonerating the Democrat congress, they went about demonizing the Republican congress and exonerating the Democrat president.

So, you see, their entire worldview is based on whether the people running the country have a "D" after their names or an "R". Bush and Cheney are just the latest in their smear campaign but, frankly, they'll do it to anyone with an "R". The only reason they've been soft on McCain is that McCain is a useful idiot to them. Once he's no longer useful, they'll savage him the way they savage all Republicans.

Smear campaign?! WTF are you talking about? The press adored Ronald Reagan ... how old are you TB? And Clinton was savaged his first year ... remember the picture of he and Stephanolpoulus - heads in hands - on the cover of TIME? Fer heavenssake, Clinton had to bring in a Republican with WH experience to smooth out his operation (David Gergen), and the press skewered him on that. No TB ... you're just like all Republicans ... bitter that even after 'Monica-gate,' Bill Clinton left office with record, sky-high public approval ratings.

FACT: Bush inherited a budget surplus from Bill Clinton.
FACT: Six years later, including four years of GOP control of both houses, using Cheney's philosophy that Reagan taught us "deficits don't matter," (idiot), the U.S. budget deficit was higher than it E V E R had been.

Next to 1) the Iraq war, and 2) the utter failure to capture the man who perpetrated 9/11 (history will feature that failure prominently), this budget fiasco will be the #1 indefensible Republican scandal of the catastrophic Bush presidency. Put simply, the Republicans looted the United States treasury.





(When the weren't too busy having gay sex or sex with minors or adulerating, that is)

[DBruleU]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

Because I don't think when Bush made a joke about his VP that he was calling out Cheney?!? You people have serious issues. The guy makes a joke at the White House and you all think it's proof he's bemoaning Cheney's evil ways, is angry at the state of the Republican party, is too stupid to tie his shoes, and was a puppet of Karl Rove?!? No one has said anything about this.

I just don't get how you lefties see the world: Everything is a conspiracy theory. The world is overpopulated, overpoluted, we live in a police state, the poor are trodden on, our economy is crashing, racism is rampant, we should save the criminals but kill the unborn children, all rich people don't deserve their wealth, China, Cuba and North Korea are "no big deal", the US is the real evil empire, and Government will fix everything. I don't know why most of you don't kill yourselves with such a depressing world view. I can't begin to see those things if I wanted to - and why would anyone want to?

I'm glad there is a voice of reason on this board to comabt the ridiculous Lefty "oh no the sky is falling" crap.

I can't believe how much Buff can read into something that is such a non-issue.

[Kaylore]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

You may be right Khan, but I read an article - I think it actually might've been a Maureen Dowd column - that traced Bush's pre-presidency policies and positions, and the upshot was Bush never publicly expressed anything close to neocon leanings or beliefs. In fact, in the primaries, there is a soundbite from a speech that I have personally heard where Bush condemns nation-building. Might've even been at the convention.

I'll betcha Bush never had any subsantive discussions pre-presidency with Perle, Wolfowitz, Feith, Addington, Libby, Bolton ... any of those guys. No, those are all Cheney's guys. Don't you think it's more likely that - after it was clear they would win the nomination - they reached out to Bush Sr.'s experienced people, and that Cheney opened the door to the neocons?

I hear you on that, but I don't remember hearing that Bush ever broke bread with those old-school conservatives before Cheney was involved. I know for a fact that Iraq was Bush's idea, for example. I also think you guys are missing the boat with the whole "911 was planned by Bush" thing. People forget that Bush didn't give a rat's ass about the mid-east prior to 911. If you all remember he was real into putting pressure on China and going after them. He sold a bunch of weapons to Taiwan and threatened to sell the AEGIS system to their navy. After that plane landed on their land, tensions were really high between the US and China. 911 changed all that and he decided to face terrorism and ask for China and Russia's help in doing so.

My point is that you guys have always underestimated him and to this point he's still in power because of it. I think fundamentally he's neo-con. Big government that uses it's big power to do whatever it wants.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by footstepsfrom#27

McCain has bigger problems than he knows. It's a bad sign for him that the religious right that constitutes (along with African Americans) the single largest block of loyalists voters, barely made a ripple in favor of Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee. If the RR was so poorly motivated in this election in the wake of the beat down they've suffered through at the hands of the Bush regime, it's apparent they may not be motivated to give McCain the same loyalty they gave Reagan and Bush II. Hillary might motivate them to vote for literally anyone instead, but if Obama wins this thing, McCain will have trouble bringing out anywhere near the numbers of RR voters that helped Bush to a razor thin win over Gore. Factor in the fact that this dude is already the same age Reagan was when he won his SECOND term...meaning he'd finish a two term presidency at age 80...along with the dubious endorsment of a guy with a 30% approval rating...and you have the makings for a recipe that is going to be hard to sell in November.

That would be the common sense wisdom, but GeeDubya was also a recipe that was hard to sell in 2000.

Never underestimate the power of right-wing snake oil salesmen like Rove and the corporate media.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by DBruleU

I'm glad there is a voice of reason on this board to comabt the ridiculous Lefty "oh no the sky is falling" crap.

I can't believe how much Buff can read into something that is such a non-issue.

I will give you this possible scenario: He might've been referring to Cheney's horrible poll numbers as the weight on his presidency ... instead of my assumption it was Cheney's policies. But there was some truth leaking out of that awkward, Freudian "joke."

You should really see the soundbite ... it was not a comfortable "joke" moment. Placating the right wing is very important to McCain's run - he needs them energized and turning out the vote to counter these historic Democratic turnouts. And his choice of VP is no joke.

[TexanBob]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

Smear campaign?! WTF are you talking about? The press adored Ronald Reagan ... how old are you TB? And Clinton was savaged his first year ... remember the picture of he and Stephanolpoulus - heads in hands - on the cover of TIME? Fer heavenssake, Clinton had to bring in a Republican with WH experience to smooth out his operation (David Gergen), and the press skewered him on that. No TB ... you're just like all Republicans ... bitter that even after 'Monica-gate,' Bill Clinton left office with record, sky-high public approval ratings.

How old are you, goofball?

The media despised Ronald Reagan. They used the same "idiot warmongering cowboy asleep-at-the-switch dunce" character smears on him that they recycled for Bush43.

Remember the nickname the media gave him? The "Teflon President". He got that because the media claimed that "nothing (negative) sticks to him". Well, how could he have gotten that nickname except that the Dems and the media tried everything they could to *make* something stick. Finally, they got some traction with Iran-Contra and used that to hammer him throughout his second term.

Every night Sam Donaldson is pummeling Reagan on ABC and eventually lamented that it wasn't resonating because their videos of Reagan showed a happy, smiling joke-telling guy who didn't match up with the mean-spirited bigoted dunce the media tried to portray him as.

And what about the media drumbeat that "Reagan Gave Us AIDS"?? Hysterical left-wing nonsense given serious creedence by the news media.

How about "Reagan Made Us Comfortable With Our Prejudices"? Pure liberal hatemongering.

I remember because I lived through it and I still remember it. Your depiction is 180 degrees out of phase with the truth, buddy.

[gunns]

Originally Posted by TexanBob

It's because most Democrats don't really believe the bilge they spew. It's all for effect. Depress the economy. Defeat the military. Destroy our reputation abroad. If they can't CONTROL you, they'd just as soon DESTROY you.

I remember when Reagan was president and the nightly news was a nightly parade of homelessness, AIDS, global pollution, why-can't-our-enemies-love-us? and sob stories. As soon as Clinton was elected, BAM-O! Homelessness disappeared. AIDS was cured. America was loved throughout the world and every night was another orgy for Bill and his friends to join in on.

It wasn't until 1994 and the Republican takeover of Congress that the media had anything to grouse about again. And then, after so many years of blaming everything wrong on the Republican president and exonerating the Democrat congress, they went about demonizing the Republican congress and exonerating the Democrat president.

So, you see, their entire worldview is based on whether the people running the country have a "D" after their names or an "R". Bush and Cheney are just the latest in their smear campaign but, frankly, they'll do it to anyone with an "R". The only reason they've been soft on McCain is that McCain is a useful idiot to them. Once he's no longer useful, they'll savage him the way they savage all Republicans.

You either live in a fantasy world, wear foggy rose-colored conservative glasses, or are too young to actually have witnessed the fiction you wrote above.

[gunns]

Originally Posted by TexanBob

How old are you, goofball?

The media despised Ronald Reagan. They used the same "idiot warmongering cowboy asleep-at-the-switch dunce" character smears on him that they recycled for Bush43.

Remember the nickname the media gave him? The "Teflon President". He got that because the media claimed that "nothing (negative) sticks to him". Well, how could he have gotten that nickname except that the Dems and the media tried everything they could to *make* something stick. Finally, they got some traction with Iran-Contra and used that to hammer him throughout his second term.

Every night Sam Donaldson is pummeling Reagan on ABC and eventually lamented that it wasn't resonating because their videos of Reagan showed a happy, smiling joke-telling guy who didn't match up with the mean-spirited bigoted dunce the media tried to portray him as.

And what about the media drumbeat that "Reagan Gave Us AIDS"?? Hysterical left-wing nonsense given serious creedence by the news media.

How about "Reagan Made Us Comfortable With Our Prejudices"? Pure liberal hatemongering.

I remember because I lived through it and I still remember it. Your depiction is 180 degrees out of phase with the truth, buddy.

Unfortunately I lived through it too and the media made the Reagan lore what it is today. I don't remember anything about the AIDS thing against Reagan. Link? I don't remember the Teflon thing coming around until Iran Contra and by then a lot of people were beginning to see Reagan for what he truly was. I'm one that does feel "REagan Mad Us Comfortable with our Prejudices" and our elitism. Unfortunately again, the media lore hung on further and Reagan's alzheimers got him out of Iran Contra and made most forget about Bush's involvement also. Your poor, poor Reagan lore above is laughable.