About This “But He Kept Us Safe” Meme…(pt. II)
January 21, 2009Yea, I know I’ve been over this before, but I thought I’d mention that there now appears to be a website created for the purposes of formally thanking Bush for it (h/t LGF):
Never mind the irony that Bush has stated on multiple occasions that he regrets the whole “Mission Accomplished” thing, of course. On his watch, nearly 3000 died in the worst terrorist attack in American history. In response, he turned around and invaded a country that had nothing to do with it, resulting in even more American lives lost, tens of thousands wounded, and hundreds of billions of dollars spent…and nearly 6 years later, we’re still there. But we’re supposed to thank him, because the batshit crazy cave-dwellers haven’t managed to pull off another stunt with knives and flying lessons? They’re saying that not allowing the same mistakes and oversights to happen again is cause for some sort of praise, and willfully ignoring the fact that the battle was being waged well before 9/11, and making the assumption that those of us that hadn’t died horrifying deaths would be living under bin Laden’s rule if it wasn’t for the protective blanket provided by Papa Bush. I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it.
Well, if one admits that it’s a cop-out for unconditionally supporting the guy all these years, then maybe I get it.
Anyway, if you click the image, you’ll see also that the site’s founders make the claim that “the president’s Number One Mission is to protect our nation” (bold in original). But as we saw yesterday, the oath requires the president to swear to “preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States”. Much has been made of the conflict between the two principles during Bush’s eight years in office, certainly, and I would assume that the ultimate goal would be to avoid sacrificing one for the sake of the other. So how did Bush do with regard to the actual oath? Pretty poorly, it would seem.
So go ahead and thank him, if you wish. You’re just a couple clicks away. Give him the ol’ A for effort. For myself, I think instead I’ll wait see if Obama is capable of cleaning up the mess first.
Exit thought: That image of Bush has always spooked me. Is it a gay lover look? A Manson-esque stare? The failed televangelist? I’m not sure, but I’d take his ridiculous eyebrow-contorting phony smirks any day of the week over that crazy mugshot.
ChenZhen's Chamber 
Oh noes not a part 2 😮 I may have something more to say about this later when its not close to 12am but until then I want to throw a prediction out there that this post will get at least 120 comments.
To be fair, if we’ve learned anything over these past 8 years it’s to defend the law you have to break the law. At least that’s what I got from Batman, and Bush was just following his example.
Bush did keep us safe from terror, and my magic keychain kept us safe from giant meteor strikes. You will notice that there haven’t been any since I bought it.
Well, we should probably set up a website to formally thank you for that, cloak. Meteors suck.
I guess if America doesn’t get attacked in the next 4 (or maybe 8) years, then these people would have to thank Obama as well.
But I guess they’ll stick to calling him lucky.
I know I put a lot of words up there, but the logic boils down quite simply. If you’re going to accept the premise that the president’s “Number One Mission” is to protect the nation, then Bush failed miserably on 9/11. They’re essentially thanking Bush for not failing a second time. So, it seems pretty absurd to give him a pass on the big one, then go out of one’s way to heap praise and thank him for the time period since. It’s a pretty obvious cop out from where I’m sitting, relying on some intellectual dishonesty and unfounded assumptions.
For myself, I know I’ve given Bush a hard time for his famous 7 minutes, the fear mongering, and launching an unnecessary war, but I’ve never really blamed him too much for the 9/11 attacks themselves. After all, I don’t think anyone can honestly say that it’d wouldn’t have happened if Gore had won in 2000. Hindsight being 20/20 and all that, could it have been thwarted, realistically? Who knows. Did the policies changes that would have been specifically and uniquely Bush prevent more attacks? Just how likely were more attacks? Well, I don’t think anyone really knows that for certain either. Maybe it will be decades until we know. Maybe we’ll never know. Maybe what he’s done is increase the likelihood of more attacks sometime in the future. But it seems kinda silly to thank him for something that didn’t happen, that he may or may not be responsible for, and for reasons we don’t know. Especially when things like terrorism and other threats have been everyday concerns for U.S. presidents since the very beginning.
You don’t have to go to all that trouble. I accept cash. 😛
In Europe few people beleived Bush… France, Belgium didn’t want to be his servants any longer but the UK premier played to be his dog. But then Sarkozy wants to take his place… We cannot blame a people for their leaders, thank God.
Now people in Europe exspect a lot of the change promised by Obama. In Holland 90% of the population would have voted for him… well you still have huge propaganda machines over there.
We will see, what happens, but do not longer wait for Big Brother America for making things to happen. We are seeking for new alliances like this one which is pretty nice. Thanx ChenZen. Are you Chinese? This is a nice initiative any way.
Daniël Verhoeven from Belgium (Brussels)
FYI: Brussels is a town in Belgium, not the other way around like Bush might have thought.
you should delete your exit thought-it does a disservice to your post
@Alfie
Sorry, I was just thinking about the film: If it’s tuesday, this must be Belgium. It was popular here.
I was addressing Chen Daniel
In the months after 9/11, Bush was an awesome Commander in Chief. I still get chills when I see the footage of him climbing on that concrete heap with a mega-phone or firing that perfect strike at the Yankee game. Within only 3 weeks, we were annihilating Taliban cock suckers. Fucking them up. I can’t even organize the roster of my softball team in three weeks before the season starts. Can you imagine looking to Al fucking Gore during those crazy weeks????
There are many things I disagree with Bush about. But when it comes to the war on terror, the Texan stepped up.
How ironic that Chen’s first post after Obama becomes president is more Bush bashing. Yawn.
Chen, it’s time for you to weigh in on the whole war crimes issue. As I stated in my final assessment of Bush on my blog, I think the guy deserves to go back to TX and be left alone. He screwed this country up with the best of intentions.
The problem now is that Obama does not completely control Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld’s fate. A United Nations tribunal (or something like that) can independently charge these dudes with war crimes. And the worst part is Bush and Cheney at least, admitted in nationally televised broadcasts that they knew about the torture and authorized it! You don’t get better testimony than that. I personally do not want to see Bush prosecuted but I’m not sure we may have any choice.
R-
Is Bush guilty of war crimes? Probably, under one of the internationally recognised definitions. Will he be charged/prosecuted? Nope. The world just doesn’t work that way.
Alfie-
But there’s just something spooky about that particular picture. I’ve always thought so, I continue to think so, so I thought I’d mention it. I’m sorry if you find it unbecoming, but frankly I’d rather you tell me that I’ve lost my marbles than suggest that I censor my own opinion. Or is this a form issue (the topic is only tangentially related to the thread, therefore it should be a separate thread)?
By the way, in response to DR2, I don’t think many folks fault Bush for the immediate response within Afghanistan. If he’d stayed there and kept the Taliban down and caught Bin Laden, he’d be a friggin hero. Instead he had to go pick a fight with the dude who bullied his daddy. You can talk till you’re blue in the face Rabbit, you can’t justify Iraq.
lol…I would personally take up arms against the UN if they came after Bush.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/23/mideast/detainee.1-414168.php
this sums up everything you liberals refuse to accept.
Huh? That guy was released under Bush’s watch. Maybe that sums up everything that the “he kept us safe”-ers refuse to accept.
Well Chen I thought I was doing you a friendly service in my suggestion not invoking censorship. Have it your way though. You’re losing your marbles. Your gay reference should be noted to be fairly offensive and thoroughly ridiculous. It’s a fairly normal pic. I guess perhaps along the lines of “… in the eyes of the beholder” which leads me to agree with those that in turn think your eye is attached to someone crazed.
It surely would be worthy of it’s own separate Chen thread in the spirit of the crypt keeper vein.
Under who’s watch the dude was released under doesn’t matter. It highlights the importance of Gitmo and keeping those barbaric bastards locked up.
This post just goes to show how out of touch the hard-core leftists are with the concerns of the American People. A Pew Poll*, released today, showed these as the top three concerns of the respondents:
Economy 85%
Jobs 82%
Terrorism 76%
So concerns over terrorism are in a virtual tie with concerns over losing ones job and the economy. There is a lesson there, Comrade Chen and friends. The American people are not going to be happy if “The One” lets the guard down and a couple million citizens go up in a fireball or inhale a tiny spec of plutonium and all die a horrifying death within six months.
But I have the feeling those crazy rug wearing muthaf_cka’s must make you just a little bit uneasy once in a while. You just want to take any opportunity to Bash Bush, even after he’s gone.
But he doesn’t deserve it. Look at those poll numbers again.
* http://people-press.org/report/485/economy-top-policy-priority
Eh, DR2, I fully agree. Let’s lock those bastards up … in PRISONS after they’ve been CONVICTED and not in gulags where they haven’t even been charged.
Let’s not keep them locked up someplace safe, like 90 miles off the coast of the United States. No, let’s drop them into Nancy Pelosi’s local jail and let her constituents pay the multi-million dollar legal and court costs as the best legal minds in this country attempt to free them to wage jihad again.
Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Alfie-
Through my travels, I’ve certainly seen many pictures of GWB, and IMO only that official portrait makes him look kinda gay. Now I suppose that suggesting that there is such a thing as a “gay look” might be offensive or at least controversial, but what’s done is done. He’s got a gay look on his face. I said it.
Not a bad idea, considering the fact that I might have some pictures in the vault here to back up what I’m saying.
I would argue that any president who has fought iin a war can be convicted of war crimes with a clever prosecutor.
The U.N. keeps sticking it’s nose where it doesn’t belong. I wouldn’t mind seeing that nose trimmed off a bit. The problem with the U.N. is that it is just as much under the thumb of our enemies as it is under the thumb of the U.S. Actually, it’s probably more under the thumb of our enemies.
The UN is the United Nations, not the United States. If they live up to their purpose, they will be impartial, not under anyone’s thumb.
The UN hasn’t served a vital role in some time. I’d like to see them step up to the plate and take a more active part in bringing peace to the world.
The UN isn’t SUPPOSED to be under anyone’s thumb, but saying it isn’t is like saying Congress isn’t under the thumb of the liberal ideology right now. The difference is that the Senate leadership changes every 2 years.
“I’d like to see them step up to the plate and take a more active part in bringing peace to the world.”
The problem is that the U.N. is a giant government with no oversight (kind of like the Supreme Court).
Definitely the “failed televangelist” Chen. And boy, I felt soooo safe when the economy crashed into ruins. I just knew I was safe then. Why do conservatives focus on terrorism when it comes to Bush but never manage to mention the economic woes we’re in in debate? Hmmm?
Because the economy isn’t somethiing the government can fix.
Maybe i should comment to set some things straight, perhaps later when i feel like getting abused.
It helped crash it I believe….