Quote of the Day

Back when it mattered, conservatives wrote book after book after book about how Bush was a hero rebel cowboy genius war president who we must follow. Now he's a massively unpopular failure.
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So now that it's too late to matter, one movement conservative told another movement conservative, "hey, guess what, Bush wasn't a movement conservative at all!" And that's enough to wonder whether Bush had warm feelings for them?!? Who the hell cares? When it mattered, they revered Bush like the Chinese did Mao.

Most sensible critics of Bush weren't nearly concerned about his relationship to the religious right as a movement than they were over his utterly callous disregard for human life. After all, he reassured us that Islam itself wasn't the cause of terrorist extremism and then suspended the attack on the Taliban to go after the only secular regime in the region instead.
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I remeber that even Pat Robertson cautioned him against attacking Iraq.

The Right is trying to distance itself from Bush for two reasons, Bush's presidency was a total failure, and they want to maintain a posture of competency, as they go about lecturing the Left on how to run the country.

Just goes to show that even Bush can't decipher Bush.

But I find it even more significant that Bush would express such contempt for leaders of the conservative religious movement that many of his critics suspected of having such influence in his administration.

Why is this a contradiction? You think politicians don't feel contempt for their constituents?

Is it not obvious by now? George W. Bush never gave a flying f___ about politics. The only "movement" that Bush ever cared about was the Bush Movement.

Bush liked playing a President. He liked wearing flight suits and POTUS bomber jackets. He liked POTUS head covers on his golf clubs. He liked giving people with ten times his brain power diminutive nicknames to make himself feel important.

Bush liked getting his a$$ kissed. Other than that, he wanted to be on vacation. The man spent over 1000 days at Camp David or in Crawford or Kennebunkport.

FYI, Amy: for sociopaths, it's always about them. Only them.

It's yet another reason why Bush's nomination and election as President is such a "Huhmenahuhmenahuhmena... Wha?" in history.

You'd think the political movers and shakers could have pulled him aside and, I dunno, asked him a question or something.

Thanks, Amy. Can you slip in another post while KT's out on tour at the MPW conference? And could you put together something for “1000 words” since there wasn't one last weekend?
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As for Bush, what was he thinking? There definitely was / is a movement; Frank Schaeffer can tell you that; his dad helped create it. But I'm pondering your quote, “…electing one of their own was the only way to get a president who would fully support their concerns.” When such tribalism puts themselves ahead of the rest of us at any price – think HC / insurance lobbyists – we tend to get screwed. Also. Besides, have those religious leaders forgotten Jesus' keep Caesar and God stuff separate? I think they have. What do you think, Amy? Thanks.

[...] Amy Sullivan at Swampland: York is surprised that Bush would conflate the decades-long rise of political conservatism with the Religious Right. But I find it even more significant that Bush would express such contempt for leaders of the conservative religious movement that many of his critics suspected of having such influence in his administration. Gary Bauer, after all, wasn’t exactly the conservative establishment’s draft choice in 2000. He–and, to a lesser extent, John Ashcroft–was instead preferred by religious conservatives who thought electing one of their own was the only way to get a president who would fully support their concerns. A new report out this month shows that top Religious Right figures–including Bauer–were regular visitors in the Bush White House. Whether Bush considered them welcome visitors now seems an open question. [...]

4 more days, me hearties!!!
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An' two into th' no-feedin' week!
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Arrgh!

[...] said. “I whupped Gary Bauer’s ass in 2000. So take out all this movement stuff. There is no movement.” When Latimer was “perplexed,” Bush explained, “Look, I know this probably [...]