Althouse: George Bush, in a kiss at the moment of victory.

October 30, 2010

George Bush, in a kiss at the moment of victory.

The Rangers have finally won a World Series game.

46 comments:

Meade said...: Talk about sanity. George W. Bush, as former POTUS - reviled by Obamatons and deranged lefties everywhere - has been the picture of civility and quiet statesmanship.; 10/30/10, 9:28 PM
former law student said...: What was with the fan in the blue tutu standing not far from where Bush was sitting? I assume it was a guy -- I guess it could have been a broad-shouldered, flat-chested woman.; 10/30/10, 9:28 PM
LonewackoDotCom said...: And, all across America, tea partiers felt a strange, very strong stirring, their hearts a-flutter a-new at the vision of the world's greatest ex-president beside Reagan, a true patriot unlike the COMMUNIST in the White HOUSE ( peekURL.com/vctb9qi ).

Teapartier hearts are filled with joy and fervent pangs of desire at the thought of Bush letting 5 million new illegal aliens enter the U.S.; about 14% of Mexico's working-age pop lives here. Their thoughts become engorged at the idea of Bush lying us into war and spending three trillion dollars in the process.

Their hearts flutter at the thought of America's greatest patriot waving a Mexican flag while uttering "reconquista"-style comments. Their eyes (among other things) get wet at the thought of their idol promising to push amnesty in a pledge to the Mexican government.

Note: since 'partiers are absolute idiots, I have to point out that I almost dislike Obama as much as Bush. It's called principles, something that 'partiers don't have.; 10/30/10, 9:35 PM
John Lawton said...: I'm pretty sure that was a young woman or teenager in the tutu... very enthusiastic too! Also, the kiss from W was for Nolan Ryan's wife, with Nolan embracing Laura.; 10/30/10, 9:36 PM
former law student said...: Bush's first feat of quiet statesmanship was getting the good citizens of Arlington, Texas, to pay 71% of what it cost to build the stadium via increased sales taxes. The owners -- including 2% shareholder W. -- financed the remaining 29% from ticket sales.

This showed W., early on, to be both a tax and spend Republican, and a borrow and spend Republican -- he obtained his buy-in money from a bank loan.

Arlingtonians should be just about done paying their share -- I wonder if the Rangers ever had "Arlingtonian Appreciation Day," to let them see the fruit of their investment.; 10/30/10, 9:43 PM
Anonymous said...: W is throwing out the first pitch in the game tomorrow night. Do you think he will wear "mom jeans" in sympathy with Obama?; 10/30/10, 9:48 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: FLS shows he still has BDS. Or he is, as usual, uninformed because Arlington is but one city out of 25 that have been coaxed or coerced to do the same thing.; 10/30/10, 10:00 PM
Sprezzatura said...: "reviled by Obamatons and deranged lefties everywhere"

But all of the right loves the guy. Right?; 10/30/10, 10:01 PM
Unknown said...: This will live in the hearts of Lefties along with Dubya's harassment of Angie Merkel.

1jpb said...
"reviled by Obamatons and deranged lefties everywhere"

But all of the right loves the guy. Right?

PB&J's chronic, severe case of the cutes once again befuddles him into idiocy. The right loves him for defending his country and fighting its enemies, and for being a class act.

His spending, however, marked the beginnings of the Tea Party movement.

And TARP was a really bad idea.

PS Wack needs to link to an objective, as opposed to objectionable, site to verify his ridiculous claims. Yes, we all know he wanted a "comprehensive" immigration bill, but reconquista?; 10/30/10, 10:09 PM
Kurt said...: I think I must use facebook too much. I was looking for the "like" button underneath Meade's comment.

wv: exessm; 10/30/10, 10:14 PM
Sprezzatura said...: Ed, AJ, Meade, etc,

I sincerely wish you folks were less eager to step up as W apologists. I'm sure that y'all believe 'this time' you're going to be tough on the Rs, and you won't stand for their deficit spending ways. But, the pro-cons know that they can do whatever they want. Your W loyalty is the best signal that you'll be excuse making for them, when they're done fooling you, again. If you weren't so easily manipulated, you'd have more power over your party.; 10/30/10, 10:30 PM
former law student said...: Or he is, as usual, uninformed because Arlington is but one city out of 25 that have been coaxed or coerced to do the same thing.

I search for consistency but do not find it.
$800 million for a 1950's style passenger rail line between Madison and Milwaukee -- a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money.
$135 million gift to a private business -- beyond criticism.

Further, unfortunately, the excuse that all the other Johnnies jumped in the lake never worked with my parents.; 10/30/10, 10:30 PM
Unknown said...: Every time I see that smirking criminal GW Bush sitting in the stands at the Texas Rangers games eating popcorn, I want to throw up. This guy should be behind bars along with Cheney and the rest of his administration.; 10/30/10, 10:39 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: $135 million gift to a private business -- beyond criticism.

Just so you know,I don't approve of publicly funded ballparks either and it certainly isn't a credit on GWB's record.

But just because some people in Texas wasted a bunch of money on a stadium back in the 90s doesn't mean some other people in Wisconsin should waste even more money on some trains now.; 10/30/10, 10:42 PM
Robert W. said...: This was carved by an acquaintance of mine: Miss Me, Yet?

Ann is free to repost the image if she likes!; 10/30/10, 10:53 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: FLS- I don't support publicly financed football stadiums though I think well-located baseball stadiums can be good for a city. And you are just a f-ing dickhead to single out Bush for this type of public largesse.

PB&J - I did not knee jerk support Bush - FLS trolled out his BDS and I called him on it.; 10/30/10, 11:10 PM
garage mahal said...: Maguro is concerned about trains outside his state.; 10/30/10, 11:12 PM
former law student said...: FLS trolled out his BDS and I called him on it.

George and Laura raised two capable and attractive daughters -- if there's anything else I can put on the credit side of his ledger please let me know.; 10/30/10, 11:24 PM
Sprezzatura said...: AJ,

That's the problem. You're so predictably anti-D. The Rs know that you have nowhere to go.

Look at Meade's comment. He's not simply praising W. He (w/o provocation) needs to attack the libs. As soon as the Rs get you folks into this mindset, they know that you can't leave them. The same is true for the so-called feminists who supported WJC.

None of you hard core types (on either side) matter. You're too easily locked in.; 10/30/10, 11:31 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: Maguro is concerned about trains outside his state.

Oh...I don't have the moral authority to comment on Wisconsin transportation issues? Pretty sure you were here yesterday talking about all the Federal swag this project would bring in, so it affects out of staters, too.

In any case, the people of Wisconsin will have their say on Tuesday.; 10/30/10, 11:35 PM
Meade said...: Just saw this. Boo indeed. Heh.; 10/30/10, 11:40 PM
garage mahal said...: well, that money has already been "spent". it sure has been spent politically. It's part of the reason Walker is getting elected. So he should thank Obama and build that train.; 10/30/10, 11:41 PM
JAL said...: Well, fls, at least the "people of Arlington" got something for their money, unlike the boondoggle called "stimulus."

And I am not sure how you missed the point being made that some 25 cities have built sports stadiums. Was W behind all those also? Didn't think so.

As for positive things on the record ... the daughters? Sure you weren't out there hardy-haring about what drunken lushes they were as many of the other BDSers were?

You also missed the fact that on the plus side you might put that his commitment to global AIDS work was truly world and life changing in a positive, and huge, way.

The present POTUS lies through his teeth about something he himself supported and voted for. He seems unable to acknowledge good in anyone or anything which is not about him. Sad.

But don't fret. George Bush isn't depending on your approval or vote. He's a grown-up.; 10/31/10, 12:27 AM
Kirk Parker said...: Carla,

Hey, nice to see another commenter that really, really wants civil war. The last one was such a riot, wasn't it?; 10/31/10, 12:41 AM
Mark said...: Eh, W's current legacy is that right now, this instant, Jihadist terrorism is a one-day story.

Sorry, hate to bring reality in, but 9 years ago today that wasn't the assumed arc of history.

Break the Arc. (Today) it's good for you. Good luck, Tea Party candidates!; 10/31/10, 12:50 AM
Kev said...: You can talk politics all you want to, but I'm going to talk baseball for the moment. I can't begin to tell you what it meant to us long-suffering Rangers fans to dispatch the Yankees last week, and seeing World Series banners on the side of the Ballpark is something that a lot of us out here didn't think would happen in our lifetimes.

And the caption is a bit misleading; it may have taken the Rangers 38 years to get to play a World Series game, but it only took four days to win one.; 10/31/10, 1:54 AM
Wandering Geologist said...: It's okay, Arlington makes up for the subsidized stadium and ballpark by being the largest city in the US without public transit.; 10/31/10, 1:59 AM
Mutaman said...: "quiet statesmanship."

Huh? What statesmenship- desperatly trying to come up with a few WMDs? Writing apologies to those of us who lost our asses in the market the last year of his administration? Damn right he's quiet-- he has nothing to say and no one will listen.; 10/31/10, 2:47 AM
Mark said...: Mutamen, gonna dispute my assertion? Or are you on Talking Point Guidance?; 10/31/10, 3:08 AM
Unknown said...: 1jpb said...

Ed, AJ, Meade, etc,

I sincerely wish you folks were less eager to step up as W apologists. I'm sure that y'all believe 'this time' you're going to be tough on the Rs, and you won't stand for their deficit spending ways. But, the pro-cons know that they can do whatever they want. Your W loyalty is the best signal that you'll be excuse making for them, when they're done fooling you, again. If you weren't so easily manipulated, you'd have more power over your party.

The word 'dense' comes to mind here. Nobody apologized then or now for the spending. It outraged people and helped send his ratings southward. Porkbusters was going full blast well before '09.

Of course, PB&J thinks he's the Stephen Colbert of Althouse and he's making great fun of the 'cons', but all he does is make an ass of himself. The KosKid (really, White House) talking points intended to spread FUD impress no one.; 10/31/10, 4:16 AM
James said...: "Bush's first feat of quiet statesmanship was getting the good citizens of Arlington, Texas, to pay 71% of what it cost to build the stadium via increased sales taxes. The owners -- including 2% shareholder W. -- financed the remaining 29% from ticket sales.

This showed W., early on, to be both a tax and spend Republican, and a borrow and spend Republican -- he obtained his buy-in money from a bank loan.

Arlingtonians should be just about done paying their share -- I wonder if the Rangers ever had "Arlingtonian Appreciation Day," to let them see the fruit of their investment. "

Have the Brewers ever held an Appreciation Day for the residents of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington and Racine counties who are paying for Bud Selig's stadium?

I have absolutely no interest in baseball, and I've never once set foot in Miller Park, yet I'm forced to pay .10 percent on every purchase to finance it.

And unlike Arlington, the revenues from the five counties have been lower than anticipated so the expiration date of the sales tax has been pushed back from 2014 to 2021 at the earliest. And I'll wager that in 2021 we'll still be paying for that stadium.; 10/31/10, 4:49 AM
James said...: Brown County residents got the chance to approve a referendum authorizing a .50 percent sales tax to finance the renovation of Lambeau Field.

No such luck for S/E Wisconsin residents; the Legislature pushed through a wealth transfer from residents to the Selig family in the middle of the night.

And now you wonder why there's so much resistance to the proposals of high speed rail and light rail joining Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee.; 10/31/10, 4:59 AM
ndspinelli said...: Although not a fan of W, I always liked his old man. Both have shown class and decorum after their Presidencies. Contrast them to a doddering Jimmy Carter appearing on Maher's show this weekend. Even Bubba has shown more statesmanship than Carter.; 10/31/10, 5:54 AM
tim maguire said...: I know it's probably a low res picture phone, but that looks awfully photoshopped. Nobody in it looks right.; 10/31/10, 7:18 AM
Michael said...: FLS: George Bush went to better schools than you and evidently has a higher IQ. From a resume point of view you probably have done better than being the managing partner of a MLB team, the Governor of a large and financially sound State and President of the United States of America. Oh, and he has just finished a book.

By any measure your life is shit.; 10/31/10, 7:48 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: That was the only part of the game I caught, and I didn't mind it, at all.; 10/31/10, 8:10 AM
Dad said...: The kiss wasn't the image that stayed with me. It was the shot of W and Laura after Martha Plimpton's rendition of God Bless America. He was clearly choked up and blinking back tears.

Hard to imagine Obama being moved by something so banal.; 10/31/10, 8:29 AM
Trooper York said...: I don't think you dirty Tea Partiers are being fair to our great President Obama.

He is the first President to institute the ritual kiss as part of a Presidents duties.

Haven't you seen him kiss the ass of every enemy of the United States that he ever met!

Fair is fair.; 10/31/10, 10:50 AM
LL said...: Wandering Geologist - According to this Arlington got public transit in October 2008.

http://blogs.ridemetro.org/blogs/write_on/archive/2008/10/14/Bus-Service-Debuts-in-Arlington_2C00_-Texas.aspx

Perhaps it has changed and it may be very limited; however, they do have it.; 10/31/10, 10:57 AM
Terrye said...: I miss the guy. I don't care what anyone says, he was a class act.; 10/31/10, 12:42 PM
Terrye said...: Lonewacko:

What a load of crap that post was. The usual nonsense, none of which is even true. Btw, if you want to talk about amnesty and the things Bush said in the past or whatever, look at some of the things Reagan said, he made Bush sound like Tancredo in comparison.

As for other people yakking about TARP or whatever, it turns out that TARP is going to cost very little money in the long run, in fact a lot of it will make money. And TARP is not the same thing as the stimulus and all the other nonsense the Democrats have piled on. Personally, I don't have a problem with some emergency measures in times of crisis..I just don't like seeing the Democrats use the crisis to bankrupt the country. Bush never did anything like that. Whatever he did was temporary and intended to deal with an emergency.; 10/31/10, 12:49 PM
Terrye said...: edutcher:

I don't think spending was a problem for Bush in the minds of most of the electorate. When the Democrats took control of the Congress in 2007 the deficit was $161 billion for that year, it is more than that in a month now. If people had actually been concerned about spending they would not have replaced Republicans with bigger spending Democrats. I think the years of in fighting on the right and the incessant propaganda from the media just word people out. They wanted something and someone different. Now, they are stuck with Obama.; 10/31/10, 12:57 PM
Unknown said...: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/popular-in-africa-bush-has-given-more-aid-than-any-other-us-president-783387.html; 10/31/10, 3:07 PM
ken in tx said...: I never understood this stuff about Bush's smirk. I never saw it. My wife did. Maybe it is like Obama's Mussolini chin thrust. It's obvious to me but apparently not to others.; 10/31/10, 4:47 PM
former law student said...: Very good point about Bush's aid to AIDs sufferers in Africa -- I'm putting it on the credit side of his leger.

Like I said, I can't recognize the "everybody was doing it back then" defense. Further, I can't picture Meade being inspired to write, "Talk about sanity. Bud Selig, as former car dealer, has been the picture of civility and quiet statesmanship." We hold presidents to a higher standard.

When the Democrats took control of the Congress in 2007 the deficit was $161 billion for that year

Yes, the Bush economy was in freefall but it didn't hit bottom till September, 2008. The real i.e. "on-budget" deficit was twice that -- Social Security tax revenues made up the difference.; 10/31/10, 5:48 PM
Mutaman said...: "I just don't like seeing the Democrats use the crisis to bankrupt the country. Bush never did anything like that. Whatever he did was temporary and intended to deal with an emergency."

Yeah, its not like he fought two wars without paying for them.; 10/31/10, 7:24 PM