February 2, 2013

On the death of Barney the dog, George Bush reveals a portrait he painted of his "faithful friend."

"Barney was by my side during our eight years in the White House... He never discussed politics and was always a faithful friend. Laura and I will miss our pal."



I like the "43" signature. Did you know the Bush had taken up oil painting? I'd missed the snarky notes about it last summer, like this from ArtFagCity:

This is all the information we have: at a hospital fundraiser in Memphis Monday night, former President George W. Bush mentioned his new hobby, oil painting. He told the crowd he’s “kinda stuck” to painting dogs. Tragically, there are no pictures. [The Daily Beast] Relatedly, we’ll totally pay you if you find pictures of George W. Bush’s dog paintings.
I guess Bush knew his dog was dying — it was 12 years old and had lymphoma — and he intended to show his first artwork when the time came to announce the dog's death.

And then there was this, last October: "George W. Bush Painting Dogs All Day, Becoming ‘Agoraphobic,’ Is Skeptical Of Romney’s Chances, New Profile Of Bush Fam Reveals."
The mag describes a Bush that is hiding away from the public eye, with one unnamed person observing: “He’s become increasingly agoraphobic… he doesn’t like people, he never did, he doesn’t now.”

The profile also says: “The most unpopular president in recent political history, W. left a record of big-government spending and intractable wars that remains difficult even for allies to defend … W. remains convinced history will vindicate him...."
He doesn’t like people, he never did, he doesn’t now.... So says an unnamed person.



A hug for President Bush today. And I think the painting is very good. Of course, there will always be Bush haters. Can't stop the Bush haters from hating their Chimpy McHitler.

You know, Hitler painted.

113 comments:

madAsHell said...

I thought Hitler was an art student.

I can see why that didn't work out for him.

Darrell said...

Bush was a far better man than we were ever allowed to know. We'd be far better off if we never knew about Obama.

Darrell said...

Obama paints dogs, too. With BBQ sauce, just before it comes off the grill.

Robert Cook said...

Bush was a disaster, but the painting of Barney is pretty good.

LilyBart said...

Bush was a far better man than we were ever allowed to know. We'd be far better off if we never knew about Obama

The uneven treatment by the media of the repubicans and democrats is a scandal. What is journalism anymore? Certainly not to inform.

Cody Jarrett said...

I'm almost speechless Ann. Nice entry--well done.

GWB is a good guy. Not my favorite POTUS, but a good and decent guy.

And Barney was a cool dog. I remember a show where the host went to Crawford and hung out with Bush, they went fishing in the pond (one of the ponds?) on the place. Barney would stand in the front of the boat, very much at attention and when a fish would be brought into the boat he'd bark his damn head off and go nuts. Apparently he hated him some fish. Bush said he had, in the past, gone right into the water trying to get them before they made the boat.

Dogs are crazy. We like dogs. Don't trust people that don't like dogs.

Shouting Thomas said...

The press and leftist campaign to demonize Bush is as inexplicable and brain dead as its determination to suck Obama's dick.

Why do people get so personally and emotionally involved with the presidency?

Hagar said...

That is a pretty good painting.
And painting animals is not any easier than painting people. If you are a beginner, stck to still lifes.

cubanbob said...

I would rather have another eight years of Bush than eight more days of Obama.

kentuckyliz said...

That's why I asked if I invite a living person to the resurrected dead party, promise they'll die?

That dog served our country, if you think about it.

kentuckyliz said...

Oh, and I have a question: is Godwin's law only for commenters? If not, Godwin flag on the play over the Hitler mention.

Tank said...

Lousy pres.

Good painting.

I don't believe the stuff about him not liking people or being agoraphobic. Just my impression. I'm guessing he would be fine to hang out with, even better back when he was drinking, and a good friend to those who know him.

Still, a very bad Pres.

I wish I could paint like that.

kentuckyliz said...

Is the person alleging agoraphobia a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, or other mental health provider?

Tank said...

kentuckyliz said...

Oh, and I have a question: is Godwin's law only for commenters? If not, Godwin flag on the play over the Hitler mention.


I think this was meant to be funny/ironic in light of the BushHitler hysteria of the leftists.

Robert Cook said...

"I would rather have another eight years of Bush than eight more days of Obama."

What's the difference?

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Why is it that the shittiest websites take the longest to access?

MadisonMan said...

Losing a dog is a dreadful thing.

I like the painting. If I were to have painted a picture of my last dog, greatly missed still after 9 years, even with a replacement dog with neuroses, the painting would have looked awful.

LilyBart said...

"I would rather have another eight years of Bush than eight more days of Obama."

What's the difference?


Well, for one, Bush actually *liked* America.

Cody Jarrett said...

Tank: while not a great POTUS, he was a far better one than we were (or have) been allowed to know.

One example: unemployment at statistically zero, played by the howling hordes in the media as the second coming of the Great Depression. Contrast that with whatever the number is now (they say about 8% but the real number is easily double that).

Tank said...

LilyBart said...
"I would rather have another eight years of Bush than eight more days of Obama."

What's the difference?

Well, for one, Bush actually *liked* America.



While true, irrelevant. Bush did great damage to this country in eight years. Too early to tell who did/will do more damage. Probably Zero, but not a sure thing.

Good intentions are worth s***. Show me the results.

SGT Ted said...

Not liking leftwing assholes -"Clymers", isn't the same as not liking people.

Shouting Thomas said...

Bush's role in the subprime mortgage scam was a disaster. No doubt about that. Obama was in on that, too. Who wasn't?

Bush's Hispanic recruitment plan for the GOP was a disaster for the Republican Party, too... one that is being amplified and repeated by the inevitable upcoming amnesty.

SGT Ted said...

Not to mention TARP. Another disaster.

Guildofcannonballs said...

"What's the difference?"

W. bent over backwards to get Democrat support for his shit.

W. liked Democrats sometimes and didn't shit on them every chance he got.

W. was a pussy.

Obama doesn't work with Reps because he doesn't like them, and Obama isn't a pussy.

LilyBart said...

While true, irrelevant. Bush did great damage to this country in eight years. Too early to tell who did/will do more damage. Probably Zero, but not a sure thing.

Bush was a big government guy, and big spender, absolutely. And he did his damaage, both to the country and to the 'conservative' brand. (he was *not* conservative). But there seems to be a malignant malice to Obama's approach. I think his damage will be more profound, and likely irreversible.

SGT Ted said...

Actually Obama is a pussy as well, probablly even more so than Bush.

Look how he acts when a reporter actually asks a tough quesion. Giant pussy.

Hell, if Obama had the same press treatment that Bush got, he would still be Senator Obama.

pm317 said...

Bush's painting is quite good. Who knew?

pm317 said...

I would take Bush the person any day before Obama.

Freeman Hunt said...

I didn't know Bush could paint. Nice picture.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Bush was a subpar president. So is Obama.By 2017, we will have endured 16 straight years of subpar, inadequate presidents. Bush, however, is a good man who had the class, as a former president, to step out of the spotlight and go away. Obama, like Clinton and Carter, will never go away.

MayBee said...

Bush was a good man irrationally hated by the left.

We had a chance to have an amazing person as POTUS this time around, but the US missed the chance by reflecting Obama

The news about Barney makes me sad, mostly because my own baby dog is 12.

Anonymous said...

You would think with all the vitriol aimed at the current president on this very blog, you wouldn't want to compare it to the relatively mild dislike of Bush, who after all did get us into an unnecessary (and arguably illegal war) and violated both the Geneva Convention and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

MayBee said...

It is funny that Bush has stepped out of the limelight and the haters hate not having him around to hate on so much, they have to invent the fact that he hates people .

MayBee said...

What does the Geneva convention say about using drones to kill anyone we want in foreign lands?

And you know what war was in arguably illegal? Libya.

Kirby Olson said...

Wonderful painting. There was a show on BookTv this morning in which Paul Dickson discussed presidential verbal inventiveness. W. was savaged for misunderestimate but it's now accepted as an underestimation that is mistaken as opposed to one like Obama's on the ultimate cost of Obamacare which is just a lie. Obama's only contribution thus far in terms of neologisms is Snowmageddon.

Ann Althouse said...

"You would think with all the vitriol aimed at the current president on this very blog..."

Give examples of me aiming vitriol at Obama.

Hint: You can't.

Michael said...

Freder. Mild dislike of Bush? Have you just recovered from a 12 year coma? Jaw. Dropping.

Phil 314 said...

relatively mild dislike of Bush,

WTF!!

Michael said...

Freder. Mild dislike of Bush? Have you just recovered from a 12 year coma? Jaw. Dropping.

Cody Jarrett said...

Let's not forget that ol' turdblossom thought he could corrupt the democrat party and render it neuter by dragging them along with a lot of silly crap.

Turdblossom, while a really smart guy, and apparently a pretty good guy, was incredibly naive about certain things. Like his boss.

I think it's a problem some people have when they assume that everyone is working toward the same basic common good and are just coming from different places.

SGT Ted said...

you wouldn't want to compare it to the relatively mild dislike of Bush

ROFLMAO!

Nevermind 8 years of "BusHitler" "Bush lied, people died" "War for Oil" "HALLIBURTON!!11"WAR CRIMINAL BOOOSH" "BOOSH THE TORTURER".

yea "mild dislike". Thats so fucking laughable, Freder.

CWJ said...

SGT Ted @ 8:32,

"... would still be (State) Senator Obama." In my opinion.

sakredkow said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CWJ said...

Freder doesn't even try to make factually defensible points anymore. He's just looking for attention.

Chef Mojo said...

You know who else was a good painter?

Winston Churchill.

Tank said...

Freder knows how to push our buttons.

Prolly laughing his ass off right now.

Anonymous said...

Nevermind 8 years of "BusHitler" "Bush lied, people died" "War for Oil" "HALLIBURTON!!11"WAR CRIMINAL BOOOSH" "BOOSH THE TORTURER".

I said "relatively". As far as I know Bush was never compared to both Stalin and Hitler (as Obama is frequently on this site)!

SGT Ted said...

If we actually followed the Geneva convention and didn't ignore it, we would have shot a lot more jihadis summarily and legally.

You are clueless as to what the Geneva Convention actually requires.

Your "illegal war" meme is so much leftist bullshit to begin with. Congress authorized the Pres to use force beyond the 90 days of the War Powers Act, so its completely legal.

We went above and beyond to observe the Geneva conventions when it came to the conduct of enemy combatants; we let them live.

Bush only violated the Leftwing Convention of Kissing the Ass of America Hating Muslims anbd Other Totalitarian Societies that Oppose American Foreign Policy.

Anonymous said...

Give examples of me aiming vitriol at Obama.

I was speaking primarily of your commentators. You, of course are a little more circumspect. You can always fall back on the argument "I didn't call him a socialist Kenyan Muslim Nazi Communist, I just linked to Drudge or Rush and let the chips fall where they may." So while I could show you a post where you compared Obama to Hitler and Stalin, you will slyly reply: "I didn't say that I just pointed out that Drudge did"

sakredkow said...

Give examples of me aiming vitriol at Obama.

October 11 2012

Cedarford said...

Darrell said...
Bush was a far better man than we were ever allowed to know. We'd be far better off if we never knew about Obama
=================
A better man, yes.
But some good and even great men should not be President.
Look at Hebert Hoover. A titan in his field of mining, then the field of general logistics. The man who saved 2-3 million Europeans from starving at the end of WWI.

edutcher said...

When was the last time you saw Choom hug somebody like that?

When was the last time we heard about Choom meeting with the families of dead soldiers?

When is Choom going to give up golf because it isn't seemly for him to be having fun while others are suffering?

Dubya's domestic ideas weren't too good, but he was on the money in foreign policy and he was, and is, a good man.

madAsHell said...

I thought Hitler was an art student.

Nope, never made the cut.

Tank said...

Bush did great damage to this country in eight years. Too early to tell who did/will do more damage. Probably Zero, but not a sure thing.

You have not been paying attention the last 4 years.

Shouting Thomas said...

Bush's role in the subprime mortgage scam was a disaster. No doubt about that. Obama was in on that, too. Who wasn't?

Shout, you don't know what you're talking about.

For 8 years, Dubya did everything he could to get Congress to close it down.

Choom OTOH was the 3rd highest receiver of bank money after Dodd and the Hildabeast. Barry was the Friend of Angelo's little handmaiden on the Senate Banking Committee and helped kill any attempts to stop subprime mortgages in committee.

CEO-MMP said...

Let's not forget that ol' turdblossom thought he could corrupt the democrat party and render it neuter by dragging them along with a lot of silly crap.

Turdblossom, while a really smart guy, and apparently a pretty good guy, was incredibly naive about certain things. Like his boss.


Gee, sounds like a certain Disrespectful Jerk now blessedly gone from these precincts.

CWJ said...

Finally, the not liking people and agoraphobia comments are just nonsense. GWB is a good man who never seems to have confused the office he held with he himself. He has a life other than politics and this seems to bother the left to no end.

I am neither surprised that he can paint rather well nor surprised by the snark of those who will probably be his lifelong critics. They will have to keep climbing taller and taller ladders over time to be able to look down their noses at him.

chickelit said...

Freder Frederson said...
You would think with all the vitriol aimed at the current president on this very blog,..

To state the obvious: Freder defines "this blog" to include each and every commenter. But even then he would lose the argument. For while Obama scorn is all the rage among commenters at the moment, four years ago it was all about deriding Bush.

Althouse appears to lord above the commenter fray, and only swoops in to smack the knuckles of the more unruly. What Meade actually does behind the scenes is a mystery.

Tank said...

Ed

I've been paying attention. Bush did A LOT of damage. Zero will probably do more, but it's not a slam dunk yet.

sakredkow said...

I thought Bush was a great guy who was way out of his league as president, that his administration really mucked things up in Iraq and Afghanistan. Note, I supported his moves at the time.

I speculate that his reclusiveness has a little to do with regrets that he has and maybe some bitterness. The vitriol at that level is a bit much for any person to stand. I think he was genuinely embittered and hurt by Kanye West and I think he's done his best to endure all the slings and arrows with dignity, but I don't think he's a happy man.

Just my idol speculations. Feel free to call me a hypocrite and a liar.

William said...

I saw some of Churchill's paintings. I'm no judge of such things but they looked accomplished. Eisenhower's paintings looked clumsy and ameteurish. Someone should sponsor an art show featuring famous dilletantes.....I bet if the leftists saw what a talented artist Bush is they would change their opinion radically.

sakredkow said...

To state the obvious: Freder defines "this blog" to include each and every commenter.

That's what I thought chickelit.

Unknown said...

Bush has the advantage of being a decent person. People like him. He's going to be just fine whether history calls his presidency good or not. He has the advantage of loving his country.
No matter what else Obama is he does not like his country and is doing everything possible to change it. This is not decent or likeable. He can't hide his disdain for the country he leads.
Plus, Bush is a decent painter and loves his dog. I like that about him.

edutcher said...

Tank, Dubya has already been outstripped in the debt, foreign policy, regulation, and economic arenas by Zero.

Are we waiting for hit by a meteor?

And, whether Dubya was or was not uncomfortable around people, he was, and is, a mensch. As the record clearly shows, he never failed to show he understood the gravity of his office in the effect it had on people's lives.

When has King Putt, Awesome though he may be, ever done anything close?

PS FWIW, Dolf's big problem was drawing people. he could draw things just dandy, but he never got the hang of the folks.

What Sigmund could make of that.

PPS and OT: the varmint says no more winter.

PPPS and not-so-OT: Joe is confident we can reset policy with Iran.

David said...

Bush is like Hitler, except that he's a much better artist.

furious_a said...


I don't believe the stuff about him not liking people or being agoraphobic


Not liking people: Hence his fast friendship and close working relationship as Gov. with the then Dem. Speaker of the Tx House.

Agoraphobia: Hence the hours he spent outdoors clearing brush and building mtn bike trails at the Crawford ranch.

New York Magazine -- hacks besotted with the Obama/Clinton personality cults almost as much as the subjects themselves are.

Palladian said...

Barney bit a reporter. No wonder Bush was so fond of him.

furious_a said...

I think it's funny that Pres. Bush still takes up so much real estate inside libs' heads that they have to trawl for 'unnamed sources' in their cheap-shot articles four years after he left office.

Comanche Voter said...

Freder answer this question (we'll leave the Geneva Convention aside for the moment).

Where does it say in the US Constitution that a United States President can decide to kill a US citizen overseas by using a drone--without according any due process or other constitutional protections to said citizen before blowing his backside into smithereens?

I'm not saying that Alwaki didn't deserve killing (he did). But if Dubya had done such a thing, you'd be leading the charge screaming about Dubya shredding the Constitution etc.

Anonymous said...

"W. left a record of big-government spending and intractable wars that remains difficult even for allies to defend …"

How many trillions of debt did Bush rake up in eight years?

Even Bush himself could not defend the drone war when American citizens are blown up to smithereens on the president's say-so.

Nor could Bush defend murdering Gadhafi and "protecting" our embassy in a war torn country with foreign nationals.

Nor could he explain how we could let a terrorist organization take over one of the most strategic Middle East country at the mouth of the Nile.

Nor could he explain what qualifications the current SecDef nominee has except being a big defender against the shitty little Jewish state.

edutcher said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
edutcher said...

furious_a said...

I think it's funny that Pres. Bush still takes up so much real estate inside libs' heads that they have to trawl for 'unnamed sources' in their cheap-shot articles four years after he left office.

Him and Miss Sarah.

PS Agoraphobia has less to do with being outdoors than about being uncomfortable around people.

Literally, fear of the marketplace.

Knew a guy who was agoraphobic a long time ago. Except with a few people, he just wouldn't go anywhere. Thankfully, he was eventually able to beat, but it took a long time.

furious_a said...


How many trillions of debt did Bush rake up in eight years?


As much as Obama in (his first) three.

FWBuff said...

Bush agoraphobic? Hardly.
He is very active with his library project at SMU. My daughter is a student there, and she has met him a couple of times around campus in the last year. He is classy enough not to weigh in on everything and criticize the current president. I guess with ex-presidents like Clinton and Carter as their guides, the Democrats don't understand the value of reticence.

Baron Zemo said...

Freder is a funny guy.

Anonymous said...

Where does it say in the US Constitution that a United States President can decide to kill a US citizen overseas by using a drone--without according any due process or other constitutional protections to said citizen before blowing his backside into smithereens?

What gives you the notion that I agree with the drone assasination program? It is problematic at best and may indeed be illegal, or even possibly a war crime.

Unlike you Bush apologists, I am willing to criticize this president when I think he is wrong. Althouse never criticized Bush over his lies or war crimes.

edutcher said...

Which lies, sweetie?

The WMDs were there, you know.

And, as for war crimes, I'm assuming anything done in war by a Republican?

Robert Cook said...

"Your 'illegal war' meme is so much leftist bullshit to begin with. Congress authorized the Pres to use force beyond the 90 days of the War Powers Act, so its completely legal."

Congress can "authorize" all the wars they like, but if they are in violation of the UN Charter, they are illegal. (We are signatories to the UN Charter, which forbids going to war against another nation except in self-defense (or defense of an ally), or unless approved by the UN Security Council.) By your standard it would be entirely legal for China to invade or launch missle attacks against the USA if the National People's Congress voted their approval.

How is Congress' vote on the AUMF different in general outcome than the Enabling Act in Germany in 1933? The latter ceded authority to Hitler to make laws without Parliamentary debate, and the former cedes authority to the President to make war anywhere and against anyone he chooses in the furtherance of our so-called and fraudulent "war on terror."

In fact, it was unconstitutional for Congress to cede war-making powers to the President; the Constitution makes Congress solely responsible and gives it sole authority to declare war, expressly to prohibit the President from waging wars at whim, as a monarch could.

"The UN Charter's prohibition of member states of the UN attacking other UN member states is central to the purpose for which the UN was founded in the wake of the destruction of World War II: to prevent war."

And:

The Nuremburg principles repudiate "aggressive wars" as the greatest war crime of all, as all other war crimes are contained within and derive from the original aggressive act.

Our war against Iraq was indisputably aggressive, was not in self-defense, and was not approved by the UN.

It was illegal and a war crime.

Shouting Thomas said...

Jesus Christ, the war crime bit!

Next to racism hysteria, this one tops of list of droning inanities.

mccullough said...

Clinton was a good President but is a shitty person. He has no dignity and is a narcissist. The guy will not leave the stage.

W is a good man but was a shitty President. Obama is a shitty President as well, but comes across as a pretty decent guy, much better than Bill Clinton.

Michael K said...

"Blogger Shouting Thomas said...

Bush's role in the subprime mortgage scam was a disaster. No doubt about that. Obama was in on that, too. Who wasn't?"

I have videos of Bush administration officials testifying before the 2007 Democrat Congress about the hazards of the policy of subsidizing those high risk mortgages. It was too late, of course.

I think history will show that Alan Greenspan was the real villain and he was trying to keep the ball rolling after the 1999 internet bubble burst with another bubble, the housing bubble. The Republican Congress could have stopped it but the politics of race made it hard. Congressmen are no smarter than the average nitwit, as we see with Hagel.

Bush could have done more but he got preoccupied with Iraq and lost the House majority in 2006. If anyone is to blame, it's Gingrich who had the opportunity to change course in 1994 but got more interested in his book and his ego.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

According to Chris Matthews, questions for obama or hagel that are hard or not 100% pure leg tingle, are considered hate.

Robert Cook said...

"Which lies, sweetie?

"The WMDs were there, you know."


If you are referring to the small remnants of corroded and militarily unusable pre-Gulf War chemical weapons that were found--overlooked and forgotten crumbs left after the destruction by Iraq in the 80s of their WMD--I guess one could say that and it would not be a lie.

However, if one were to assert Iraq had the massive stores of up-to-date, militarily usable WMD that were enumerated by Bush...that would be--and was--a lie.

Moreover, even if they believed or had convinced themselves Iraq had WMD, they had no proof, not even any evidence, even as they asserted publicly that their claims were not conjecture but were backed by undisputable proof. They lied about their degree of certainty and about their having undisputable proof. All they had was what they declared their claims were not: conjecture.

They also lied when they claimed "bullet proof" evidence that Hussain had ties to Al-Qaeda, which he did not.

Shouting Thomas said...

Steve Sailer has written at length about Bush's involvement in promoting the subprime mortgage fisaco.

Here's one example.

Shouting Thomas said...

Cookie, you have devoted your entire life to tilting at windmills, haven't you?

SGT Ted said...

The UN authorized the Iraq war and the removal of Saddam Hussein. It was also authorized by the terms of the cease fire treaty in 1991 that allowed Saddam to remain in power. Saddam violated those terms.

We enforced the treaty is all we did. For 18 different violations, to include genocide.

Blind assertion by leftwing double standard doesn't make the Iraq war a crime.

Robert Cook said...

No, Sgt. Ted, your examples do not make our invasion of Iraq legal.

Colin Powell pressed a reluctant Bush to take the matter of mounting war against Iraq to the UN Security Council. When it became apparent they would not get the votes for approval, they withdrew the proposal.

George Bush and the Iraq War

"The U.S. initially sought a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the use of military force pursuant to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.[7] Upon facing vigorous opposition from several nations (primarily France and Germany), however, the U.S. dropped the bid for UN approval and began to prepare for war; Benjamin Ferencz, a former chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials argued that for these actions Bush, with his Administration, could be prosecuted for war crimes.[8] Kofi Annan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, as well as leaders of several nations made similar statements, implying that the attack constitutes a war crime.[9]"

SGT Ted said...

He also was shipping arms to Palestine and paying off suicide bombers families.

He hid weapons forbidden by the treaty. He had subverted the treaty by using the "oil for food" program to purchase weapons making materials from Germany, France and Russia. He bribed the French and German governments to look the other way with cheap oil. He also was purchasing ammunition and military gear from Russia and Germany. We captured lots of treaty violating contraband with date stamps that proved the violations.

When they get around to accountability for the European Nations that were violating the treaty for oil and money, get back to me and we'll talk about the US.

SGT Ted said...

Let me know when Bush gets charged ok?

SGT Ted said...

Boutro Boutros Gali was in on the oil for food scam. Let me know when they arrest him. He is the Lord High Criminal. He has no credibility.

SGT Ted said...

Using a pack of opportunistic criminals that pass for rulers from the Middle East that inhabit the UN as your moral and legal authority to claim crimes were committed is rather laughable.

Shouting Thomas said...

No, Sgt. Ted, your examples do not make our invasion of Iraq legal.

For God's sake, Cookie!

Go watch some porn like a normal time waster.

SGT Ted said...

Its like Nazi Germany bitching about the Allied bombing campaign.

SGT Ted said...

Cookie conveniently forgets that the Security Council opposed the invasion because the truth about France and Russia violating the treaty would come out. So, they were merely trying to keep their criminality hidden. Their opposition to the invasion is rather selfserving and wrong.

SGT Ted said...

The entire "war crime" narrative to oppose the invasion rest on the foundation that the UNs Security Councils opposition was valid, instead of an attempt at hiding their criminal actions from being revealed.

Of course Cook is going to defend the UNs criminality, otherwise the anti-war house of cards falls apart.

Anonymous said...

For 18 different violations, to include genocide.

War is justified only to stop ongoing genocide. While Saddam was guilty of genocide in the past (especially when we were supporting him in his war against Iran), there was no ongoing genocide in 2003.

Unknown said...

Freder Frederson said, "As far as I know Bush was never compared to both Stalin and Hitler (as Obama is frequently on this site)!"

Probably because the anti-Bush fanatics rather like Stalin.

Jason said...

Once again... Cookie lies. The 9/11 Commission found "all kinds of ties. All kinds of connections" between the Hussein regime and al qaeda.

Known Unknown said...

there was no ongoing genocide in 2003.

You're a compassionate fellow.

Howard said...

The painting of Barney is pretty bad. It looks like it was made with a Sharpee. He needs some blues and purples to make the black and warm highlights to give it more of an illusion of depth. However, it takes balls to put yourself out there by painting pictures, so bully for him. Some of Hilters watercolor cityscapes are pretty good, much better than the German Shepard. Art is much more competitive than most fields, so being a "failed" artist is only a term of derision to facebook punters.

McChimpy and Ozero run similar policies, however, Bush really screwed up the two wars he started against his Dad's advise. Forget about the WMD issue. Nation building, two fronts, failure to secure insurgents following the kinetic phase in Iraq, favoring Iraq over A-Stan, political correctness, weak drone program, etc.

To those of you who decry the messy Arab Spring, try to remember this was the resulting reverse domino effect Bush promoted. Part of the overall NeoCon nation building theory predicted other ME dictatorships would fall to native democratic revolution as a benefit of creating democracies in Iraq and A-Stan.

Revenant said...

He doesn’t like people, he never did, he doesn’t now

That's just not believable at all.

For example, he was president of his fraternity at Yale. That's not something you do if you don't like being around people.

Revenant said...

While true, irrelevant. Bush did great damage to this country in eight years.

Agreed. I still think Gore and Kerry would have been much worse, though.

carrie said...

Too bad they can't poll everybody when they try to come up with the most hated president. I like Bush, I like Carter, and I HATE CLINTON.

carrie said...

Too bad they can't poll everybody when they try to come up with the most hated president. I like Bush, I like Carter, and I HATE CLINTON.

tiger said...

That picture of him hugging the girl, and story that goes with it, shows that Bush was not only a pretty good President but also a caring, loving man.

I have a ton of respect for him as a person, something that will never happen with either one of the Clintons(or Chelsea for that matter) or our current 'Liar-in-Chief'

Baron Zemo said...

The verdict of history will treat W very kindly.

He is remembered fondly by many people he came in contact with and the memoirs of the secret service agents and maids and ushers who dealt with him will reflect that. These books generally come out many years later but are a very good indication of how politicans treat regular people.

How do you think Obama and Moochelle will rate?

Baron Zemo said...

After the wreckage of the economy and foreign policy by the miserable failure Barack Obama....the Bush years will be viewed as a Golden Age.

Lydia said...

phx,

Bush is not reclusive. He simply doesn't want to hog the spotlight à la Clinton and Carter.

But he's out there, doing stuff, like this:

"George W. Bush is making the first major foray of his post presidency into global health, with a partnership to combat cervical and breast cancer in the developing world...his George W. Bush Institute is forming a public-private partnership to use [the very successful Bush Administration] AIDS-relief plan's huge infrastructure of doctors, nurses, and clinics to expand screening and treatment of women for cervical cancer as well as breast-cancer education."

sakredkow said...

For example, he was president of his fraternity at Yale. That's not something you do if you don't like being around people.

I don't know if Bush likes people or not, but I don't think you become president of a Yale fraternity because you like people. You do it because you are going to be someone powerful.

izyperspective said...

Pretty good painting for a beginner. Unlike so much sentimental pet portrait crap I've seen, this painter doesn't patronize his subject.

The edges around the dog's neck are a bit stiff. The liveliest parts are the face and the eye. Painting dog isn't hard, painting a BLACK dog is. Like white-on-white, black-on-black is always a test of finesse. Amateurs tend to overdo the lights in the black. 43 passed the test.

Love the signature.

gadfly said...

"The most unpopular president in recent political history ..."

I don't think so, but opinion is always based upon your personal perspective and interests.

Fr Martin Fox said...

Bush was never compared to Hitler?

Oh, right, he was compared to "Bushitler," who was an obscure ruler of the Principality of Latveria, before Dr. Doom took over.

Fr Martin Fox said...

And of course, having a film made about assassinating President Bush really is just "mild dislike."

Yup.

Anonymous said...

Bush was never compared to Hitler?

You have reading comprehension problems.

Paul said...

I loved my dog, Teddy, and yes I did cry when I had to put him down as his liver cancer was just horrable for him.

No doubt Barny was a good dog, good as any and better than most.

Fr Martin Fox said...

Freder Frederson said...

You have reading comprehension problems.

And you have brittleness in response to mockery syndrome.

Graham Powell said...

I don't know about agoraphobia, but Bush frequently attends Texas Rangers games, sitting in a box next to Nolan Ryan.

Of course, there's always the possiblity that Ryan is not a person at all, but a robot sent from the future to destroy Major League hitters, most especially Robin Ventura.