Althouse: "Aboard Air Force One, former President Bush shows photos of his paintings to... First Lady Michelle Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton..."

११ डिसेंबर, २०१३

"Aboard Air Force One, former President Bush shows photos of his paintings to... First Lady Michelle Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton..."

"... Valerie Jarrett, National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice, Attorney General Eric Holder and former First Lady Laura Bush, Dec. 9, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)"

४६ टिप्पण्या:

MayBee म्हणाले...: Obama*, like Mandela, can forgive his former enemies.

*Obama unavailable for photo, sent in Jarrett as proxy; ११/१२/१३, ५:११ PM
Shouting Thomas म्हणाले...: W seems to have a lively sense of humor.; ११/१२/१३, ५:१६ PM
Original Mike म्हणाले...: Wow. Obama must think he's really in trouble.; ११/१२/१३, ५:१७ PM
SomeoneHasToSayIt म्हणाले...: Dangerously close to giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

I'm not impressed, being put in mind of how Orwell closed 'Animal Farm' with this: “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”; ११/१२/१३, ५:१७ PM
sakredkow म्हणाले...: Nice moment. People who take all these political differences among Americans personally are being foolish.

Argue policies. And have a beer and show your baby pics afterwards.; ११/१२/१३, ५:२० PM
sakredkow म्हणाले...: Bush is like Bob Dylan with his painting career.; ११/१२/१३, ५:२४ PM
YoungHegelian म्हणाले...: How the Bushes & the Obama appointees get along, I cannot say, but it's fairly well known that the Clintons & the Bushes, both father & son clans, get along fairly well.; ११/१२/१३, ५:२४ PM
Rosalyn C. म्हणाले...: GW Bush ends up being the hippest person there.; ११/१२/१३, ५:२७ PM
Original Mike म्हणाले...: @phx: There is a tradition of not bad-mouthing your predecessor. A tradition that Obama has shredded. How W can ignore all the crappy things Obama has said about him is beyond me.; ११/१२/१३, ५:२९ PM
Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...: So even though you're just hanging out chatting and relaxing, there is still someone snapping photos of you to be publicly showcased. I'm surprised anyone wants a second term after enduring a first.; ११/१२/१३, ५:२९ PM
Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...: Original Mike, there's no reason for him to take any of that personally. He's knows it's all political. Why should he care?; ११/१२/१३, ५:३० PM
Menahem Globus म्हणाले...: Pearls before swine. (I kid. I kid.); ११/१२/१३, ५:३० PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan म्हणाले...: phx said...
People who take all these political differences among Americans personally are being foolish.

They also miss the fact that alliances shift over time. No normal person fits perfectly into the left/right Repub/Dem boxes that politicians and their paid hacks try to force us into. Politicians remain our public servants, no matter how poorly they paint.; ११/१२/१३, ५:३३ PM
sakredkow म्हणाले...: Original Mike, there's no reason for him to take any of that personally. He's knows it's all political. Why should he care?

Exactly. It's an annoyance at worse. Sometimes one side or another violates protocol or makes it too personal.

But it's really only us peons, who have no power whatsoever anyway, who turn it into a life or death battle against good and evil. The guys at the top just exploit that for their own ends and end up sharing recipes and painting tips.

If we're going to evolve we need to get over all this personalization of politics in the USA.; ११/१२/१३, ५:३६ PM
Original Mike म्हणाले...: "...there's no reason for [W] to take any of that personally. He's knows it's all political."

If Obama doesn't believe what he says (and I don't know if that's true or not), I think that makes it worse.

"Why should he care?"

That's a very healthy attitude. I've always had a lot of respect for him; more so now.; ११/१२/१३, ५:४१ PM
sakredkow म्हणाले...: The point is we care - they don't. We're being manipulated and put at each others throats while they share selfies and do their best for their party and enjoy the trappings of their power.

American people can't think straight because they are so angry at each other politically. It's a slave's life.; ११/१२/१३, ५:४५ PM
Seeing Red म्हणाले...: Carter started it. I don't recall Truman saying anything about anything, does anyone else? Neither did Ike publically.; ११/१२/१३, ५:५२ PM
bandmeeting म्हणाले...: Look are the veins in 43's arm. The dude is in shape.; ११/१२/१३, ५:५५ PM
bandmeeting म्हणाले...: ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.; ११/१२/१३, ५:५५ PM
Birches म्हणाले...: The point is we care - they don't. We're being manipulated and put at each others throats while they share selfies and do their best for their party and enjoy the trappings of their power.

American people can't think straight because they are so angry at each other politically. It's a slave's life.

That reminds me of this scene in Fever Pitch.

Politics has become a sport.; ११/१२/१३, ५:५९ PM
viator म्हणाले...: Lotta ex-presidents and future presidents there.; ११/१२/१३, ६:०७ PM
Left Bank of the Charles म्हणाले...: It's George's boyish enthusiasm. He's flirting with every woman in the room, and Eric Holder too.

And you can tell, even looking over Laura's shoulder from behind, that she loves him for it.; ११/१२/१३, ६:११ PM
अनामित म्हणाले...: Nice to see a moment of non partisanship, even if its possibly a photo op.

W could get someone there to sit for him; ११/१२/१३, ६:१५ PM
Carl Pham म्हणाले...: The photo I like is two further on: it shows the Bushes and Obamas walking down the steps from the plane. Apparently it is raining.

George holds his umbrella above Laura. Michelle holds her own umbrella. That pretty much sums up both men.; ११/१२/१३, ६:१८ PM
George M. Spencer म्हणाले...: Yes, but are they buying anything?; ११/१२/१३, ६:४३ PM
pm317 म्हणाले...: Looks like the WH released these pics to erase the selfie Obama drama. Are they successful? Yes, Althouse put up the picture on her prime time post.; ११/१२/१३, ६:५० PM
victoria म्हणाले...: Gag; ११/१२/१३, ६:५२ PM
madAsHell म्हणाले...: Wait a minute!!

Why is Eric Holder on the plane for the Mandela funeral?? Shouldn't the AG be attending to matters at home??

Why is Susan Rice there? Shouldn't she be search YouTube for dangerous videos??; ११/१२/१३, ६:५७ PM
madAsHell म्हणाले...: aarrrrggghhhh....searching not search; ११/१२/१३, ६:५८ PM
अनामित म्हणाले...: I understand Mr. Obama and in a stretch the FLATUS being there at taxpayers expensive but what is the justification for a bunch of bureaucrats? Race? I'd give a pass to W and also Mrs. Bush because he did more for Africa than any other president and she is a great representative for our country.; ११/१२/१३, ७:१४ PM
bleh म्हणाले...: I like the caption that reads, "10 South Africans Cheer as President Obama Enters teh Stadium."

http://m.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/photo/2013/12/10-south-africans-cheer-president-obama-enters-teh-stadium

It's the tenth picture, hence the number 10, but I laughed at the unintentional meaning. The misspelling of "the" made it seem like a snarky internet joke.; ११/१२/१३, ७:१५ PM
Illuninati म्हणाले...: Phx said:
"But it's really only us peons, who have no power whatsoever anyway, who turn it into a life or death battle against good and evil. The guys at the top just exploit that for their own ends and end up sharing recipes and painting tips."

If the peons were as rich and powerful as the people in the picture, they could treat politics like a game also. It is the little people who the politicians have harmed.; ११/१२/१३, ८:११ PM
Wince म्हणाले...: Where's Jimmy Carter? No pictures of Jimmy Carter at all, much less in frame with Obama.

Those White House photographers got the memo.; ११/१२/१३, ८:५५ PM
Beldar म्हणाले...: Dubya looks happy and healthy.

His successor, except in selfies taken during funerals, looks haggard these days.; ११/१२/१३, ९:०७ PM
Patrick म्हणाले...: ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.; ११/१२/१३, ९:०९ PM
Michael K म्हणाले...: Roosevelt, and the people around him, began trashing Hoover and Coolidge before him. They kept it up for decades.; ११/१२/१३, ९:१७ PM
Henry म्हणाले...: Implicit is the idea that he's the only one doing anything interesting with himself. Everyone is interested!

I'm sure the wonkish ones enjoyed talking policy. They're all in the know. W has his own wonkish projects going so he may have joined in.

Here's something else he found time to do:

Bush to Foster: You will be stronger.; ११/१२/१३, ९:२२ PM
Henry म्हणाले...: More here:

George W. Bush’s New Cause: AIDS in Africa

The WP article I linked in my last post drips with cynicism. This one is better.; ११/१२/१३, ९:२६ PM
The Godfather म्हणाले...: Bush, in his own clumsy way, is a class act. He really can rise above partisanship. I don't think Obama and his crowd can. I doubt that Ms. Rodham Clinton can either (I hope I'm wrong).

But before long, we're going to have another chance. If the Republicans take the Senate and keep the House in 2014, Obama's going to have to decide whether to work with the GOP or demonize them. I'm guessing demonize (I hope I'm wrong), which will make the 2016 election particularly nasty. But after 2016, 2018, 2020, or 2022, we're going to have a President of one party who's going to make it a priority to get along with the other party that controls one or both houses of Congress -- as Ike did, as Nixon did, as Reagan did, as both Bushes did, and as Clinton did. That president ought to hang this photo, and one of Clinton and Bush 41 together, in the Oval Office as inspiration -- and maybe also the Obama selfie for contrast.; ११/१२/१३, ९:४४ PM
Scott म्हणाले...: This is an official White House photo. I bet there wasn't a pool photog allowed on Air Force One.

Even NBC's Chuckles Todd is offended by this heavy-handed tactic for controlling the message. He characterized it as "propaganda." And it is.; ११/१२/१३, १०:१४ PM
David म्हणाले...: There is a sense of ownership in that picture. They all seem to feel like they belong there. Bush does. He got elected to the position that gets to fly around in the worlds fanciest plane.

Once President Bush and Mrs. Bush leave, the rest will sit around talking. First a little condescending snark about the people who just left the room. Nothing obvious, just a sly in-joke. Then they will settle down to play with their their favorite toy--the United States of America.; ११/१२/१३, ११:३० PM
Alex म्हणाले...: Why would Bush give political cover to an enemy of the United States?; १२/१२/१३, १२:२५ AM
Skyler म्हणाले...: What boorish behavior to foist pictures of your paintings on a captive audience. Bush is an honest man, but his social skills are lacking. And he is a socialist.; १२/१२/१३, ६:३० AM
Paul Kirchner म्हणाले...: @David--I think you nailed it. I need to know what was going through the minds of those around the table. It's hard for me to imagine that some of them ever have a gracious, non-partisan thought.; १२/१२/१३, ७:२८ AM
Unknown म्हणाले...: GWB is classy. They rest are criminals.; १२/१२/१३, ८:५७ AM
paul a'barge म्हणाले...: Look. A plane full to overflowing with moral monsters.; १२/१२/१३, १:३७ PM