Monday, 09 August 2004

Renaming the War on Terror

Here are a couple of snippets from the Q & A portion of Bush's address to the Unity Journalists of Color Convention. All are from the White House's official transcript, and this first one includes detail that's almost too sad to mention:

We actually misnamed the war on terror, it ought to be the struggle against ideological extremists who do not believe in free societies who happen to use terror as a weapon to try to shake the conscience of the free world.

(Laughter.)

No, that's what they do.

Poor George must be so used to speaking to pre-screened fanatics that he expects everybody to swallow this kind of retardation. Sadly, I can't find an audio clip of this particular section, but don't worry - it's not the only time Bush was laughed at during this conference.

Here's another audio clip where bush is being asked about Indian sovereignty.

Finally, here's one more chunk of Dear Leader's back and forth with the press corps:

Q Mr. President, you say, "Quotas are an unfair system for all," with regards to your opposition to affirmative action.

THE PRESIDENT: No, no, no, whoa, whoa. With regard to my opposition to quota systems.

Q To quotas, okay. But I've never heard you speak against legacy. (Applause.) Now, the President of Texas A&M, Robert Gates, said that he would not use race in admissions, and then he later said he would not use legacy. If you say it's a matter of merit, and not race, shouldn't colleges also get rid of legacy? Because that's not based upon merit, that's based upon if my daddy or my granddaddy went to my college. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. I thought you were referring to my legacy. (Laughter.)

Q That's why I allowed you to go ahead and bring it out. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, in my case, I had to knock on a lot of doors to follow the old man's footsteps. (Laughter.) No, look, if what you're saying is, is there going to be special treatment for people -- in other words, we're going to have a special exception for certain people in a system that's supposed to be fair, I agree, I don't think there ought to be.

Q So the colleges should get rid of legacy.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think so, yes. I think it ought to be based upon merit. And I think it also ought to be based upon -- (applause) -- and I think colleges need to work hard for diversity. Don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong. You said, against affirmative action, is what you said. You put words in my mouth. What I am for is --

Q I just read the speech, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: What speech?

Q In terms of when you came out against the Michigan affirmative action policy, and --

THE PRESIDENT: No, I said was against quotas.

Q So you support affirmative action, but not quotas.

THE PRESIDENT: I support colleges affirmatively taking action to get more minorities in their school. (Applause.)

Q That's a long headline, Mr. President. (Laughter and applause.)

Just to make it perfectly clear - this is George W. Bush coming out against legacy admissions. Isn't that kind of like Superman denouncing Earth's yellow sun? One wonders where he would be without it.

This is the same guy who stood on the shoulders of his father and grandfather to get into Harvard, where he distinguished himself by becoming a cheerleader and a self-proclaimed C student:

"To the C students, I say, 'You too can be president of the United States,"' Bush said at the 300th commencement of Yale University.

I'd like to say that someday we'll look back on all this and laugh, but somehow I think it'll always be pretty scary that we tolerated this idiocy from our President.

Posted by SmooveJ Zao on August 9, 2004 at 09:02 AM in War on Terra | Permalink



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