George HW Bush passes away

No bone spurs for this guy.


He was the last of the warrior Presidents.  He heard the call and enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor.

Ronald Regan wore the uniform but spent the war making propaganda films for the Government.


"President Bush always found a way to set the bar higher,"


Guess who said that.


LOST said:
"President Bush always found a way to set the bar higher,"


Guess who said that.

not Dukakis


Amazing how Trump has made every Republican that came before look better. Best thing that ever happened to W's reputation.


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
Amazing how Trump has made every Republican that came before look better. Best thing that ever happened to W's reputation.

This is when we're supposed to say nice things, which I don't get because nobody who knew GHWB personally reads MOL.  Bush was actually a pretty awful politician and president.  He cynically threw away all his moderate Northeast GOP positions to gain the prize of Reagan's VP.  He flipped and flopped on every principle he had ever held in order to court the conservatives and get the presidential nomination.  Then his campaign against Dukakis, including the infamous Willie Horton ad was considered at the time to be one of the most unfair and vicious of the post-war era.  And if anyone cares to go back and really delve into the history of the first Gulf War, the rationale for invasion was a sham.  It was as much a preemptive strike as the second war in Iraq.  The U.S. essentially baited Saddam into invading Kuwait, and then wouldn't give him time to withdraw before beginning the attack.  It started the path toward the horrible death and suffering we brought upon the people of Iraq.

I'm sorry if I can't dredge up warm feelings for a guy who was one of the steps in the path that the GOP followed that brought us W, Palin, and then Trump.  


ml1 said:


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:
Amazing how Trump has made every Republican that came before look better. Best thing that ever happened to W's reputation.
This is when we're supposed to say nice things, which I don't get because nobody who knew GHWB personally reads MOL.  Bush was actually a pretty awful politician and president.  He cynically threw away all his moderate Northeast GOP positions to gain the prize of Reagan's VP.  He flipped and flopped on every principle he had ever held in order to court the conservatives and get the presidential nomination.  Then his campaign against Dukakis, including the infamous Willie Horton ad was considered at the time to be one of the most unfair and vicious of the post-war era.  And if anyone cares to go back and really delve into the history of the first Gulf War, the rationale for invasion was a sham.  It was as much a preemptive strike as the second war in Iraq.  The U.S. essentially baited Saddam into invading Kuwait, and then wouldn't give him time to withdraw before beginning the attack.  It started the path toward the horrible death and suffering we brought upon the people of Iraq.
I'm sorry if I can't dredge up warm feelings for a guy who was one of the steps in the path that the GOP followed that brought us W, Palin, and then Trump.  

And remarkably, this still makes him the best (or, least destructive anyway) Republican President since Eisenhower.


you can go with: he seems to have been a loving father and had a beautiful relationship with his wife. He served his country faithfully and was dedicated to our country. He treated the office of the presidency dignity and with respect. 

( and I agree with all the other things you said but most people in this world deserve a few nice words when they leave this earth)


conandrob240 said:
 
( and I agree with all the other things you said but most people in this world deserve a few nice words when they leave this earth)

 I don't agree.  you get the words you deserve when you leave this earth.


unless you’re some hideous human being of no value, I don’t think that should be true. 


We can find negative things to say about just about any president, maybe every single human being. Hell....even Clinton and Obama and W will get a roasting when they pass ...

It just says a lot about someone who carries hatred around. 


Jaytee said:
We can find negative things to say about just about any president, maybe every single human being. Hell....even Clinton and Obama and W will get a roasting when they pass ...
It just says a lot about someone who carries hatred around. 

Clinton, Obama and W....   Neither Clinton nor Obama have hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths on their hands.


Hell, even Trump hasn't matched W's level of f..kupedness. But give him time.


Formerlyjerseyjack said:


Jaytee said:
We can find negative things to say about just about any president, maybe every single human being. Hell....even Clinton and Obama and W will get a roasting when they pass ...
It just says a lot about someone who carries hatred around. 
Clinton, Obama and W....   Neither Clinton nor Obama have hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths on their hands. 

 Are you serious? 



Jaytee said:
We can find negative things to say about just about any president, maybe every single human being. Hell....even Clinton and Obama and W will get a roasting when they pass ...
It just says a lot about someone who carries hatred around. 

 if you're talking about me, I'm not carrying any hatred around. I just don't think there's any appropriate time for revisionist history about public figures.  It's not like it's a neighbor who lost their grandfather.  He was president and he should be remembered for who he was, including the bad stuff.


Jaytee said:


Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Jaytee said:
We can find negative things to say about just about any president, maybe every single human being. Hell....even Clinton and Obama and W will get a roasting when they pass ...
It just says a lot about someone who carries hatred around. 
Clinton, Obama and W....   Neither Clinton nor Obama have hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths on their hands. 
 Are you serious? 


 --- Sorry. It must'a been Obama who started the Iraq War.


conandrob240 said:
unless you’re some hideous human being of no value, I don’t think that should be true. 

 You are saying you should get words you don't deserve?  If you don't mind me asking, why?


Formerlyjerseyjack said:


  Neither Clinton nor Obama have hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths on their hands. 

In the case of Clinton, I think an argument could be made about Rwanda and Bosnia.  With Obama, it would be more about Syria.  


Does anyone know whether they are going to close the schools on Weds?  I lived in Texas when Ford died and the schools there closed for the day.


Formerlyjerseyjack said:


Jaytee said:

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Jaytee said:
We can find negative things to say about just about any president, maybe every single human being. Hell....even Clinton and Obama and W will get a roasting when they pass ...
It just says a lot about someone who carries hatred around. 
Clinton, Obama and W....   Neither Clinton nor Obama have hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths on their hands. 
 Are you serious? 
 --- Sorry. It must'a been Obama who started the Iraq War.

 Obama has plenty of death on his hands too:

Obama’s Imperial Presidency

Obama, it turns out, was among the most militaristic White House occupants in American history, taking the imperial presidency to new heights.  It has been said that Obama was the only president whose administration was enmeshed in multiple wars from beginning to end.   His imperial ventures spanned many countries – Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia along with proxy interventions in Yemen and Pakistan.  He ordered nearly 100,000 bombs and missiles delivered against defenseless targets, a total greater than that of the more widely-recognized warmonger George W. Bush’s total of 70,000 against five countries.  Iraq alone – where U.S. forces were supposed to have been withdrawn – was recipient of 41,000 bombs and missiles along with untold amounts of smaller ordnance. Meanwhile, throughout his presidency Obama conducted hundreds of drone attacks in the Middle East, more than doubling Bush’s total, all run jointly (and covertly) by the CIA and Air Force.

Klinker said:


conandrob240 said:
unless you’re some hideous human being of no value, I don’t think that should be true. 
 You are saying you should get words you don't deserve?  If you don't mind me asking, why?

As good a spot as any to interject this word in an MOL discussion:

Grace.


DaveSchmidt said:


Klinker said:

conandrob240 said:
unless you’re some hideous human being of no value, I don’t think that should be true. 
 You are saying you should get words you don't deserve?  If you don't mind me asking, why?
As good a spot as any to interject this word in an MOL discussion:
Grace.

 As opposed to this other word.

Honesty

How much harm has been done by our practice of overlooking the less pleasant aspects of our history?


DaveSchmidt said:


Klinker said:

conandrob240 said:
unless you’re some hideous human being of no value, I don’t think that should be true. 
 You are saying you should get words you don't deserve?  If you don't mind me asking, why?
As good a spot as any to interject this word in an MOL discussion:
Grace.

 totally agree if it was someone who was known personally by people reading this message board. But with public figures, I don't believe that grace  requires whitewashing their lives just because they recently passed away. 

The country is in a tough place and GHWB was certainly one of the influential figures who took us here. He was the guy who turned to Lee Atwater to help him get elected president. There's a direct line from Atwater's tactics to the current reemergence of white supremacists. I think that even in death, people should be held accountable for contributing to that kind of thing. 


Klinker said:

 As opposed to this other word.
Honesty

 They’re not in opposition. We simply choose their time and place.


DaveSchmidt said:


Klinker said:

 As opposed to this other word.
Honesty
 They’re not in opposition. We simply choose their time and place.

but what are the odds that will anyone start a discussion on GHWB on MOL after this?  This is our opportunity if we want to have an honest assessment of his public life. 


DaveSchmidt said:


Klinker said:

 As opposed to this other word.
Honesty
 They’re not in opposition. We simply choose their time and place.

 So we lie when the guy dies, either in fact or by omission and then, at some undisclosed time in the future, we tell the truth?  You know, there are children watching all of this (not to mention childish adults) and that has got to be confusing to them.


One wonders whether it was ok to speak honestly of GHWB on Monday, before he died.  At what point in the future will honesty again be appropriate?  


Klinker said:
One wonders whether it was ok to speak honestly of GHWB on Monday, before he died.  At what point in the future will honesty again be appropriate?  

 You asked a question. I provided an answer. If you don’t buy it, that’s up to you.


Formerlyjerseyjack said:


Jaytee said:

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Jaytee said:
We can find negative things to say about just about any president, maybe every single human being. Hell....even Clinton and Obama and W will get a roasting when they pass ...
It just says a lot about someone who carries hatred around. 
Clinton, Obama and W....   Neither Clinton nor Obama have hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths on their hands. 
 Are you serious? 
 --- Sorry. It must'a been Obama who started the Iraq War.

 No he did not start it. Saddam started it by invading Kuwait.

Obama has Syria... Libya....Yemen..and all of the Arab spring..,oh..how about IS? 



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