No One Should Be Sad When George H.W. Bush Dies (Probably Soon)

[chalmers]

The curtain is about to fall on George Herbert Walker Bush, known colloquially as Bush 41, or simply 41. The patriarch is, if not exactly dying, no longer doing well enough to want to be seen much in public. The final taxi, as Wreckless Eric sang memorably though not famously, awaits.

Do not believe the soon-to-be-everywhere hype.

Dubya’s dad is and was a very bad man.

No one should forget that.

The old Skull and Bones man has skillfully set the stage for — not his rehabilitation exactly, for he was never shamed (though he much deserved it) — his rescue from the presidential footnotery familiar to schoolchildren, that of the Adamsian “oh yeah, there was also that Quincy” variety. The centerpiece of this so-far-going-splendidly historical legacy offensive is his authorized biography by Jon Meacham, “Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush,” a demi-hagiographic positioning of HW as a moderate last half of the 20th century Zelig.

https://www.beaconreader.com/ted-rall/no-one-should-be-sad-when-george-h-w-bush-dies-probably-soon?ref=profile

[snooper2]

1. I predict Jeb will get a 7 point bump when Nasty Hag Babs or Ignorant father dies

When it does happen the question is will Mumble Mouth or The Hair say something stupid first

[BuelahWitch]

19. I wonder if Poppy will expire right before the Iowa caucus?

Yes, it is sick and wrong to speculate that BUT...

[DebbieCDC]

24. You are not alone

I have speculated on that very same idea. This is, after all, the BFEE that we're talking about.

[restorefreedom]

40. lolol! nt

[malaise]

33. I wrote this months ago

He'd croak if it would help JebusenoughfuggingBushes and they will milk it

[Funtatlaguy]

38. Definitely a bump

And all of the theocrats will say that poppy will wield his hand over the election from heaven.

[Hortensis]

53. That would make me sad! I am almost always,

though, at least somewhat when someone who was part of my life dies.

[hobbit709]

2. I won't miss him or any other member of that misbegotten family.

[newfie11]

4. I agree!

[AngryOldDem]

10. +1

Reprehensible, all of them.

Make my skin crawl.

[Initech]

18. I'll be popping the champagne!

[patsimp]

29. Me Neither.

[jezebel]

3. this is inappropriate. nt

[chalmers]

7. just sharing an article

sharing is inappropriate?

[AngryOldDem]

11. How so?

The Bush clan has done a lot of damage over the years, and we should not forget that.

[jezebel]

14. I don't dispute that, but to say no one should be sad when anyone dies seems a bit too ghoulish for

me. Just my opinion. Certainly not an endorsement of the man or his policies.

[AngryOldDem]

27. I'm not going to be hypocritical.

When the time comes, I'll acknowledge the passing and move on.

Feel sad? No. Not really. But that does not mean I'll be celebrating it or doing a grave dance.

[gratuitous]

36. I don't think "nobody" will be sad

Caspar Weinberger, Elliott Abrams, Robert MacFarlane, Dewey Clarridge, Clair George, and Alan Fiers, Jr. will probably all raise a glass to the memory of the man who saved them all from prison with his middle-of-the-night, lame-duck pardons on Christmas Eve 1992. The fact that those pardons kept Poppy out of the Graybar Hotel will be incidental if mentioned at all.

So, since those guys will be sad, I think that excuses me from sharing their emotion.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

44. Probably some Saudis will feel a lump in their throat.

[gratuitous]

45. President Bush certainly kept them safe

Safer than his idiot son kept the United States.

[FiveGoodMen]

62. "a bit too ghoulish for me" <> "inappropriate"

[uppityperson]

78. All in the OP, including the title, is from the article.

[hughee99]

25. I agree... and oddly, the gravedancing doesn't usually begin until AFTER someone has died.

It seems weird when people jump the gun.

[Buzz Clik]

67. +1

[bravenak]

5. .

[YoungDemCA]

6. A "kinder and gentler" version of Reagan

[Iggo]

8. Fuck him.

[Buzz Clik]

68. Ever hear of karma?

You'd better hope it isn't real.

[Iggo]

73. If it was real, he'd be dead already.

[Buzz Clik]

74. Atta boy! Double down!

[Iggo]

76. For that matter, I hope he's naked, cold, and alone when it happens.

[Rex]

81. LOL!

As if anyone here can pretend to be Holier Than Thou...I am surprised people still do that here. Nobody cares that they think they are special!

[Starry Messenger]

9. I won't be sad.

One of my earliest political experiences was my freshman year at SDSU--the YAF came out to protest Dukakis dressed in fake prison garb to whip up fear in concert with the Willie Horton ad campaign about prison furlough.

I left that school after the year was up.

[YoungDemCA]

12. Not sure if you remember the 1984 vice presidential debate

But "Poppy" Bush tried to mansplain' to Geraldine Ferraro, and Ferraro shut him down.

[Hekate]

26. The phrase I always used for him was "sanctimonious hypocrite." This clip reminds me why.

While I'm on that theme, I just thought of one for Jeb!? "Pusilanimous pantywaist" -- although so far I've been calling him "the dweeb's dweeb."

Dubya, of course, is Baby Caligula.

Gods help us, what a family.

[Reter]

13. I really hope it's not in the next 6 months or so

Why? Guess who will get a huge bump in the polls? Hint: Not Cruz, Trump, or Rubio.

[BKH70041]

15. I won't.

Then again, I won't give a fuck when Carter or Clinton or Bush43 or Obama dies either. Maybe they'll all die on the same day, that way I can not give a fuck all at once.

[YoungDemCA]

16. Let's not forget Daddy Bush's signature role in Iran-Contra and covering that up

Obstructing justice, lying to investigators, etc. Oh, and he pardoned basically everyone involved once he became President.

On the role of George Herbert Walker Bush, Mixter reported that the Vice President’s “knowledge of the Iran Initiative appears generally to have been coterminous with that of President Reagan.” Indeed, on the Iran-Contra operations overall, “it is quite clear that Mr. Bush attended most (although not quite all) of the key briefings and meetings in which Mr. Reagan participated, and therefore can be presumed to have known many of the Iran/Contra facts that the former President knew.”

The first President Bush had publicly portrayed himself as “out-of-the-loop” on both the Iran and Contra operations—and indeed had fostered that image of innocence throughout the 1988 presidential campaign. The 89-page Mixter report is nothing less than a chronicle of mendacity on Bush’s part. The report reveals for the first time that in 1983, Bush chaired a secret “Special Situation Group” that had “recommended specific covert operations” including “the mining of Nicaragua’s rivers and harbors.” Between 1984 and 1986, he attended no less than a dozen meetings at which illicit assistance to the contras was discussed.

http://www.salon.com/2011/11/25/the_iran_contra_scandal_25_years_later/

The Reagan-Bush administration's biggest defender in Congress at the time? Dick Cheney.

Did Bush select Cheney as Secretary of Defense in his administration as a reward/payback/returning him the favor of helping him (and other Reagan administration officials for that matter, including Reagan himself) avoid criminal prosecution? Quite possibly, IMHO.

Furthermore, did Cheney learn valuable lessons from Iran-Contra about how much criminal activity, abuse of power, and obstruction of justice one can get away with at the highest levels of power? Most definitely.

[MeNMyVolt]

17. My first time on a jury!

Must admit, I was a tad nervous. I was #3, BTW.

On Wed Nov 25, 2015, 10:56 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

No One Should Be Sad When George H.W. Bush Dies (Probably Soon)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027381412

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

It's one thing to disagree or not even like another person or politician but it's over the top to basically celebrate their death--especially a US president.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Wed Nov 25, 2015, 11:05 AM, and the Jury voted 3-4 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I don't find this any more objectionable than the Brits dancing in the streets after the death of Margaret Thatcher.
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I'm not seeing the "celebrate' part. Leave.
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I've read far too many celebrations of death on DU to believe it lies outside of community standards. It's vulgar and denies the poster his or her humanity, yet it is a standard sentiment here.
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: It's a headline.

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[onenote]

23. The list of things that distinguish this site from freerepblic just got a bit smaller

My reaction to Juror #6.

[malaise]

34. PHEW

Iran Contra - I will never forgive him for what he did to Jimmy Carter.
Fuck him!

[Logical]

47. What a stupid alert.nt

[KamaAina]

20. He may be the only American of a certain age who claims not to remember where he was on 11/22/63.

We do know he was in Dallas. And that he was a CIA asset.

[Ichingcarpenter]

37. Documents from FOIA and local news

[7wo7rees]

58. Most important post in this thread. Peace.

We will not dance on his grave.

He and all his ancestors and progeny are a pox on this country. Sadly we will never be rid of them and their ilk.
Just sad.

[Nye Bevan]

21. Lots of DUers get very joyful when political enemies die.

I'm not one of them.

[Buzz Clik]

69. Thank you!

DU's behavior during such events is deeply embarrassing.

[dumbcat]

22. I expect the same reaction

over on our sister site when Jimmie Carter dies.

And we will criticize them for it.

[narnian60]

39. Yes, indeed.

[FiveGoodMen]

63. Hardly the same thing.

Jimmie Carter has been a great human being and GHWB has not.

If you want to tell me that's just my opinion...

Well, do you REALLY believe that's just my opinion?

[kentuck]

28. What a strange sick thing to say...

[Jim Beard]

30. I could never trust anyone with such close ties to the CIA

He was director for too long. Having said that, Daddy Bush is way down on my list of people that would give me a feeling of relief if they died. I felt like a boulder had been removed from my back when Reagan died.

[donco]

31. Is this

the dance on the grave part of DU?

[Marrah_G]

32. I will be indifferent

[Ichingcarpenter]

35. Bush laughs about the JFK assassination at Ford's Funeral

[NightWatcher]

82. And he was there the day it went down

He pretended to not know that he was there that day, but there are pictures of him with other CIA types. I'm convinced he was pivotal in the assassination...amongst other things and he was rewarded accordingly.

[restorefreedom]

41. i will wish him safe passage...

and know that whatever karma he has shall stay with him into his next life.

and it will be plenty. no need for me to pile on.

[SoCalMusicLover]

77. Next Life?

Yeah, sure. I bet he's really worried about that.

[restorefreedom]

79. i am sure he is not. if he is christian,

he thinks he will go straight to heaven with all his "sins" covered by christ.

i have different beliefs and think he will get back what he put in.

only way we will all know is later. but i like believing in karma.

[FrodosPet]

42. I'm sad when ANYONE dies.

I doesn't mean I have anything less than pure disgust at what bad people do. It doesn't mean I don't want them incarcerated, or otherwise disabled from continuing to do bad things to innocents.

But the only way to stop hate is to not hate.

[cwydro]

43. I hate these kind of posts...

"Do not ask for whom the bell tolls...it tolls for thee...

[Liberal_in_LA]

46. Were you here when breitbart died? It was a party In du

[NYC Liberal]

55. Or Reagan. Or Falwell. Or Ford.

[Tipperary]

48. A sad thing to say.

[hifiguy]

49. He's as evil an SOB as has ever walked the earth.

All I will be able to say on the day he finally shuffles off this mortal coil is "good riddance to bad rubbish."

The Bush Crime Family = America's Borgias.

[Arkana]

50. I'm not going to gravedance like I did with Reagan,

but Bush the Elder was no prize. He just looks that way in comparison to the modern GOP.

[merrily]

51. Jeebus, the holiday season cheer around DU today is something else.

Tell your Republican relatives they are traitors and should eff off and die already.

Let's look forward with glee to the death of Poppy Bush and no one grieve for him!

Happy Thanksgiving, anyway, y'all. May all your turkey skin be perfectly crispy and flavorful.

[FLPanhandle]

52. He is powerless now so no need to gloat over his impending demise

Besides, he looks down right liberal compared to modern day Republicans

[JEB]

54. I was sad the day he was elected.

I was sad the day his son was elected. Enough sadness!

[struggle4progress]

56. ... No man is an Iland, intire of itselfe. Every man is a peece of the Continent,

a part of the maine. If a Clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Manor of thy friends or of thine owne were. Any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls: it tolls for thee ...

John Donne

[valerief]

57. And yet, there will be wall-to-wall coverage of him for a good week

when he croaks. On our "liberal" news media, of course. Because nothing else will be important.

[tularetom]

59. I'm not naive enough to believe there will be any perceptible change in my life when he croaks

And I won't be forced to watch the media circus that erupts upon his demise so I predict the day he takes his dirt nap will be like any other for me.

So I just don't fucking care, unless he makes a death bed confession and fesses up to all the evil shit he pulled during his life.

I think his recent book in which he blamed Cheney and Rumsfeld for all the fuckups made in the name of his idiot son during the Iraq invasion, was the start of him wanting to clean the slate in the event there was a judgment day.

[Buzz Clik]

71. About this...

I think his recent book in which he blamed Cheney and Rumsfeld for all the fuckups made in the name of his idiot son during the Iraq invasion, was the start of him wanting to clean the slate in the event there was a judgment day.

I don't think you were paying close enough attention.

It's part of the problem associated with getting one's news and opinions from places like DU.

[Mike Nelson]

60. It will be sad to see the media make him a bigger American hero...

...than they have, already.

[11 Bravo]

61. I did not vote for him, and I'm certain he committed numerous ...

criminal acts during his tenure in Washington; but this post still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Yukking it up about a nonagenarian preparing to shuffle off this mortal coil just doesn't resonate with me.

[TheUnspeakable]

64. I will be sad

To see how the media will treat him.
It will be nauseating. I still hope he
hangs on until he is held to account
for all of his crimes against our people
and all people of the world. Great
interview here with Russ Baker, author
of "Family of Secrets"
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEAuWNLGNKvl9c9IcZgL9ucG_c5h7kCGG
info about his role in JFK assassination
and Watergate. Pretty enlightening!

[DonCoquixote]

65. Sad to say

Just like Jeb would get a bump when Daddy dies, so would Hillary if Bill dies:

http://nypost.com/2014/06/28/bill-politicized-death-hoping-to-get-hillary-millions-of-votes-book/

And anyone who read Ted Rall knows that Ted woould cheer Bill's death every bit as much as he would H.w

[shanti]

66. so who's going to be sad?

nobody here, AFAIK.

[Buzz Clik]

70. I will.

I was not fond of GHW Bush's policies, but I liked him as a man, particularly post-presidency. Still do.

I had convinced myself (partially due to terribly misrepresenting campaign ads) that he was hateful. He is not.

But, carry on in the DU tradition of dancing on the graves of our political "enemies," and then wonder in disbelief why this country is so divided.

[shanti]

83. he is an evil man, imo

many instances of it too. but you go ahead and believe what you want, it's a free world (sort of).

[Buzz Clik]

72. Ted Rall's cartoons are plenty offensive. It only got worse when he started writing opinions.

[CajunBlazer]

75. The article is in very poor taste....

...and not appropriate for posting here. And that is being nice. What if someone posted a racist rant here? Would it be okay for the OP to say "Don't blame me, I just posed an article". We assume responsibility for the BS we post here.

And this Ted Rall dude needs to learn how to write. I hope he doesn't turn blue holding his breath until I comply with is request to send him money.

[Rex]

80. Deep Throat is on his way out.

A lot of people say it was Mark Felt, I have my doubts.

[Jim Lane]

84. Give Bush41 at least a modicum of credit concerning Iraq

In the Gulf War precipitated by Iraq's aggression against Kuwait, Bush showed much better judgment than did his Dim Son the next time around. From the Wikipedia article about the war:

There was some criticism of the Bush administration, as they chose to allow Saddam to remain in power instead of pushing on to capture Baghdad and overthrowing his government. In their co-written 1998 book, A World Transformed, Bush and Brent Scowcroft argued that such a course would have fractured the alliance, and would have had many unnecessary political and human costs associated with it. {emphasis added}

Look, I voted against him every chance I had, but as between the two Presidents Bush, there's no question about which one was even worse than the other.

[Yorktown]

85. Agreed. Compared to GW, the father was a wise and noble statesman.

But then again, compared to GW, a monkey would be a wise and noble statesman.

[pintobean]

86. No surprise, this thread is at the cave

http://conservativecave.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=h2atq2qjhvuur88que3383gif0&topic=105392.0

Is that you?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

87. I dunno

We should really be saving our "grave dancing" for GWB and Darth Cheney IMHO. I'm not a huge fan of Poppy Bush but he was far from the worst Republican POTUS we've had in recent years IMHO.

[Octafish]

88. I would, especially if he doesn't say why he was in Dallas on 22 Nov 1963.

That's where George H.W. Bush told the FBI he was heading the day of the assassination of President Kennedy. He also mentioned hearing about a threat against JFK in Houston earlier, something he did not report until 45 minutes after the assassination.



Here's a transcript of the text:

TO: SAC, HOUSTON DATE: 11-22-63

FROM: SA GRAHAM W. KITCHEL

SUBJECT: UNKNOWN SUBJECT;
ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT
JOHN F. KENNEDY

At 1:45 p.m. Mr. GEORGE H. W. BUSH, President of the Zapata Off-Shore Drilling Company, Houston, Texas, residence 5525 Briar, Houston, telephonically furnished the following information to writer by long distance telephone call from Tyler, Texas.

BUSH stated that he wanted to be kept confidential but wanted to furnish hearsay that he recalled hearing in recent weeks, the day and source unknown. He stated that one JAMES PARROTT has been talking of killing the President when he comes to Houston.

BUSH stated that PARROTT is possibly a student at the University of Houston and is active in political matters in this area. He stated that he felt Mrs. FAWLEY, telephone number SU 2-5239, or ARLINE SMITH, telephone number JA 9-9194 of the Harris County Republican Party Headquarters would be able to furnish additional information regarding the identity of PARROTT.

BUSH stated that he was proceeding to Dallas, Texas, would remain in the Sheraton-Dallas Hotel and return to his residence on 11-23-63. His office telephone number is CA 2-0395.

# # #

Gee. Why was Poppy Bush in Dallas when JFK was assassinated?

Could it be, he was on official business? I suspect he was on Secret Government business. After all, his eldest son bragged during his Texas Air National Guard and Harvard grad school days that his daddy was CIA.

Here's an FBI document from the same week of the assassination in which FBI Director J Edgar Hoover briefed one "Mr. George Bush of the Central Intelligence Agency." Some strange coincidence there, wot?



Here's a transcript of the above:

Date: November 29, 1963

To: Director
Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Department of State

From: John Edgar Hoover, Director

Subject: ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
NOVEMBER 22, 1963

Our Miami, Florida, Office on November 23, 1963, advised that the Office of Coordinator of Cuban Affairs in Miami advised that the Department of State feels some misguided anti-Castro group might capitalize on the present situation and undertake an unauthorized raid against Cuba, believing that the assassination of President John F. Kennedy might herald a change in U. S. policy, which is not true.

Our sources and informants familiar with Cuban matters in the Miami area advise that the general feeling in the anti-Castro Cuban community is one of stunned disbelief and, even among those who did not entirely agree with the President's policy concerning Cuba, the feeling is that the President's death represents a great loss not only to the U. S. but to all of Latin America. These sources know of no plans for unauthorized action against Cuba.

An informant who has furnished reliable information in the past and who is close to a small pro-Castro group in Miami has advised that these individuals are afraid that the assassination of the President may result in strong repressive measures being taken against them and, although pro-Castro in their feelings, regret the assassination.

The substance of the foregoing information was orally furnished to Mr. George Bush of the Central Intelligence Agency and Captain William Edwards of the Defense Intelligence Agency on November 23, 1963, by Mr. W. T. Forsyth of this Bureau.

# # #

George H. W. Bush was head of the CIA when the Frank Church and Otis Pike were looking into the CIA assassination and domestic spying programs. Bush through his "lobbying" made things all friendly-like and turned what had been a serious hunt for truth under previous DCI Colby into another dog-and-pony show that was big on show and light on facts. That was about the last time Congress really investigated the CIA and NSA.

Regarding Dallas: Now I don't know if Poppy was a trigger man, was only there to watch what happened or what just happened to be there. I do know Poppy Bush has never explained these memos. Poppy has never stated publicly where he was the day JFK was killed.

Seeing how he would go on to become President, as would his dim son, and possibly a second son, I believe it's vitally important that we learn the Truth.

Why? The United States and the world haven't been the same since November 22, 1963. And not a single major player in the nation's mass media have stepped up and demanded a real investigation. So, it's up to us, We the People.

What's more, Poppy Bush sheltered mass-murdering jet-bombing terrorists like Luis Posada Carriles and protected Pinochet for the bombing that killed Ronni Moffit and former Chilean ambassador Orlando Letelier.