George H.W. Bush Book Recalls Frustration At Son's Critics: I'm 'An Angry Old Man Hurting For My Son

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Huffington Post

George H.W. Bush Book Recalls Frustration At Son's Critics: I'm 'An Angry Old Man Hurting For My Son'

The Huffington Post | By Gabrielle Dunkley Posted: 03/04/2013 7:10 pm EST | Updated: 03/04/2013 8:22 pm EST

Former President George H. W. Bush offers intimate observations about low points of his son's presidency in his latest book, set to be released Tuesday.

CNN received an advanced copy of All the Best, George Bush; My Life in Letters and Other Writings, and reports that the elder Bush had a pained reaction to the nation's criticism of his son's performance as 43rd president.

"My heart went out to him" after Hurricane Katrina, Bush, 88, writes of his son, former President George W. Bush. "Here is a guy who cares deeply. Who wants every possible resource of the federal government brought in to bear to help people, yet he is being roundly accused of not giving a damn ... the critics do not know what is in 43's heart, how deeply he feels about the hurt, the anguish, the losses affecting so many people, most of them poor."

The younger Bush was stung by considerable backlash for slow execution of recovery efforts in Louisiana after Katrina. The resentment came to a memorable head in September 2005, when entertainer Kanye West publicly blasted Bush during a nationally broadcast relief telethon, claiming he didn't "care about black people."



Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/geoge-hw-bush-book_n_2807274.html

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[center][/center]

Former President Bush Breaks Down in Tears Talking About Jeb Bush
Published December 05, 2006
Associated Press

Former President George H.W. Bush came here Monday to talk about leadership and opened his remarks with advice on working with rivals, being patient and building personal relationships.

He then broke down in tears mentioning his son, Gov. Jeb Bush, as an example of leadership and the way he handled losing the 1994 governor's race to popular incumbent Democrat Lawton Chiles. He vaguely referred to dirty tricks in the campaign.

"He didn't whine about it. He didn't complain," the former president said before choking up in front of lawmakers, Gov. Bush's top administrators and state workers gathered in the House chamber for the last of the governor's leadership forums.

As he tried to continue, he let out a sob and put a handkerchief to his face. When he spoke again, his words were broken up by pauses as he tried to regain composure.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234480,00.html#ixzz2Mdmjya9V

[oldhippydude]

1. son of a Bush.........n/t

[MotherPetrie]

2. Oh the huge manatee!!!!

Will no one think of the children of oligarchs!

[2naSalit]

28. I forgot to respond to your insightful comment... forgive me

[rosesaylavee]

55. +1

[Brigid]

92. You win.

That is all.

[Berlum]

109. !

[Journeyman]

3. I feel for my children when they are attacked, but I do not fear for them or emotionally react . . .

for I have taught them to be fulfilled, functioning adults, quite capable of taking care of their problems, and very confident in themselves that they are the best they can be.

I cannot imagine what life is like for G.H.W. Bush, so flustered and quite devastated that his children are, at core, quite incompetent.

[JDPriestly]

41. Devastatingly true:

I cannot imagine what life is like for G.H.W. Bush, so flustered and quite devastated that his children are, at core, quite incompetent.

Thanks for stating it so succinctly, so well.

[maddiemom]

85. Obvious that his hopes were for Jeb, and "jump the gun " PTB "(Rove certainly,

who has described an almost gay reaction to first seeing- but before meeting Dubya) got very out of hand in Republican politics. It actually worked for a while. There are patrician political families in both parties. The ones on the conservative, Republican side used to have better control over their handlers.

[lastlib]

82. "...that his children are, at core, quite incompetent." And EVIL fucks.

You left out "evil fucks". But I don't suppose Poopy--er, Poppy-- cries for those who they killed in their lust for power and money.

[maddiemom]

90. Come'on not "evil fucks." Just careless and thoughtless people" like Tom and Daisy

in "Gatsby." They already had money and power...and THAT was the problem. They believed they deserved it from birth. It would take a lot more cunning and brainpower than Dubya (or Reagan) possessed on their own to turn power into an evil plot. The Romneys, in losing, have focused a shining light on this attitude of privilege.

[defacto7]

4. They are both laughing hysterically in that picture.

As far as the quote " I'm 'An Angry Old Man Hurting For My Son"

Well, we are an angry country hurting for our nation! and our world! Because of your son!

Which is more important? Maybe Attila the Hun's father cried for him too.

[Gregorian]

11. I love it. You pretty much nailed it all there.

Haha. Actually, I can't laugh.

[King_Klonopin]

50. We would all be better off today

If Poppy had told junior that he was ashamed of his boy's behavior
now and then, instead of defending it or covering up for him.

Sociopathogenic Parenting begets just another asshole bully.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

102. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

My first thought was, "Boo fucking hoo for you HW." But your reply is so much better!

[SaveAmerica]

5. tell that to the people of NOLA who died unnecessarily

[maddiemom]

86. And the "Osama determined to strike..." memo.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

6. My heart

it fucking bleeds................ NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zen Democrat]

7. I think it's creepy that father and son call each other 43 and 41, like robots.

[davidpdx]

15. +1,000

I bet John Adams and John Qunicy Adams never called each other 2 and 6

[maddiemom]

83. Good One!

[TDale313]

19. Yeah, had the same reaction.

That's just weird to me.

[markpkessinger]

22. Yeah -- I wonder if John and John Q. . . .

. . . called each other "2" and "6."

[sakabatou]

8. Lemme get my angstrom sized violin

[blkmusclmachine]

9. 9/11, Katrina, Iraq, The Great Recession, The unPatriot Act, etc. The list goes on, and on, and on..

[caseymoz]

16. Don't forget the Iraqi War.

Things like bankruptcy reform are just misdemeanors.

[2naSalit]

10. Oh Whaaaaaaaaaaah

Next we'll be seeing mittens pulling that shit... those people, that whole family, need a military escort off the planet, like yesterday.

[PerceptionManagement]

107. Chimpy misses being pampered. 4000 dead Americans he killed in Iraq? Not so much.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/10/george-bush-misses-being-pampered.html

[progressoid]

12. "low points of his son's presidency"

That would be from January 17, 1995 – December 21, 2000

[caseymoz]

13. "You did a helluva job son."

I guess I know where George III got that phrase. It illustrates what "Too wealthy to fail," really means.

Somehow I don't think Kayne West's criticism was as, Dubya thinks, the most disgusting moment of his presidency. I think nothing can come close to the Iraq War. A fraudulent war that caused at least 110,000 Iraqi deaths? For pure repulsiveness, there's nothing that can come close.

I think the Bush family either exist on a different planet, or ought to. They definitely don't belong anywhere near power.

[MotorCityMan]

14. Oh good lord, he's STILL whining about how poor Jr was treated?

Poor, poor *, so misunderstood. No one really knew how much he cared about everyone.

Certainly not by his actions, policies or behavior, anyways...

[caseymoz]

21. Yeah, when's he going to get over it.

His son screwed up terribly not once, but repeatedly. And he was an embarrassment every time he opened his mouth.

Apparently, Dad thinks his son is too rich to fail.

But you know what's really happening? Jeb is trying to revive his political career, so now we're going to get attempts to rehabilitate George III's presidency, after the GOP has tried to erase all memory of horrible time.

[Drunken Irishman]

17. Your son was a bad president...

Bad presidents generally are attacked for being bad. He was incompetent and inept and was called out for it. I'm sorry it hurt you personally, but that doesn't make it any less true. Of course it's going to hurt you personally because he is your son - but that's no different than the parent of a murderer hurting about all the nasty things said about their kid. "If you only knew him..."

[jthompson]

18. Dear Papa Bush

Your son was the worst president America has ever had. The list of his shortcomings would reach to the moon. Remember the one, and only one time W told the truth. That was when he was addressing the "haves and the have mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base." Yes W you spoke the truth that day.

May you burn in hell for sending all those troops to die in Iraq on a pack of lies.

It looks like you got away with your treason W, but we all still know you are a traitor. Amazing that didn't bother your old man.....

[llmart]

73. Not to mention that hilarious skit.....

where he pretended to be looking for the WMD's. Wasn't that a real hoot?

[hibbing]

103. While the corporate media whores laughed

Hey,
What a disgusting sight that was. All the corporate media whores who to go the same Washington cocktail parties laughed along at the hilarity. We will be digging out of this shithole this asshole dug for decades.

Peace

[markpkessinger]

20. George H.W. Bush is merely . . .

. . . a more refined, polished and sophisticated spokesman for the Bush family crime syndicate than his son W!

[Stewland]

23. Lets not forget just who the Bush crime family work for

It's been determined by those who use the Bush crime family ,that this criminal enterprise called the Bush family will represent us. Every President since Kennedy has been compromised by the real powers that rule this nation and the world. Clinton and Obama are included as these two have also done much damage to this nation. They have sold us out economically and politically. We do not have a two party system but a theater of deception that the average man does not see.

[Jack Sprat]

24. Bush Sr should be grateful if anything.

Not for just public forgiveness for his own questionable business dealings, but certainly for his sons, Neil and Jeb. After Reagan relaxed regulations of the savings & loans, both sons were implicated for conflicts of interest in ownerships of a Savings & Loan in Sunrise, FL which cost taxpayers 4 million dollars and Jeb was doing the same thing at Silverado Savings & Loan. The Reagan/Bush administration knew as early as 1986 that there were grave problems in the Savings & Loan industry, but it didn't become public news until Bush became President in 89. When Neil's problems became frontpage news, Bush Sr lauched Operation Desert Storm soon thereafter and the Savings & Loan scandal quickly faded from the News.

The Bush Family has always teetered on the edge of the law and the sons of George Sr have been fortunate indeed to escape prison time. Neil was fined 50,000 for his wrong-doing in Silverado, but the CEO of that Savings & Loan went to prison 3 years.

[DallasNE]

25. Father's Are Forgiving Of Wayward Sons

The relationship has been sometimes stormy as when "W" wanted to go mano to mano with his father.

But let's look at Katrina in real time. The day after the storm hit Bush headed to Arizona to give John McCain a birthday cake. He then went to San Diego for a political event. This where is heart was, certainly not on NOLA and the thousands needing rescue. He finally did a flyover in Airforce One a mere 4 days after the storm hit. When he finally did get down there he praised FEMA director Brown as "doing a heckava job", never mind the unfolding disaster that was there for all to see.

I don't fault GHWB for his comments but it still doesn't change the record and the body of evidence from that record puts him at or near the very bottom for American Presidents.

[IrishAyes]

100. My favorite SNL skit

Showed 41 (Dana Carvey) and 43 on a hunting trip. 41 keeps warning 43 not to fire at some particular animal, I don't remember which. But 43 argues and then rushes ahead to do it anyway. 41 looks down at his rifle longingly, then in the direction 43 went, and shakes his head. "No...wouldn't be prudent..."

Early on when Cheney and 43 were guests on some interview show, 43 said something about how presidents supposedly could do anything they wanted. Anything! Cheney started to sweat bullets and cautioned him that this is supposed to be a democracy and the presidential powers are restricted by law. Even after this warning to shut his trap, 43 kept on in a petulant tone. "No, he can do anything he wants!"

[name not needed]

26. And we're all hurting BECAUSE of your son.

Tough shit, George.

[Lint Head]

27. Your entire damn crime family can go to hell!

You and your spawn have done so much damage to this country it may NEVER recover.

[2naSalit]

29. So he wrote a book?

hopefully it will be on sale at $1.00 within the first week like his son's and Rmoney's... It's just one way we can show our appreciation for their disservice.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

30. Too fucking bad

If he was honest, he'd admit that his family's desperate need for power trumped the fact his idiot son was ill equipped to run a fucking lemonade stand, and he should have done the dignified thing and told him to stay out of politics.

[Poll_Blind]

31. You should be sobbing because he's on trial at The Hague, fuckface. nt

PB

[NBachers]

32. If only George had written a confessional book detailing all his crimes against America and humanity

His day of reckoning grows ever closer . . . a book of atonement before it's too late . . .

[Richard D]

33. Struggling to find some compassion for him in my heart

Nope. There isn't any. He might be hurting for his son. This country is hurting because of his son.

[Solly Mack]

34. Snort

What a crock.

[BlueStater]

35. You're lucky your worthless son isn't in prison right now.

Being nationally despised is actually much better than he deserves.

[Blue Palasky]

36. fuck you and your shit-head son, 41

[Stewland]

37. I think he is just plain lying

I never thought that W cared about the well being of most Americans. The Election was stolen twice and he did say that his base were the haves and the have mores. Either this man is extremely out of touch or just plain selfish. The history of The Bush family is filled with questionable dealings and deceit. I do think that junior has soiled the Bush brand so very badly that Jeb does not stand a chance. At this point it matters not because anyone running for the presidency has or will be compromised in order for the real power to gets its way. As a nation we are at this time sunk and something in the order of massive upheaval is needed to get us back on track.

[grasswire]

38. remember journalist Mary McGrory's quote from 41:

"If the people knew what we have done, they would chase us down the street and lynch us."

That was GHWBush, to her.

[DRoseDARs]

39. There's no Hell hot enough for that family to burn in. n/t

[Hekate]

40. The fruit of his loins is a blivet. That's enough to make any man cry.

A lot of the rest of us have wept over Baby Caligula, too.

[Warren DeMontague]

42. Poppy's a smart guy, and he knows Katrina was the point when Dubya lost the American People for good

that was the last straw.

[Drunken Irishman]

43. Yup. Not even a year into his second term, everything went to shit...

Katrina. Iraq fell apart. The economy tanked. Democrats regained control of the House & Senate. The economy continued to tank. Bush's second term might be one of the worst terms in American history.

[Kolesar]

48. The media ignored the dissatisfaction with the war, and Katrina blew it up for the neocons

No hero worship by Dim Russert could keep the lid on it after the hurricane.

[Wilms]

44. Why isn't this on the greatest page??

I mean, I was so tear-filled I could barely see the "recommend" button. But I managed.

[Hissyspit]

45. Piece of shit. eom

[graham4anything]

46. You gotta admit, the Bush's know how to do things.

Jeb will be the nominee in 2016.

God help the United States if the fracture of Nader, Bradley and the Court were to happen again and anyone but Hillary is the nominee.

It takes a Clinton to defeat a Bush.

Everything else is calculated to be argued a zillion times.

You gotta ignore all of it. I for one wouldn't waste a second buying 41s book or reading it.

And I hope he lives another 4 years in great health.

Because I want him to see his son Jeb have his rear end kicked out of the arena by
Hillary45/Napolitano in 2016

NOT ONE of 41's words matter.

But you gotta admit, they play the game of politics superbly.
To think anyone else would be able to come back a 3rd time ...

But Hillary45 is going to make the Bush's 3 strikes and they are out.

And thank God, TeamObama plays the game better than the Bush's did, and is playing it
better than TeamBush's Karl Rove and Karen Hughes and Roger Stone etc. do.

Evrything else is filler.

And again, I wish 41 well health, becuase the sympathy vote for him would be incredible.
And they will play it up even if 41 has the sniffles.

The joy shall be in seeing Hillary kick Jeb's rear out of the arena on election day.
Hillary45 winning 425 to 455 electoral votes INCLUDING TEXAS.

That will be the joy that is all we need.
BTW, as 41 has been ill for months, when exactly did he write this book?

[IrishAyes]

99. Your quote

"It takes a Clinton to beat a Bush"

Might turn out to be the official campaign slogan!

[harkonen]

47. no more bushs in the White House

are you paying attention there jeb? We simply won't have it.

[Botany]

49. Screw you H.W..

You had James Baker fly around Florida on a private jet paid for by Enron in November
and December of 2000 in what turned out to be a successful effort not to count all the
votes in the election in that state so your son could steal the Presidency from Al Gore.
In the end that turned out to be a success and W crashed and burned America for 8 years
after that and if you want you can come visit my friend's son who is dying of brain cancer
he got from serving in Iraq from being around KBR burn pits as he was in the army.

[ck4829]

51. "My son was the real victim of Hurricane Katrina!"

And they are thinking of having Jeb as the nominee in 2016.

Just remember that.

[treestar]

52. Oh well

[liberal N proud]

53. He is what papa bu$h made him!

If you make your children spoiled rich little brats, they will grow up to be mean spoiled brats.

[jerseyjack]

54. HEY GEORGE !

Your son is an asshole.

[sarge43]

56. Tell that to the families and friends of Iraqi war casualties and the Katrina victims, old man.

Last edited Tue Mar 5, 2013, 09:32 AM - Edit history (1)

I'm sure they feel your pain.

[Paladin]

63. +1000. (nt)

[djean111]

57. This crap is all just the preamble to attempting to rewrite shrub history, for Jeb's purposes.

We are supposed to feel pity and think that we were too harsh.
The presidency is not like being captain of a secretive ivy league club where almost everybody is an addled spoiled entitled silver-spooned scion who just happened to be born to rich parents - but that is how the Bushes think of the presidency. They are scarier than Mittens, though, because they are so focused and connected. Mittens just knows how to steal money.

[Sunlei]

58. Who wrote the book today about events 8/10? years ago, when Old Bush hasn't been able for years.

GOP keeps trying to create their new frankinstein Jeb Bush for 2016.

Doesn't GOP have ANYONE to run in 2016, with a good SOLID, moral, decent personal/WORK history that spans a real lifetime??

[tanyev]

59. He should be apologizing for all the damage his worthless offspring have done to this country.

Cry me a river, old man.

[Sheldon Cooper]

60. Actions speak louder than words, old man Bush.

I don't care what the fuck was in W's "heart" - my eyes were wide open and I know what I was seeing. I hope you both burn in hell.

[hatrack]

61. Well then GET THE FUCK OVER IT

.

[blm]

62. Yet another Bush Rehabilitation tour. Will Bill Clinton be helping with this one, too?

.

[Raster]

64. I know why you cried, old man.

You cried because your hopes that your legacy would be ultimately fulfilled and that your family's tawdry past would be washed clean were dashed against the rocks by the forced pResidency of your eldest son.

You cried because you knew history would remember your eldest son as one of the WORST Presidents of the United States of America.

You cried because you knew that the ugly, black cloud of illegitimacy would haunt your son's supposedly Presidential victory for all time.

You cried because you knew the better man and rightful winner of the Presidency was denied his turn in history through illegal and immoral means and your family's political capital paid the bill.

You cried because you believed your favored offspring, John Ellis Bush, was destined for the Presidency and greatness, and will most likely be remembered as the Governor of Florida that helped steal the Presidency for his ne'er-do-well older sibling.

You cried because you know history will show that time and time again, the family Bush has not proudly risen to meet history, but has maneuvered in the shadows with the darkest of characters.

[olddad56]

65. His son should have been impeached and prosecuted as a war criminal, among other crimes.

screw the old man.

[rhett o rick]

67. So should the father. The only difference between the two is Dim-Son is a spoiled brat with no

intelligence what so ever.

[Javaman]

66. well, he got the first part right about being an angry old man. nt

[rhett o rick]

68. Poppy is demonstrating "class sociopathy". He really believes that his son "feels" for the masses.

He doesnt have a clue what that means. Babs told the children refugees from Katrina living on candy bars that it was like a camping trip. The elite have no empathy for the masses. They might have pity but no empathy.

Poppy sold his soul to the devil and now owes the devil his due.

[formercia]

69. Reminded me of this:

[Marrah_G]

70. These people have zero idea what hardship is

[Myrina]

71. "I'm an angry old man" -- probably one of the first honest things he's said.

n/t

[Baitball Blogger]

72. The entire family is so damn disconnected.

[wordpix]

74. more Richie Rich-type way-out-of-sync statements

like R$ ---see Earl G's latest

[Baitball Blogger]

75. Link?

[jwirr]

76. And many of us are hurting BECAUSE of your son.

[City Lights]

77. Awwwww, poor little Georgie.

for any Bush.

[olegramps]

78. Nothing more than a disgusting old fart. They make the Mafia look like angels.

[DinahMoeHum]

79. Fuckin' crybaby. Waaaaah! Waaaaah!

[KansDem]

80. Why? Did someone rip him from his incubator and leave him on the floor to die?

Oh, wait...that's your lie...

[santamargarita]

81. The Bush Cabal is a threat to democracy.

[Festivito]

84. W gave a damn ... to every county that voted Republican.

Don't worry your beautiful mind on those others.
Instead, work on remembering where you were when you heard Kennedy was assassinated.

[Scalded Nun]

87. Follow the family tree

A whole family of sneaky, nasty traitors.

And the only reason he joined the service was to try and salvage the family name.

[They_Live]

88. BOO HOO!

Maybe he can get together with the Romneys for a pity party and they can fill their swimming pools with crocodile tears.


pathetic.

[Downtown Hound]

89. So how much does your son care about the people he tortured, you asshole?

Last edited Tue Mar 5, 2013, 02:38 PM - Edit history (1)

[benld74]

91. The whole family is whacked

[Third Doctor]

93. HW Bush should have taught his son that to be a functioning adult

one must accept responsibility for one's actions. W never did any of these things.

[AtheistCrusader]

94. How many dead Iraqi's did his heart go out to?

[Phlem]

95. Fuck the Bush family

Every single one of them needs to be shipped to Guantanamo for the rest of their lives.

-p

[workinclasszero]

96. Life is hard for the 1%

The Bush's will never, ever, ever, ever know what it feels like to be unemployed at age 50 with no hope of getting a decent paying job for the rest of their life.

They will never know what if feels to be a new college grad with over 100000 dollars of student debt hanging over their heads working jobs that pay 10 bucks an hour with no benefits.

They will never have to lose their home and everything they worked a lifetime for because of sickness. They will never see a doctor who prescribes meds they can't afford to buy.

And on and on and on as all the good jobs get shipped out to China and India, etc.

This is the fucking world that George Bush Sr and Jr and Jeb and that POS Killer of the Working Class Ronald Reagan made for me, my friends and family.

You know, the 99% of us all.

You will excuse me for not giving two shits how hurt George Bush is about his sons who have destroyed this country and everything good in it for regular people.

[Rider3]

97. Couldn't care less about this family

[IrishAyes]

98. Oh, dear...

BOO HOO !!! How dare the American people not worship at the House of Bush? What's he trying to do, out-bawl the House Weeper?

[Az_lefty]

101. Sir, you're Son got thousands killed needlessly

Live with it

[truthisfreedom]

104. How is it that bush was thinking so deeply about the "poor people" of NOLA?

He was cutting cake and whoopin' it up when the hurricane hit. He did NOTHING to prepare for it when it was headed in and being reported on for days and days before it struck. Bush Senior is completely addled. He doesn't remember the reality of the situation. bush jr got exactly the treatment he deserved.

[Skittles]

105. oh fuck off, BOTH OF YOU

ugh

[Brigid]

106. If I was related to Dubya . . .

I would be blubbering too.

[Tikki]

108. Always heard the OP photo of poppy and jeb crying is because they realized that jr.....

had ruined everything including any chance of jebby winning a future presidency.



Tikki