* to dead soldier's mom: "How do you know his life would have been good?"

[Oilwellian]

This is a couple of months old now and don't recall seeing it on DU before. Hope it's not a dupe.

Dolores Kesterson meets the president.

By Jeff Norman
August 11, 2005
Cindy Sheehan is not the only Gold Star mom who felt disrespected after a visit with George W. Bush. Dolores Kesterson, whose son Erik was killed in Iraq in November of 2003, was among several military families who last year were invited to meet with Bush as a group. Each family was allotted ten minutes with the president, but because she is divorced from her husband, Dolores asked to speak with Bush one-on-one.

Dolores reports exclusively for U.S. Tour of Duty that she waited alone in a small partitioned area, wondering if her request would be granted, before a Bush aide suddenly announced, "The president will now see you." As the commander in chief strode briskly toward her, it seemed to Dolores that he was trying to intimidate her. "He came marching in and got right in my face...eyeball to eyeball, and said, 'I'm George Bush, the president of the United States, and I understand you have something to say to me in private.'"

Dolores tried to give Bush a sense of what type of person Erik had been. She described her son as a "comedian" whose favorite saying was, "Life is good." The president replied, "How do you know his life would have been good?"

Dolores was shocked by Bush's eagerness to question the value of her son's life. She told the president, "Nobody wants to die."

Before he concluded their meeting, Bush proclaimed to Dolores, "We won't know in our lifetime whether or not Iraq was a success."

http://www.ustourofduty.org/pages/videoDoloresPrez_high.html

[niyad]

1. is there NO limit to his callousness and complete lack of even the most

basic semblance of sensitivity?

[Wilms]

2. This is the guy most Americans would prefer to have a beer with...

...instead of Kerry. :shrug:

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. A beer, liver and fava beans...

[localroger]

29. I'd love to have a beer with him.

I would shake the can vigorously and make sure it was pointed toward him before opening it.

[xxqqqzme]

3. How is it after all we know

and the little reported - this rat bastard continues 2 amaze & astound me w/ his callousness?

It never ends! just a continual loop of nastiness & arrogance.

[benddem]

4. It really isn't hard to figure

how he got this way. Listen to Bab's remarks about the "underprivileged " in Houston. What really bothers me is the number of people who think this man is a "good Christian." The idea that "Christ changed my life" is not only laughable it is a lie.

[lumpy]

5. Haven't heard of this before.

Bush showing he is the personification of evil.

[Neocondriac]

7. In August..

of last year I was listening to Franken on AAR and he had a caller who was extremely nervous and identified himself as a Republican and how sorry he was that he had voted for GW.He told the story of how at a Bush Rally he had been selected to chat with the President briefly after his speech to the loyalists. His comments to the pres were even screened and not seen as anything challenging. As Bush got to him in the reception line the caller said that he was very pleased to meet with Bush and although he felt he was doing a good job he had a couple of areas which concerned him. He got about two more words out when the President leaned in and in a snug and curt manner said,"Who cares what you fuckin think?" and moved on.The caller was so taken back he put his face into his hands and was just kind of catching his breath when he got pulled vigorously from behind only to now realize that he was being ushered away by Secret Service personel and taken directly to his vehicle and asked to leave.

[glitch]

12. Talk about a cold cold wake up call.

Can you imagine the horror, knowing you helped put this freak into power?

And what about the secret service? What kind of barrier do they have to put around their own minds to deal with this monstrosity day after day, asked to remove simple reality-based humans from his presence, based on the monster's whims.
They hear the things he says. They know what they are dealing with.

Just yikes.

[Neocondriac]

17. glitch...

strangely this story brought the same question to mind for me. How do the Secret Service higher ups even wrap their minds around this regime. They of course would say that they protect an office and not an ideology ,but come on!....Now that's a book worth reading.."How We Assisted with a Fascist Coup"

[glitch]

23. I guess they'd have to weed out all but the true believers.

I know a lot of other gov professionals have quit. I wonder what the quit rate is for the Secret Service?

I can see them doing their job protecting the "President", that is their job after all. But what can they be thinking about these blatant criminals? They have to see them close up and personal. It would be like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

I would definitely read that book!

[malmapus]

31. Unfortunetly I know someone who works with the federal gov't

She just keeps her thoughts to herself and does her job cause she needs the money that bad and well this strong economy we have is soo good that she could easily find another if she needed.

[glitch]

32. Maybe she can take notes and write an blockbuster expose someday

I used to work for some incredible jerks, and I've wished I'd kept notes. Unfortunately, the stress was too great, last thing on my mind at that time was taking notes.
But as I look back now, I think it might've been therapeutic.

[XemaSab]

54. I've heard many stories like this

all with the same "Who cares what you think?" "Nobody cares what you think," "I don't care what you think," pattern.

Disturbing.

[Joe Chi Minh]

8. Pity she did'n't reply, "And I'm Dolores Kesterson, how do you

do?

Never put yourself down. Being President of the United States is not necessarily something to be ashamed of. It doesn't follow that you're a bad person, inexorably. Look at the marvellous things President Clinton was able to achieve.

Now let's get down to what I wanted to talk you about..."

[NYC Liberal]

9. How about, "I'm Dolores Kesterson, citizen of the United States, and

I pay your salary, SIR"

[Joe Chi Minh]

13. Yes! Perfect. The perfect rejoinder.

[ComerPerro]

10. psy-cho

[bigbrother05]

11. No wonder they didn't let Cindy meet with him

They would have had to peel me off the sorry MF. No compassion.

[tahoedenver]

14. What do you expect from monkey boy

The fact you see him having a good time everywhere he goes shows he doesn't give a damn about the 2000+ brave men and women who have died in this usless and retarded war. If it did matter to him, you would see it on his face and on his conscience.

[Lisa]

15. I am actually hoping that this is apocryphal ...

If I were the mother whose child had been killed -- and seemingly for no good reason -- I would have been absolutely shattered, to hear someone say something so callous and flippant. Particularly if that person were the Commander-in-Chief/head of state. Poor Mrs. Kesterton. Unfortunately, based on what we already know about Bush's penchant for thoughtless remarks, this account is probably accurate.

[tahoedenver]

16. I would have cussed the fucker out

If it was my kid who died. This son of a bitch is callous and heartless. He should be impeached and removed from office on grounds of mental incompetence.

[Festivito]

18. Poppy's accountant sure knows how much Iraq success he has.

Those military investments successfully bring in lots and lots of money.

"We won't know in our lifetime whether or not Iraq was a success."

..I think that means that poppy doesn't keep jr advised about how much inheiritance there might be.

[SillyGoose]

19. OMFG, that is inexcusable!!

What is a cold, mean, hurtful and vile thing to say to a grieving mother. Who could blame her if she had hauled off and clocked him one right there? That poor woman lost her son and then had to endure that insult on top of it all!


:grr:

[Tsiyu]

20. One thing is for certain

Chimpy's life has not been good.

Not for him. Not for us.

And I would have cussed the asshole out had he uttered those words to me. Delores has more tact than I do.

He really believes he's Gawd, doesn't he?

[chimppyhater]

35. No, he just takes to God

and according to him, God tells him to screw everyone

[Breeze54]

21. Just curious....

As the Mom of a soldier in Iraq;

If ....("HIGHER POWER" FORBID!)...
...I were to be in her exact same position;

What would happen if he walked up to me and got in my face,

like he did to her and I decked him?? :evilgrin:

Besides an assault charge...

What else would happen?? :shrug:

Any lawyer's out there?

[ninkasi]

27. I'm not a lawyer...

but as a citizen, and a mother, I'd be inclined to give you a medal. There is not one shred of decency, or compassion in the whole Bush pack. They are a disgrace to our country.

[wellstone_democrat]

39. I'd contribute my entire paycheck to your defense fund

and eat beans or beg all month. That's what I would do.

Would a jury of Americans convict you? No, not even in a "red state"

[ticapnews]

44. By the time your arm started forward...

there would be a bullet in your skull. The Secret Service would drop you in a flash.

[BamaBecky]

22. Galling!

[Tesla]

24. Talk about Repugnant!!!!

[Flying Dream Blues]

25. It shames me that this man represents me. nt

[Oilwellian]

26. His first comment to her is incredible

'I'm George Bush, the president of the United States, and I understand you have something to say to me in private.'"

This was an obvious attempt to intimidate her right from the beginning.

[defiant1]

52. Yeah....

Like he actually needs to add POTUS after saying his name.

[progressoid]

28. It's official: The President AND Vice-president are DICKS!

[No Exit]

30. WHAAA AAAAAAA AAAAAAAA AAAAAAAT??????

I had to read this twice:

'Dolores tried to give Bush a sense of what type of person Erik had been. She described her son as a "comedian" whose favorite saying was, "Life is good." The president replied, "How do you know his life would have been good?"'

This needs to be in every newspaper in America, on the front page--most specifically in redstate areas where parents of soldiers serving are all "rah rah" about the war.

This is an OUTRAGE!!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

33. I hadn't seen this before...

What a people person bush* is, eh? He's quite the heartless, uncaring, egotistical jerk.

[Crunchy Frog]

34. What I'd like to say

would get me a visit from the Secret Service.

[jmm]

36. Well if there are two things Bush does well they are

ensuring nobody outside of his inner circle has a good life and saying something offensive and stupid.

[Mr_Spock]

37. The man who would state such a thing is a piece of shit deserving of scorn

or worse. I guess that's what you get when you vote in a lying mass-murdering war criminal for a second term. x(

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

38. Good or bad life generally beats the alternative. As far as we know.

And, seeing as returnees from the alternative have yet to make an appearance and report on the availability of sex, good books, hot showers, cheese cake, and all the myriad other things that make life delightful, I think the kid had a pretty good chance that he would have found life good.

Had he not been made into wormfood to fulfill a fratboy's ambitions.

[ticapnews]

47. As far as we know...

the kid would have cured cancer.

Or, from Saving Private Ryan
"This Ryan had better be worth it - he better go home and cure some disease or invent a longer-lasting light bulb."

Exhibit 17,687 that our president is an

[Vektor]

40. Bush is about as sharp as a sack of wet mice.

What an idiotic buffoon. He must have had a hell of a plastic surgeon to hide that lobotomy scar so well.

[Old and In the Way]

41. What an arrogant prick. He deserves nothing he's gotten in this life.

He's a man of small character and he's going down.

[donheld]

42. W is such a cold hearted fool.

I just hope people, besides DUers, wake up to this before it's too late.

[chimppyhater]

43. I'm enough of a wise ass

that I would have spit in his face

[donheld]

45. He needs that, he really does n/t

[chimppyhater]

46. a knee to the nuts

would also work

[NMMNG]

48. The man is a sociopath; he is incapable of empathy

:eyes:

[BamaBecky]

49. I think you put your finger on the problem!

[PowerToThePeople]

50. * needs to die.

I need not say more.

[chimppyhater]

51. that's too good for him

the needs to be stripped naked and but in a box full of red ants, or a fish tank full of piranahs

[sakabatou]

53. Hey, Conservatives, this is what your leader is:

A complete and utter moronic asshole.