Bush flip-flops on unpatriot act

[Flabbergasted]

By Dan Moffett

Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Well, sir, it is a rare week when President George W. Bush gets caught questioning the patriotism of conservative Republicans.

For six years, Mr. Bush has told anyone who questioned him to be a better American, love the country more and shut up. Democrats who criticized the Iraq War plan were dismissed as soft on terrorism or Al-Qaeda sympathizers. People who worried about illegal searches and erosion of civil rights were told to stop defending suicide bombers and be more like Dick Cheney.

snip

He accused his critics of not reading the bill and of using "empty political rhetoric" to demagogue the issue. It was as if Mr. Bush were scolding a liberal think tank. "The reform is complex," he said. "There's a lot of emotions around this issue. Convictions run deep. Those determined to find fault with this bill will always be able to look at a narrow slice of it and find something they don't like. If you want to kill the bill, if you don't want to do what's right for America, you can pick one little aspect of it you can use to frighten people. Or, you can show leadership and solve this problem once and for all."

It was the "if you don't want to do what's right for America" part that made conservatives bristle. The president never talks to his peeps that way. The suggestion that they might not be doing what's right for America caused a diplomatic stir.

A senior administration official had to try to clean things up with a conciliatory remark to The New York Times: "In no way was he questioning anyone's patriotism or desire to do what's right." The president has made a career out of questioning the patriotism of Democrats and their desire to do what's right. It isn't practical to question the patriotism of the entire country.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2007/06/03/a2e_moffettcol_0603.html

[LSparkle]

1. I couldn't believe it when I heard the Human Sharpei Brit Hume even say

that that comment was the most stoooooopid thing * could have said.

[nickyt]

2. Yeah, I visited freeperville the day he said that, those kids were some kind of

PISSED!

[ixion]

3. I guess they don't like being called unpatriotic... but then again

who the hell does?

No one does. For most practical purposes, the statement is not credible, and is simply a rhetorical gimmick.

So I really wish the media would stop giving the argument credibility by reporting that people say it.

[Rydz777]

4. I have not seen the bill, but I've read that (1) it is 150 pages

long, and (2) the size of the Bible - which would be even longer. If it is anywhere near that length, I seriously doubt that George W. Bush himself has read it. Indeed, I doubt that a majority of the Senate has read it.

Bush is getting increasingly reckless, not only in what he does (the "Surge") but in what he says - especially when he is not reading (or trying to read) a script that someone else wrote.