Just heard Neil Conan (sp?) on NPR

[truth2power]

"Talk of the Nation." A caller asked why there wasn't more press coverage in the US about Bush "groping", as he said, Merkle.

Conan said he thought the word "groping" was over the top. Said he just gave her a quick back massage. Minimized the whole incident. Not really important.

Good grief!! Anybody who saw the stills from that incident had to be creeped out by Bush's demeanor. How can anyone think it's not noteworthy? Putting on my tinfoil, here, :tinfoilhat: but is even NPR getting the talking points now?

[Virginia Dare]

1. One thing the Bush Administration has been...

fabulously successful at--intimidating the press and bring them to heel.

[rainbowfish]

4. Right...

..I guess that is why they (the press) continues to print top secret information on their front pages.

[XNASA]

7. Yawn.

[ClassWarrior]

8. You mean top secret information that Bush** and Cheney** themselves...

...shared with the press years ago?

That "top secret information?"

Or the information that blew the cover on an entire division of the CIA investigating WMD in the Middle East?

NGU.

[Virginia Dare]

11. hear that noise little fishy?

it's the sound of a thousand plonks.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[XNASA]

5. C'mon. You can do better than that.

So very tiresome.

[Gabi Hayes]

9. perfect example of why, sadly, moderated forums are necessary.

I've seen what the presence of EC slugs have done to once fine discussion fora, chief among which was the one at The American Prospect, completely destroyed by freepers

[Virginia Dare]

12. Sadly, that's the best he can do....n/t

[VOX]

14. I see...I see...wait...I see a large pepperoni pizza in your near future..

Only one brand is available, though: TOMBSTONE. :nopity:

However, enjoy your short and merry stay at DU! :patriot:

[bluerum]

3. When Conan comes on - I turn NPR off. They have been caving

a lot lately and I stopped supporting them with $$$ years ago.

[Gabi Hayes]

6. Conan is a smarmy asswipe, wholly in troth to the regime

You should have heard him praising Chertoff one day, before/during his confirmation hearings

really disgusting. IIRC, he actually called him a hero. something revolving around his defense of one of the creeps who is most likely a FINANCIER of actual terrorists

somehow they twisted this story around to make it sound like Chertoff was one of those few who stood up to the anti-Muslim sentiment

wish I could remember the details better, but it made me FURIOUS

[truth2power]

17. "in troth to the regime"..that explains it. Sad that even NPR

has been co-opted. :(

[ClassWarrior]

10. Rightwingers are such cowards. They are so afraid of phantoms...

...that they'll surrender solid American morals and follow some plain-talkin politician into hell.

:rofl:

NGU.

[Supersedeas]

13. Conan is one of those who falls in line, abandoning American values, but

quick

[zaj]

15. I saw the video... ho-hum... it WASN'T that big of a deal.

People do that kind of backrub thing in meetings all the time. It's not creepy, but it's certainly inappropriate.

But I don't understand any of the *outrage* that folks here want to see.

[truth2power]

16. Are you serious??

Look, I don't know how to say this, but the backrub thing is neither creepy NOR inappropriate in a group (even a work group) where there's some long-term comraderie - where you know what everyone's about, so to speak. That happens in a group where relationships have been built up over an extended period of time. I've been in work groups like that.

The incident with Bush doesn't meet that definition. Geez! He did a hit and run, accosting her from behind, with a vacant look on his face and then he sort of slithered off. No verbal interaction at all. And Merkle wasn't "smiling" nor stretching, as some media interpreted it. She raised her arms and tried to push him off. She was obviously distressed by his actions.

The problem with this incident is that it's such a blatant overstepping of boundaries. Something serious is wrong with that man. He's showing indications of mental deterioration. And no matter how much his puppeteers try to hide it, we're going to be seeing more occurrances like this.

[zaj]

18. Yes, I'm serious... and it seems we agree at least in part...

I said "It's not creepy, but it's certainly inappropriate".

It's poor judgement on his part, and he's clearly one of those people who has a complete in ability to read people and situations. But that doesn't make it either 1) creepy, or 2) an "indication() of mental deterioration".

The attempt by some liberals and DUers to spark outrage seems completely pointless. If anything, this is a perfect example of the sort of issue that leads to "controvery fatigue".

It's a "gotcha" moment the sheer ridiculousness of which lends itself to the Daily Show and Letterman more than any real outrage, IMO.

Some times, we are so desperate for any issue to stick with this schmuck that we grasp at stupid stuff like this with a completely straight face. That's a good sign of outrage fatigue is about to set in, IMO.

[truth2power]

19. On my part, no attempt to spark outrage here...

I'm a clinical social worker. What I'm seeing here indicates a decline in cognitive functioning that is very troubling. It's not just this one incident. Please understand that. Sure, some people are just not socially adept. But Bush's behavior, taken as a whole points to some sort of dementia, whether substance induced or due to some other physiological cause.

The Merkle incident is part of a constellation of behaviors that we've all observed. problems with language, motor activities and the ability to abstract. When he's off-script, his speech has a particularly concrete quality. I think there's memory impairment, in that he seems unable to hold onto material on which he's been briefed.

From the DSMIV: "Some individuals with dementia show disinhibited behavior, including making inappropriate jokes, neglecting personal hygiene, exhibiting undue familiarity with strangers, or disregarding conventional rules of social conduct." (136)

Again: THIS RECENT INCIDENT IS ONLY ONE OF MANY INDICATORS THAT WE'VE ALL OBSERVED. This needs looking into.

[Octafish]

20. Bushler also poked a clarinetist on the shoulder...

Thank you very much for your explanation of the clinical side of things, truth2power.

Sorry to sound crude, but the guy's psycho. Here's more from the same trip:

Bush, Merkel slice into roast pig at German barbecue

Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:09 PM ET
by Steve Holland

TRINWILLERSHAGEN, Germany (Reuters) - President Bush put Middle East tension, violence in Iraq and Iran's nuclear program behind him on Thursday to feast on a wild boar roasting on a spit.

"Laura and I come from Texas," Bush told his host German Chancellor Angela Merkel on a warm summer evening. "One of the greatest compliments you can pay a guest is to have a barbecue."

SNIP...

They walked past a red-coated band playing a medley of songs like "Hooray for the Red, White and Blue," and Bush plucked the conductor's wand from his hand and led the band for a few notes.

Then he and Merkel posed for pictures with the band as its members played on, Bush startling a woman playing a flute by poking her on the shoulder.

CONTINUED...

This guy LIED America into war.

What could be crazier than that?

[ProfessorGAC]

21. If We're Ever In A Meeting Together. . .

. . .you better not do it to me. First, i'd have HR on your ass like flies on hot garbage. Then, i'd kick your ass in the parking lot.
The Professor