Bill Bennett: Ford cowardly for embargoing anti-Iraq war views until after his death.

[sabra]

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OWU2NTQ5N2M3MTM4YmEyZTcyZjUyMjE1ODFkNzNkMWU

The Decent Thing (Bill Bennett)

Since "decency" seems to be the watchword of the day and the consensus modifier for Jerry Ford (a view with which I generally concur), may I nevertheless be permitted to ask this: just how decent, how courageous, is what Jerry Ford did with Bob Woodward? He slams Bush & Cheney to Woodward in 2004, but asks Woodward not to print the interview until he's dead. If he felt so strongly about his words having a derogatory affect, how about telling Woodward not to run the interview until after Bush & Cheney are out of office? The effect of what Ford did is to protect himself, ensuring he can't be asked by others about his critiques, ensuring that there can be no dialogue. The way Ford does it with Woodward, he doesn't have to defend himself...he simply drops it into Bob Woodward's tape recorder and let's the bomb go off when fully out of range, himself. This is not courage, this is not decent. The manly or more decent options are these: 1. Say it to Bush's or Cheney's face and allow them and us to engage the point while you're around, or 2. Far more decently, say nothing critical of Bush will be on the record until his presidency is over. There's a 3. Don't say anything critical of George Bush to Bob Woodward at all.
You're a former President Mr. Ford, show a little more decency to the incumbent who is in a very, very tough place and trying to do the right thing....you may recall those days and positions yourself.

[hippiechick]

1. Options 2 & 3 are typical Bennett ..

:eyes:

# 1 would have been the Presidential/senior statesman-like thing to do.

[saracat]

2. What a bastard Bennett is. Ford DID tell Bush and Cheney . He was showing respect

for the office of the presidency which Bush did not deserve by keeping publicly quiet. Maybe he hoped Bush would change course without embarassing the office or his political party with a public rebuke from his predessessor.Clinton didn't criticize Bush eithdr.For Bennett to even infer That Ford was a "coward" and another option would be to keep his mouth shut and not say anything critical at all about Bush who Bennett thinks was in a "tough place, is disgusting.Bush , unlikre Ford, placed himself in that place by "choice' and "arrogance. Bennett should STFU. He is a disgrace to humanity.

[Eurobabe]

3. Bill Bennett should STFU about Decent Things

This gambling addict railed about Virtues all the while he was in hock up to his asshairs to Las Vegas. Stuff a sock in it Bennett!

[flyarm]

4. hey bennet ..go gambling and shut up....your opinion is worth less than nothing you pig!! n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

5. It isn't just ideologues on the left displaying poor taste about Ford, I see

Mr. Bennett, sir, there is a time to preach your twisted idea of morality and a time to just sit down and shut up.

Now sit down and shut up.

[blogslut]

6. Outclassed by a dead guy

How typical for Billy Bennet.

[malaise]

7. Fugg Bill Bennett

WTF does he know about decency. This is about exposing Bush and his cabal and Bennett is just one of the squealing pigs. STFU Bill Bennett.

[NEOBuckeye]

8. Bennett has no room to talk

Telling people about their lack of morality while he has his own...cough... gambling...cough...issues.

Or as Jesus said, of the hypocrite who needs to take care of the beam in his own eye before he attempts to pluck the mote from someone else's.

[Neecy]

9. lol...Bennett lectures USA on being 'manly', 'decent'...

Doesn't he have better things to do, like a date with Mr. One-Armed Bandit?

[butterfly77]

10. I heard this garbage this morning...

these people always want to control what others say or do,everything in their world has to be politically correct as long as it goes along with their thoughts... What would be the difference if he had said it while alive, would he be jumped upon and criticized as all others who don't agree with them...this is the reason why the occupation is out of hand now because they refuse to listen to others who don't follow the party line.

[BOSSHOG]

11. I would have bet ole bill would say something like that

What were the odds bill? The incumbent is in a very tough place because the incumbent is a fucking idiot. And Mr Ford chose not to talk to bush because he knew bush wouldn't listen. At the best the military deserter would nod politely only because he thought he had to. Despite any criticism tossed Ford's way he had more integrity in his big toe then bush and cheney and bennett and limbaugh have combined.

[Supersedeas]

12. Bennett lecturing on decency again and some painted and powdered face cable news host

will take it seriously...but, not me.

[calimary]

13. Oh, SHUT UP, bennett. Get BENT!

He assumes here that Ford knew he was going to die at this really tenuous time or something. WHAT AN ASS. He's just a pompous, know-it-all, ASS.

My regret about Ford's interview is that he didn't allow it to be published IMMEDIATELY. Embargoing it til after he died does leave no opportunity to question him further. I'd want him to elaborate on those comments like nobody's business. And so would everybody else. Which means that's all that would be talked about and it'd put bush on the defensive AND KEEP HIM THERE, an awful lot earlier than how it's worked out. But, hey, at least it's come out.

bennett is just a complete PUTZ.

[WI_DEM]

14. Bennett, why don't you disappear into a casino

[styersc]

15. Actually Bennet does not go to casinos and never has...

... he lost 3 million to on-line gambling. Can't you just see this flabby old man hunkered over a lap-top like a porn junkie?

[Missy M]

16. I thought I read Bill Bennett gambled in casinos in Las Vegas.

[devilgrrl]

17. Bill Bennett never produced anything positive for anyone ever.

A failed secretary of education - a worthless drug czar who couldn't keep narcotics from getting into the country. Who cares what this gasbag thinks about anything?

[liberalhistorian]

18. Oh, really? And what does this classless

fucker have to say about Colin Powell's actions, waiting to say anything until years after the war was started instead of having the guts to stand up at the beginning and say what we now know he really thought? He knew he was respected and people would listen to him and he chose to remain silent when he could have saved thousands of lives. What does Billy Boy have to say about THAT?