Has anyone noticed a concerted effort by the media, Republicans, and others to...

[NNN0LHI]

...make it appear that Bush is merely a "victim" of receiving bad advice from lying and corrupt people and that Bush is being portrayed as just a good old boy and kind of a bumbling lovable idiot who doesn't really know what is happening around him? And therefore he isn't responsible for any of it?

Kind of like its Cheney's fault all the time. Or someone else's? Never Bush's.

Anyone notice this or is it just me?

Don

[NMDemDist2]

1. typical alcoholic behavior IME

always find someone else to blame for your problems

he and his toadies do manage to take it to a fine art though.........

[Mojambo]

2. Trying to protect the legacy

Worked pretty well when they did it with Reagan.

I don't see that happening this time.

[Joanne98]

3. I've noticed it. They did they same thing with Raygun during Iran/Contra.

I personally think it's dangerous to keep calling Bush stupid. If we ever do impeach him he'll play the "dumb" card all the way.

[NNN0LHI]

9. Something my father told me when I was young

Always cut the cards regardless of how stupid the dealer looks.

Don

[Joanne98]

16. Good advice!

[AndyTiedye]

22. NOONE Could be As Stupid as He Looks

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Nope. I've noticed this, as well, get very frustrated with the media.

Poor Bush*, he is the victim of bad advice and the victim of Cheney. He is responsible for nothing in his life and we should feel sorry for this poor victim, who is letting more and more of our soldiers die, everyday, but he is not to blame. He is just a victim of bad advice...:grr:

[Jack Bone]

5. yeah...that's how it's been...until today when I watched MTP.

The discussion group had a biographer of Cheney's on it and fellow panel member Bob Woodward said something like this..."VP Cheney doesn't do or say anything w/o Pres. *'s approval"...the biographer agreed...I was quite dumbfounded...not knowing whether they're trying to build * up, or trying to place Cheney into his role in the Chain of Command?

[MissWaverly]

17. that's their 2008 strategy, Son of Terror

don't believe your lying eyes, there's terra, terra, terra and only 2 dedicated civil servants like Bush and Cheney can save you
from TERROR. So elect Mitt or Rudy to keep up the good work.

[NanceGreggs]

6. Yes, I have noticed that trend, as well.

Bush, it seems to me, is now being portrayed as the 'hapless dupe' who was unaware of the behind-the-scenes machinations of Cheney et al.

It's a big come-down from the strong, decisive, knows-what-he's-doing "Decider Guy" image they've built up around him before now.

But I think they'd rather have him seen now as a too-trusting dope than as what he really is - a corrupt, calculating prick who is finally getting caught up in his own web of lies.

[rfranklin]

7. Cheney manipulates Bush and lets him think that he is the "decider"

so Bush is just as much to blame because he uses his power to implement Cheney's schemes. That doesn't let him off the hook. Bush has the power to say no. He just likes being able to be "a man of conviction" and all that posturing bullshit.

[TahitiNut]

8. He was acknowledged to be incompetent even when (s)elected.

His sole qualification was as a drinking buddy. The "saving grace" was always the 'experts' he'd surround himself with ... even though he has always ignored 'expert' advice if he didn't like it. We got EXACTLY what we deserved - both those who voted FOR him and the countless numbers who might've done just a little bit more (or a lot more). Testimony to this is the fact that virtually nothing has been done (or will be done) to put him and his cronies where they belong: in prison.

But he has "faith." :puke:

[Canuckistanian]

10. I've never heard any Republican using that argument

It seems kind of antithetical to the "strong, decisive leader" crap they're normally trying to peddle.

But then, I'm not saying it never happens. RW logic is a situational thing, it changes as needs to, when situations dictate it.

[Zensea]

12. but plenty of Democrats have

Or DUers anyway.

and in response to the original post -- not everything is some sort of master plan.

[Canuckistanian]

23. I think I believe more in the 'useful idiot' theory

But not totally. Bush actually believes the RW bullshit but never knows what to actually DO about it.

That's where Cheney steps in.

And as for matters of war, he's a sociopath. He couldn't care less about other people suffering.
He never loses a second of sleep at night.

That's what makes him so useful.

[NNN0LHI]

15. This is the first blatant instance I really noticed it. Usually its more subtle

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6847999

Vice President Cheney on inauguration day

Don Imus interviews the candidate he once poked fun at— and gets porkchops as a parting gift from the VP

Updated: 4:15 p.m. CT Jan 20, 2005

DON IMUS, HOST: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the “Imus in the Morning” program the vice president of United States, Dick Cheney, and Mrs. Cheney.

Good morning. How are you guys?

(APPLAUSE)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6847999/page/2

<snip>IMUS: Do you and the president feel like you got your chain jerked on the weapons of mass destruction? I mean, everybody thought they were there.

R. CHENEY: Well, I think—I’m not quite as sharp in my judgment as others. Clearly, he had no stockpiles, and we were told he did have stockpiles, obviously by our intelligence. But he had a lot of other things. He had the technology, he had the people who’d done it before. If you read the Duelfer report in detail, he kept open labs and the intelligence service that were still doing ongoing research and so forth. And he clearly had the intentions, once sanctions were lifted, that he would go back—be back in business again. So I think all of that has to be calculated and what we had to look at as well too.

[Canuckistanian]

24. I don't see how this illustrates your point

It looks more like the old "blame the Clinton-appointed CIA people".

Or even a swipe at the old guard that GHW put into place.

[NNN0LHI]

26. Imus is insinuating that Bush was fooled by false info into invading Iraq

When in fact Bush and his thugs were actually manufacturing false info.

Don

[Canuckistanian]

29. OK, I see that

But Cheney "admitted" he was taken in, so that would make Cheney a "victim" as well.

But their ONE BIG problem was - they never made a big show out of trying to find the people "who told them the lies".

And the George Tenet Medal of Freedom thing made a lot of people go :wtf:

[NNN0LHI]

30. Why heck yea Cheney wants to portray himself as a victim too

Get Bush and Cheney into adjoining cells at some supermax prison and they will both start crying like babies about how they were fooled by those bad men providing the Iraq WMD intelligence.

Its only natural.

Don

[coco77]

11. Yes, and they have been doing ft for years...

they will protect him at any cost, and that is why we are in this mess. If you listen at cspan every morning and listen at washington journal you will hear this from his base. They believe that we are just picking on poor little bush and its just HARD WORK.

[dkofos]

13. Oddly reminiscent of the raygun years.

[glitch]

14. It's not you, it's them.

All you have to do is look at the petty vindictiveness of their actions and you know Bush is deeply involved. And when you factor in Bush's ego you know he wouldn't give away power knowingly.

He's in on it alright, and the media organ they've spent so much money and time acquiring of course would try to salvage their manufactured "Bush Legacy", such as it was, if not for history then at least to give Jeb a chance at the Presidency.

OT: I am now thinking George will retire for sympathetic health reasons, Cheney will be made President for the short time remaining and Jeb will be named VP. His acceptance as VP will be crammed down the populace's throat due to the sympathetic nature of Georgie's illness.

[Hamlette]

18. we wrongly fed into that story line from the beginning by saying Bush was dumb

what happened is people played on his religious beliefs. If you can believe in god, you can believe in anything.

But it does not excuse you, any more than it excuses Osama bin Laden.

[bemildred]

19. "The King can do no wrong".

I think that's how they used to put it.

[JacquesMolay]

20. I think there's some truth to that, but that's only because he's got a weak mind..

... I think he's been heavily influenced by Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rove, and taken their bad advice because they helped get him into the presidency. He's also the puppet of a lot of big business interests, especially in the military-industrial complex. He believes in loyalty above all things, so he keeps taking their dumbass advice and doesn't remove them (e.g. Rumsfeld and Gonzalez). He's principled to a fault.

[KharmaTrain]

21. They Have To Make Him A Victim

If not, they admit their own failures and complicity in being cheerleaders and enablers of this regimes criminality. Most of these people owe their careers and nice paychecks and lifestyles to this regime. They fight for the "access" and the "exculsives" and the
"official sources" that get them on the front page. Or they feel that THEY have become the story as much as the people they cover. The growth of the 24/7 cable news world has created its own "stars" and personalities...pundits and "journalists" whose mug time is more important than reporting something that may make them or this regime look bad.

The corporate media not just bought into the big lie, they've profited from it and must keep it going.

[Rex]

25. Typical compliance with criminal activity on a massive scale

so they need to be held accountable along with their criminal bosses.

[Disturbed]

27. It is bullshit! Busholini wanted to invade Iraq even before

he was selected. He is an evil, arrogant, Silver Spoon Sociopath & Cheney is a Sociopath that made his big money with Haliburton. Cheney will collect $Millions from Haliburton after he is no longer VP.

[Madspirit]

28. k&r...n/t