Bush on visiting a prison ministry program: ‘Everyone was black, of course.’

[Hepburn]

In his new book, Speechless: Tales of a White House Survivor, former Bush administration Matt Latimer describes a 2008 California GOP fundraiser he attended while working in the White House, where the President gave a speech to donors about his personal struggles with alcoholism. Bush then went on to make racially charged comments about his visit to a prison ministry program (p. 177):

He talked about his own failings with alcoholism as the reason he supported his faith-based initiative. “My philosophy is, find somebody who hurts and do something about it,” he said. “Don’t wait for government to tell you what to do.” He bluntly talked about his own situation. “I was beginning to love alcohol over my wife and kids. It got to a point when Billy Graham came into my life. But I was hardheaded and didn’t want to listen for a while. And then I stopped drinking overnight. I am a one-man faith-based initiative. Alcohol was competing for my affections. And it would have ruined me.”

He said things that could ruffle feathers, such as how he’d recently gone to a faith-based program run by “former drunks.” He said he went to see a prison ministry program, noting that ‘everyone was black, of course.” All eyes turned in search of the sole African American in the audience of donors. They wanted to see if he was offended.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/23/bush-ministry-prison-black/

Words fail me....:wow:

[baldguy]

1. He needs to put on an orange jumpsuit & join them

If there was any justice in the world.

[Hepburn]

4. Oh, yeah....

...make my day ~~ Bush in a prison jump suit and behind bars! :applause:

[appamado amata padam]

2. The Bushes are pretty slick,

but sometimes they do forget and let their true, ugly feelings show.

[Hepburn]

3. Bush is a total asshole...

...but this to me is still soooooooo far out of line!

:hi:

[sakabatou]

5. +1

[appamado amata padam]

11. Yeah, I know,

these people are so far removed from normal life, they have no idea of basic, common respect for others, let alone how to express it in common terms. Like when Barbara Bush said that the idea of refugees from Katrina remaining in Houston was "scary." It's depressing to think that there are still people like this that have to be dealt with.

Anyway, thank you for the "waving smiley!"

[CoffeeCat]

6. Dry drunk...

When an alcoholic is so far gone that they're sacrificing their wife and kids--they've got
serious emotional issues that underlie their addiction. Their pain/trauma is so extensive
that they would rather lose their wife and kids--than deal with that pain.

So, George quits drinking "overnight" without any psychotherapy or without working through
the pain or the serious emotional issues.

THAT is the problem with this man. He's still spiralling, but he doesn't have the alcohol
to quell it anymore. So he "acts out" by starting wars, lying to the public, shredding
up the Constitution with the Patriot Act, illegal wiretapping. And most importantly---he
tortures.

Bush's new drug of choice was being a powerful abuser and we are all paying a price.

Makes you wish he had just taken up a crack habit--instead of ruining the world.

[Hepburn]

9. I agree with you....

...I cannot imagine any truth behind the statement that he just quit cold...and that is rehab...PERIOD. Yes, he is a dry drunk: All the problems, just no booze in the system so he is satisfying his urges with sick behavior.

:hi:

[madeline_con]

10. What makes people think he no longer drinks?

Really, why would anyone believe that?

[malaise]

7. He inherited sensitivity from

his mother :puke:

[Hepburn]

8. Boy, does that seem to be the truth!

The worst ones IMO were:

1. The one about the deaths in Iraq ~~ she could not bother her beautiful mind; and

2. The Katrina victims who were really better off losing their homes and being some sports arena.

Unreal...!!

[malaise]

16. I'm sure there are more

but those two are shocking enough.

[Zoeisright]

12. That's for sure.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Words usually failed pres shit-for-brains too...

[bobbolink]

14. Well, of course....

goddess, words fail.

[sofa king]

15. If he ever once stopped to ask why, he wouldn't be a Republican.