Damn It, Joe Biden and Michelle Obama, Stop Rehabilitating George W. Bush!

Okay, it’s an editorial but it’s one I (nobody that I am) agree with 110%!!!

Damn It, Joe Biden and Michelle Obama, Stop Rehabilitating George W. Bush!

Biden’s decision to present Bush with a medal is more than just shameful.
By Steven W. Thrasher

On October 10, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia unironically announced that former vice president Joseph Biden would present Laura and George W. Bush the Liberty Medal “for their commitment to veterans.”

The 43rd president was indeed committed to veterans, just not in a way that typically garners awards. His wars, which are still producing veterans, turned members of the military into mass killers and torturers and then left many homeless or disabled when they returned home. Bush’s “commitment to veterans” manifested itself even before he became president: After not serving in Vietnam himself, he watched silently as the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth repeatedly and mendaciously defamed his veteran rival for the White House, Senator John Kerry.

The Constitution Center’s choice to honor a president who so blatantly disrespected the Constitution and Biden’s decision to help ignore his ugly history show how successful the “character-laundering operation” (to borrow a phrase from my brother, James) of the Trump administration has been. Even Democrats are rehabilitating Bush.

Then, on October 11, the wife of Biden’s former boss also praised Bush. Speaking about a much-discussed moment when he handed her a cough drop, Michelle Obama described Bush as “my partner in crime”—an interesting choice of words, considering Bush was literally convicted of war crimes in absentia by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission in 2012.

*

I love him to death,” Michelle Obama said of Bush. “He’s a wonderful man.” But like her bromide that “when they go low, we go high,” the former first lady’s public declaration of love of former president Bush is dangerous politics. For Biden and Michelle Obama’s embrace of the Bushes doesn’t just bring shame upon themselves. Coming so close to the midterm elections, they threaten to discourage would-be Democratic voters who are suspicious that there really isn’t any difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. They are giving evidence to the belief that, at the end of the day, there are no consequences for the powerful.

https://www.thenation.com/article/damnit-joe-biden-and-michelle-obama-st...

There is absolutely no way that I can support the Democratic Party. None. That includes Sanders. He’s as hypocritical as these two. He supports all our wars. He’s parroting the RUSSIA!!! crap. He’s as bad as the rest of them. Which begs the question “Who the hell is there that is honest and ethical that we can vote for in 2020?” I don’t see anyone and that is a damn shame.

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earthling1's picture

What a fond memory to recall.
Thanks Amanda.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Amanda Matthews's picture

@earthling1
I loved that show too. And that phrase has stuck with me all my life.

It’s just soooooo appropriate in times like this.

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

@Amanda Matthews
On SiriusXM "Radio Classics" I think CD's are available too.

"What a revoltin' development!"

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Raggedy Ann's picture

They keep shoving it in our faces over and over and over. When will the American people really be fed up with it?

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

snoopydawg's picture

@Raggedy Ann

IMG_2673.JPG

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

earthling1's picture

@Raggedy Ann
they feel the lash of the whip on their backs, I'm afraid.
We're gonna have to destroy the country to save it.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

gulfgal98's picture

@earthling1 I believe you are right.

We're gonna have to destroy the country to save it.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

@Raggedy Ann @Raggedy Ann

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Raggedy Ann's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness
Visually frightening. Thanks for that reality check.

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

@Raggedy Ann @Raggedy Ann
I have no doubt after the Russia BS and the Ford-Kavanough hearings.
Today's Democrats are 1950's right wing Republicans, seeing Reds under every bed and throwing unproven and unprovable smears around.

Only voting a few races in November and two of them will be for Republicans because the Democrats they are running against stink like dead fish or Hillary's underarms. Would vote for a Green but the only Greens running are for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation Board (yes I'll be voting (G) there). The Libertarian Party in Illinois is a pack of loons, so no protest votes there. I know my state rep (D), so he's OK.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness @The Voice In the Wilderness @The Voice In the Wilderness
He attacks critics, he lies like crazy, he wants to be a dictator, he wants us to be a violent hateful country and he's corrupt as hell: EPA, rducation dept etc etc all corrupted because of him and f**k bullshit false equivalencies with Obama. Obama never did anything like incite a mob to cheer the beating up of an investigative reporter doing his valuable job asking questions of a congressional candidate (Gianforte in Montana). That's exactly what fascists do. Obama fostered science....remember the kids science fairs in the white house? Trump might have a kids neonazi fair. Trump attacks science because it intereferes with the kochs oil profits.

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Beware the bullshit factories.

@Timmethy2.0
I know Democrats want to make the election about Trump. Republicans want to make the election about Speaker Madigan.
But Trump isn't on the ballot and Madigan is only on the ballot in his district which I do not live in.

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I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Bollox Ref's picture

is as out of touch as her self-absorbed spouse. I'm surprised she's not building a library for all the recipes associated with her 'acclaimed' vegetable garden. (How's that going, by the way?)

The global elite is a small, self-serving, self-perpetuating lodge. Peons ('the help') be damned.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

thanatokephaloides's picture

There is absolutely no way that I can support the Democratic Party. None. That includes Sanders. He’s as hypocritical as these two. He supports all our wars. He’s parroting the RUSSIA!! crap. He’s as bad as the rest of them.

Actually, he's not "as bad as the rest of them". This doesn't make Bernie what we hoped he'd be in 2016; but his suckage is a mere piker compared with Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Fein(d)stein, upChuck Schumer, etc. Bad

Which begs the question “Who the hell is there that is honest and ethical that we can vote for in 2020?” I don’t see anyone and that is a damn shame.

Certainly none from the Duopoly......

Diablo

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Amanda Matthews's picture

@thanatokephaloides
him worse than the rest of them.

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Amanda Matthews

In my opinion, his hypocrisy might just make
him worse than the rest of them.

Plenty of hypocrisy to be had with/from "the rest of them", though. From Dianne Feindstein ("I get to carry a concealed gun because I'm rich and powerful, and you miserable peons don't!") to Pelosi's "we're all capitalists now", etc., etc.

Please do remember that I'm agreeing with your consummate point:

Which begs the question “Who the hell is there that is honest and ethical that we can vote for in 2020?” I don’t see anyone and that is a damn shame.

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

k9disc's picture

troublesome than your garden variety party hypocrite.
@thanatokephaloides

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“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu

snoopydawg's picture

@thanatokephaloides

supported him instead of rolling over and letting them steal the primary from him. He watched as the exit polls didn't line up with the vote count. The way his supporters were not allowed in the democratic convention and everything in between. Did he say anything about that after Donna told him and the world that yes indeedy the primary was rigged? And then signing on to Russia Gate because he knows darn well where it's heading. Appreciate that he's the only one who is speaking out against the republicans, Bezos, Trump etc though. It makes people wonder where the rest of the democrats are and why aren't they doing it too?

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

gulfgal98's picture

@snoopydawg What probably makes me madder than anything else about Bernie is how he abandoned his supporters. And then he tried to bring them back into the fold. Is this sheepdogging"

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Roy Blakeley's picture

@snoopydawg Bernie wanted to have influence in the Democratic Party because he did not see that a third party would be viable. Screaming that the election was rigged would have resulted in him being permanently labeled as a fringe candidate. He is likely correct in this assessment, but it is not clear that working within the Democratic Party is a viable alternative either. Criticism is easy devising and implementing a winning strategy is damned hard. Embracing Russiagate, however,is particularly disappointing because the evidence of meaningful Russian involvement in the 2016 election is extremely weak and he had the option to lay low on this.

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Amanda Matthews's picture

@Roy Blakeley
a ‘fringe’ candidate.

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

Unabashed Liberal's picture

@snoopydawg

in this piece,

Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders: Sheepdogging for Hillary and the Democrats in 2016

Bruce A. Dixon, BAR managing editor, 07 May 2015

Don't believe us? Then believe Bernie himself interviewed by George Stephanopoulos on ABC News “This Week” May 3.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So if you lose in this nomination fight, will you support the Democratic nominee?

SANDERS: Yes. I have in the past.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Not going to run as an independent?

SANDERS: No, absolutely not. I've been very clear about that.

Bernie Sanders is this election's Democratic sheepdog. The sheepdog is a card the Democratic party plays every presidential primary season when there's no White House Democrat running for re-election. The sheepdog is a presidential candidate running ostensibly to the left of the establishment Democrat to whom the billionaires will award the nomination. Sheepdogs are herders, and the sheepdog candidate is charged with herding activists and voters back into the Democratic fold who might otherwise drift leftward and outside of the Democratic party, either staying home or trying to build something outside the two party box.

Considering that he not only didn't show 'upset' with the way he was treated (by the Party Machine), it's all the more striking that he was promoted to a Dem Party Leadership position. Remember, he was made Chair of Democratic Senate Outreach.

Blue Onyx

"Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong."
~~W. R. Purche

"Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves."
~~Eric Hoffer

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

" He’s parroting the RUSSIA!! crap." - That's spelled with 3 exclamation points. It's " He’s parroting the RUSSIA!!! crap."

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On to Biden since 1973

Amanda Matthews's picture

@doh1304
There are never enough !!!s when referring to those dirty Rooskies!!!

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

Obama sanctimoniously putting a medal around the neck of Bush 41 and pics of Obama in the Oval Office with Bush 41 and sometimes with Bush 41 and J.E.B. Then there was sending Clinton and Bush to Haiti. And a press release that Obama's first call after the assassination of Ben Laden was to Bush 42. And several photos of Laura Bush and Bush 43 sharing a laugh with the Obamas at various events where they should have been solemn, like a service for slain Dallas police officers.

It's not only about laughing at a solemn occosaion. At my own mother's wake, I literally laughed out loud when a a friend of my mother's whom I had not seen since my childhood, reminded me of a laugh she, my mother and I had shared back then. One difference was that neither of us had ever advanced ourselves by painting my mother as a villain. (Another was that I'd been crying for days, but that is another issue.)

You run against your predecessor with "Hope and Change" and more, then rehabilitate him?

And of course, Bill Clinton clamped on to Bush 41, whom Clinton defeated (Thanks, Mr. Perot)to the point that 'Bush 43 referred to Bill as his Bubba from another mother. And, of course, we have Hillary and Bush 43 hugging and sharing a laugh at Reagan's funeral, at which Hillary lied about Reagan's response to the AIDS crisis.

Before dissolution of the DLC, I posted elsewhere that No Labels, purportedly the brain child of a Bushie, but rife with Clintonites, was more of a threat to the left than the DLC. https://www.nolabels.org/

Also, a post I made a bit ago on the Evening Blues thread seems relevant here: https://caucus99percent.com/comment/375060#comment-375060

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@HenryAWallace @HenryAWallace "so *this* is what they mean by this "Devil's triangle" thing..."

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@peachcreek

her husband and the Obamas, does she?

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Daenerys's picture

Only this face: ಠ_ಠ

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This shit is bananas.

ggersh's picture

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I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

snoopydawg's picture

@ggersh

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

or books on the Bush family (The Devil's Chessboard or Family of Secrets) you learn that Papa Bush (HW) was entrenched in the CIA for years, from the time he was an oil man in TX (a good cover). The Bush family power is the CIA power, and every President is made very aware of who is actually running the government, and what happens when you threaten that power (John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, MLK etc). So of course they are all kissing up to the Bushes. It could be a matter of life and death.

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"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

@Fishtroller 02 Great book, very sobering read to say the least. Just shows how entrenched it is, how compartmentalized it is to keep the foot soldiers from really discerning the intent, and tons of history. That one I will need to read more than once.

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Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur