A criticism that really hurts Bush

Bush relies on his tough-guy image for core support.  Truman he isn't, but how can we counteract that false picture?

Weakness.

The one thing that any war mongering 'leader' like Bush can't stand to have.  So long as various valid criticisms are leveled at Bush, which he then ignores or resists, he continues to appear strong to a certain segment.

What we really need to do is pain him as weak and uncertain.

You may complain that one of Bush's big problems is how certain he is.  I won't disagree.  The essential thing is to paint him as uncertain.

The truth is, Bush is weak, if full of certitude.  There are a lot of ways that strength reveals itself, and the way Bush behaves is none of them.

So I'm asking you, in what ways is Bush weak?  

We need easily remembered, little catchy things that can get into the consciousness of people.  When it comes around to those people who see him as a tough guy, the only thing that will stand out is, 'They think he is weak.'  And that, to them is unacceptable.

I really don't think things like 'He's an illiterate moron' will work, if they haven't already.  We need things that are repellent to those that love Bush parading our army around them middle east.  Weak, frail, helpless, dependent.

What do you think?

•  I don't think uncertain will work,

  but weak might.  

  He's certainly clumsy, that might help a bit, kind of a Gerald Ford thing.

  Better ground might be found in his inability to change.  A strong leader can adapt and continue on, Bush cannot.  He's "stay the course."  We haven't heard that much lately, probably ought to trot it out once or twice (or a hundred times).  That might be a way to promote a better perception of a type of weakness.

  by SMWalt on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:19:30 PM PDT

  •  How about

    an image of a bridge (or skyscraper, etc.) that is too rigid to give in bad conditions?  As we watch it fall in ruins some catchy phrase about how being too rigid/certain make him weak.  

    by luckylizard on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:46:00 PM PDT

•  It seems to me you torpedo

  your own case: None of the poll options connotes weakness.

  Hmmm. Weakness. Yes, I agree that weakness is not an attribute his base values.

  OK, let's just say that the President who has expanded executive power beyond that even dreamed of by his predecessors is just, well, weak.

  He's a lame duck. How about that? But did you listen to Nancy Pelosi explain to Wolf Blitzer how Chimpy has stymied everything the strong new Democratic Congress has tried to do?

  This is going to be an uphill fight, if you ask me.

  by TerribleTom on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:22:24 PM PDT

  •  True...

    Right about the poll.

    And right about it being hard to paint Bush as weak.  Not because he isn't, but because it is a central theme that they actively promote.  

    It almost doesn't matter what else happens, as long as Bush is strong.  He could cause a nuclear winter and as long as he was strong, it would work for them.  Who do you need during a nuclear holocaust?  A strong leader of course.

    Its only a small exaggeration.

    I didn't see the Pelosi interview, but I agree, democrats seem to paint themselves as weak consistently.  Sadly, I think they are, often.

    It just seems we need to somehow divorce Bush and Republicans in general from the 'Strong' image.  Being pig-headed and ignorant isn't strength.  As long as they can continue to couch their actions and words in the context of 'being strong'.

    by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:39:37 PM PDT

    •  do it this way

      Excessive certainty is a sign of weakness.  Strong people can live with uncertainty.  Weak people can't.

      Just make the assertion and it will make sense: people will find their own examples whether they like it or not (or whether they like Bush or not).  

      It's like saying "using too much spice is a sign of cooking with low-quality meats and vegetables."  After that, when someone tastes excessive amounts of spice (whatever that means to them) they will tend to feel vaguely uneasy about the main ingredients.  There is no need to define "too much spice," it means something different to each person, and that's OK.  

      by G2geek on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:43:40 PM PDT

  •  And what do you propose to accomplish with this?

    Let's assume the 'weakness' meme, in whatever form, gets some traction in the blogosphere and elsewhere. Who do you suppose it will affect?

    This would, if anything, put pressure on the Administration, and Bush in particular, (or perhaps the next GOP contender, who'll be looking to distance himself from Bush as much as possible) to seem less weak, even sort of setting up the conditions where Bush can 'shake off' that label by doing something really tough... And nothing toughens up the image of a president like taking three unpopular wars on all at once. Kinda sexy, huh?

    I just don't think we want to give people leverage to move further toward authoritarianism.

    If you really want to hurt Bush, link him to the moral hypocrisy of GOP closet cases. He was a rich frat boy, whose "youthful indiscretions" have not been fully disclosed. Make him deny it. Have Republicans snickering at him, see the political cartoons sprouting up like fungus on the internet.

    It's not necessarily a pretty tactic (Rovian, really), but how desperate are we to end the war?

    by Alfred E Qaeda on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:33:50 PM PDT

    •  Attack his base of support

      Most people don't like Bush or agree with him.  That is a fact.

      Most of us agree he's... all the things he is, too numerous to list here.  I'm just talking about tagging 'weak' on to the end of the list as something that might actually take for those dead enders who still support him.

      by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:39:21 PM PDT

      •  Right. But the only way to defend against it

        is to increase or demonstrate your strength. We've seen that dog and pony show already. It sucks.

        by Alfred E Qaeda on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:48:33 PM PDT

        •  not you, , but the reponse from Bush. n/t

          by Alfred E Qaeda on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:49:15 PM PDT

  •  LOSER.

    Forget "weak".  George Wetpants Bush is a documented LOSER.

    He LOST money as a businessperson.

    He LOST an American city to ... wait for it ... predicted weather.

    He LOST track of the terrorist threat, and 9/11 happened on his sleepy watch.

    He LOST track of America's number one most wanted criminal, Osama Bin Laden.

    He LOST control of his staff at Abu Ghraib prison.

    He LOST 9 Billion dollars CASH! in a war zone.

    He LOST two-hundred thousand weapons in a war zone.

    He has been at war longer than the United States was at war during WWII, and he is so far from winning that "not losing completely" is the new administration goal.  And this against a country that had an eighth-tier army while Bush started with the most expensive and best equipped and trained fighting force ever assembled.

    George Wetpants Bush is perhaps the greatest LOSER America has yet produced.  He is LOSER personified.

    Every single Democrat and Independant (and nearly every Republican) should not go an hour without saying "But George Bush is a loser.  George Bush is the biggest loser this country has ever produced.  How can we rid ourselves of this LOSER at the helm of our ship of state?"

    by Yellow Canary on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:10:01 PM PDT

•  One of the items omitted from your poll:

  His fear of horses.  Imagine, the "leader (sic) of the Free World," a Texas cowboy wannabe, afraid of horses?  Okay, it's not the most substantive of flaws, but what could be more emblematic of the essential weakness of this cowardly, hollow, empty drum of a President?

  by trivium on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:22:49 PM PDT

  •  LOL, trivium. That's a hoot.

    ROFL.

    You know, though, as soon as anyone starts hitting this one hard, they'll flood the willing media with pictures of the Decider riding a horse named "Diablo".

    Even if they have to hypnotize him, drug him them (Chimpy and the horse) and find a sickle-backed plug to mount him on and they'll put him in the saddle for a photo op. Then what?

    by TerribleTom on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:29:03 PM PDT

    •  Trigger is available for photo opportunities.....

      just saying....

      by the way, he doesn't like horses
      because the are smarter than he is...

      by Statusquomustgo on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:52:14 PM PDT

      •  They are weller hung. It's Dubya's secret fasc .

        ... fascination.  He really doesn't ever think about what we call intelligence -- it doesn't register on his highly attuned social radar.  Dickitude, though, shows up like a white hot dot.  And horses are born with it.

        by Yellow Canary on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:14:50 PM PDT

  •  you beat me on the horses story

    by realtime on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:30:00 PM PDT

  •  I like it

    Alot.  I mean, I will definitely use this in conversations.  

    Just like how they go, 'Al Gore?  You mean the guy who invented the internet?'

    I'll go, 'Yeah, George Bush, the guy who is afraid of horses.'

    By the way... is it true?

    by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:41:48 PM PDT

    •  True, according to Mexican President

      Vicente Fox, who derided Bush as a "windshield cowboy" (who prefers driving to horses).  See the UK Telegraph article, "George Bush the Texan is Scared of Horses."
      Fox once offered Bush a ride on a "big palomino" and Bush quickly backed away.  Also, Bush's "ranch" has no horses -- but a thundering herd of five cattle. LOL.
      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...

      by trivium on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:54:05 PM PDT

      •  Ahh

        Reading that felt good!

        by MizC on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:12:59 PM PDT

      •  So is it just a miracle of image management

        That Bush has his macho credentials intact?

        by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:13:39 PM PDT

      •  George Bush the Texan is not

        a Texan :-)

        by luckylizard on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:48:58 PM PDT

    •  the way to use "afraid of horses"

      Is in a whispering campaign, person to person, in conversation, casually.  "You know, I was surprised to hear he's got a fear of horses..."  or  "for someone who adopted Texas as his home state, it suprised me he's scaref of horses."

      BTW, the way they could get him over it would be a course of treatment with Propanolol.  However, after the medication is discontinued, the general anxiety level goes through up for a while, and that could be interesting to watch.

      by G2geek on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:49:12 PM PDT

      •  For somebody who is afraid of horses....

        ...he sure does have an affinity for horse hockey.

        by Big Nit Attack on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 07:04:19 PM PDT

•  Petulent coward

  Your poll left out "all of the above."

  by bernardpliers on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:25:52 PM PDT

  •  Yeah, I was thinking something

    along the lines of a pouty, petulant brat.  He always sounds like a pouting child these days.  Doesn't matter what the subject is, he just sounds little, petty, and mean.

    by Naniboujou on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:17:49 PM PDT

•  Chicken Little, afraid of horses

  In my opinion he reminds me of Chicken Little running around the country and White House  shouting "terrist".  There was a story about Vincente Fox showing Bush a horse and the impression was he was afraid of horses.  Big cowboy hat on a tiny pinhead wearing cowboy shoes and he is afraid of horses.  He probably had to change his underwear.    That was when the saying "All hat, no cattle" became clear to me.  It is too funny for words.

  by realtime on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:28:49 PM PDT

  •  And Crawford Ranch was a hog farm....

    The Texas mafia hurried up to get him set up for Reaganesque moments....and he never has owned even a single cow.

    Just a ventriloquist's dummy, Cheney's hand up his rear.

    by Theghostofkarlafayetucker on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:35:55 PM PDT

    •  that's the funniest description I have hear...lol

      Just a ventriloquist's dummy, Cheney's hand up his rear.

      by Statusquomustgo on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:58:49 PM PDT

  •  All hat and no cattle

    That is perfect.

    by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:46:14 PM PDT

•  "Messianic complex"

  By all means.  He believe he is on a mission from God to bring freedom and democracy to the world.  He is full of certitude because he really believes he is right.

  Bush told then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in February, 2003:

  “I am optimistic because I believe I am right. I am at peace with myself.”

  by LynChi on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:31:48 PM PDT

  •  yes, and very dangerous

    That messianic complex is a very dangerous factor, setting the basis for a positive feedback spiral toward wider war with his similarly-screwed-up opposite numbers in the Middle East.  Think of where we would be today if Kennedy and Kruschev each were eagerly looking forward to "the next world" instead of concerned with "this world."  

    As a criticism it has to be used carefully.  If we go saying it to the American Talibans who are a major chunk of his base, they will take it as evidence of our own "godlessness" and further reinforce the idea that Bush was "selected" by God.

    by G2geek on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:55:41 PM PDT

  •  I am at peace with myself.”

    Well, that'd make one of us.  What about the other 300,000,000 or so?

    by luckylizard on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:53:30 PM PDT

•  He's a paper tiger.

  dubya can be described, to quote another psychopathic world leader,

  In appearance it is very powerful but in reality it is nothing to be afraid of; it is a paper tiger. Outwardly a tiger, it is made of paper, unable to withstand the wind and the rain.

  He's a fake "rancher", a fraudulent, failed "businessman", a disgraced "leader" that is laughed at by the rest of the world:

  A senior European diplomat attending the conference, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meeting confirmed European suspicions that it had been intended by Mr Bush as a spoiler for a major UN conference on climate change in Bali in December.

  "It was a total charade and has been exposed as a charade," the diplomat said. "I have never heard a more humiliating speech by a major leader. He [Mr Bush] was trying to present himself as a leader while showing no sign of leadership. It was a total failure."

  At the very least, his TuffGuy image is full of holes.  Contrast this outfit with his Commander Codpiece gear; tell us which reveals his true nature as an arrogant bully who needs shielded from criticism lest he publically wilt before it.

  by yojimbo on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:33:35 PM PDT

  •  Who the hell dressed him?

    All he's missing is a metal detector.

    by Trim Your Bush on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:21:58 PM PDT

•  Immature

  I remembering watching the video of him saying he accepted responsibility for the failures of FEMA after Katrina. Sorry I don't have a link. You could tell it pained him to say the words. He looked like a kid having to apologize for egging the Neighbors house. He is truly a boy king and willing to do anything Uncle Earnie Dick says.

  by Ex Con on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:34:53 PM PDT

  •  Don't think immaturity will work

    Unfortunately, his core base is immature and likes it.  

    I think almost anyone with a measure of maturity has awoken and realized what Bush is, or at least has serious misgivings about him.

    The people that still support him think that 'Bad Ass' is a high honor.  They love the 'bring it on' stuff.

    by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:49:26 PM PDT

•  Hell if photos of Bu$h holding hands

  with The Big Saudi don't bother his base, then this won't either[unfortunately]

  by daliscar on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:37:46 PM PDT

•  Impeachment would hurt Bush more,

  and save the nation into the bargain.

  by revbludge on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:38:20 PM PDT

  •  Why aren't we impeaching him? (nt)

    by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:52:08 PM PDT

    •  Spineless putzes.

      by revbludge on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 04:59:23 PM PDT

    •  Because we are looking at the shiny object of the

      '08 elections. Actually, we may not be looking at it, but those who could impeach him think we are.

      by threesmommy on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:25:44 PM PDT

•  He is weak, certainly.

  He failed in every one of his business ventures and had to be bailed out by Daddy's friends.

  He was too weak to honor his National Guard commitment.

  He fled to Omaha when DC came under attack on 9/11.

  He's a rummy. The bottle still defeats him, for he's drinking again.

  Despite the power of his office he can't win the genuine respect of any foreign head of state (even Blair).

  The real power of the presidency he's ceded to his Richelieu, Dick Cheney.

  He's too weak to face his own limitations and admit to making any mistake.

  by LanceBoyle on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:01:38 PM PDT

  •  That's what I'm talking about

    Bush is too weak to lead the country.  Too weak to protect us.

    by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:09:37 PM PDT

  •  My Pet Goat

    When 9/11 happened, he hid inside with schoolchildren.

    by kainah on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:10:44 PM PDT

•  he ridicules people

  That's a classic sign of weakness. You ridicule people to prove that you're superior. Like when he made fun of the guy with the eye condition who had to wear sunglasses. Watch him in any press conference and, sooner or later, you will see him ridicule someone -- he'd call it teasing, no doubt -- so that he can look powerful.

  But weakness is teasing people about their disabilities.

  by kainah on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:12:53 PM PDT

•  he was a cheerleader

  Instead of being on the sports teams, he was a cheerleader. I think most people would consider that weak.

  by kainah on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:14:02 PM PDT

  •  Wow ... that is actually true, isn't it?

    I mean ... that is poison to the core republican base.

    George Bush was a cheerleader.  I think that may be the most stinging thing I could ever reveal to my east Texas relatives.

    by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:16:52 PM PDT

    •  it's true

      Here's a picture and from an article by Ray McGovern:

      A letter winner in cheerleading at Andover and Yale, the president knows how tough it is to keep spirits up when it becomes clear that his team is not winning, but the bedlam in Iraq has become the supreme test.  

      by kainah on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:30:33 PM PDT

      •  And more proof

        A picture of our president being a cheer leader:

        http://politicalhumor.about.com/...

        by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:34:11 PM PDT

•  El Presidente Fox

  dice que Bush tiene miedo de caballos! El "Cowboy", Bush es ranchero, tiene hacienda en Crawford, Texas, pero no hay caballos! El presidente Bush es el unico ranchero en el estado Texas que es cobarde por caballos. Pobrecito!

  by robertlewiws on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:16:10 PM PDT

•  George W. Bush

  hides behind the skirts of Ann Coulter.

  by Naniboujou on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:19:23 PM PDT

•  how about

  more pictures of him sitting in the classroom with the clock ticking AFTER he was told that the second plane had flown into the WTC.
  And pictures of him being told that the levees weren't going to hold...while he said nothing.  And then the quote of "NO on could have anticipated...."

  by empathy on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:20:12 PM PDT

•  Sigh

  I wish we had come up with this stuff and organized around it in say, 1999.  At this point, what good does this do?  I'm not trying to put the diarist down or anything, I'm just thinking maybe we should be proactive and start thinking about fighting back against the Repub candidate.  

  Unless we're actually going to impeach that is.  (I can hope, right? Right?)

  by auroraborealis on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:21:31 PM PDT

•  First debate with Kerry

  was the opportunity the entire country to see the punk exactly as he is: vain, impetuous, immature, irrational.

  by robertlewiws on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:24:04 PM PDT

  •  That's it!

    He's nothing but a weak little petulant punk!

    by Naniboujou on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:28:37 PM PDT

  •  And Kerry's failed response

    How could Kerry possibly fail to respond to Bush?  

    The idea that a person who hid from military service, Bush, could criticize someone like Kerry and Kerry make no response made me not want to vote for Kerry.  

    I have to admit it.  It really frustrated me to see no response.

    I think Kerry should have taken Bush to the mat on the whole 'war credentials' thing.  The fact he didn't makes me question if Kerry wanted to win.  It would have been so easy to just humiliate Bush.

    by Matt Tyson on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:30:16 PM PDT

•  Republican Candidates Need Phrase Description

  I think each of the Republican nominees needs a nickname or a term that describes them.

  Giuliani - Fraud
  Thompson - Lazy
  Romney - Mirror (As in likes to look in a mirror)

  Suggest more ...

  by Brian82 on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:43:49 PM PDT

•  Of course he's weak! He's a weak-kneed, lily-

  livered, petulant baby.  When he ignored the clear warnings of a terrorist attack prior to 9/11 and then sat like a dear in the headlights for SEVEN FULL MINUTES after being told "the country is under attack," anyone who believes this clown is strong on terror is drinking the strongest koolaid still on the market.

  Bush making us safer?  Bwahahahahaha!  If you believe that, you'll believe anything!  I wouldn't want that simpleton watching my back anytime anywhere.  He wouldn't know what to do to save anyone, let alone protect this country.

  Bush is the weakest, most pathetic, most deplorable "leader" our country has ever seen. May we soon be rid of him and that evil bastard Dick before this country is attacked again while they're in charge.

  by Little Lulu on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:45:37 PM PDT

•  befuddled buffoon belies by bloviating

  Although Welshman put it better he has no balls. He's so afraid of his image he can't consider reality.

  by JohnB47 on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 05:57:43 PM PDT

•  Here's more:

  Bush is a bad leader
  Bush is immoral
  Bush is a bad commander-in-chief
  Bush is a coward
  Bush is short-sighted
  Bush is vengeful
  Bush is a killer
  Bush failed in business
  Bush rapes the environment
  Bush steals from children
  Bush sends our children to their deaths
  Bush is used by rapacious multi-national corporations.
  Bush believes God tells him when to fart.

  by Yellow Canary on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:17:00 PM PDT

•  Body language proves he's weak:

  Bill O'Reilly occasionally has this charlatan "body language reader" on his show and she dissects newsmakers to show what they really mean by interpreting their body language.
  We can see Bush's weakness when he walks: the swagger is so exaggerated, it screams "insecurity!".

  by threesmommy on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:28:46 PM PDT

•  Bush is like a watchdog that chases his tail

  while the house he's guarding is broken into and ransacked then burned to the ground.

  It doesn't get any weaker than that.

  "Meaner than a junk yard poodle."

  by daddybunny on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:41:39 PM PDT

•  Cry-baby is how I think of him now

  A real man wouldn't have let 9/11 change everything.

  Never mind what we say for criticism because it will be seen as purely partisan.

  Instead, Listen to what his former followers are saying and amplify their message.

  In any event, read up on Edward Bernays. PR is done in pictures, word pictures, images, story lines.

  by LNK on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:41:52 PM PDT

•  Everyone hates being called stupid, even Bush.

  Remember how upset H.W. Bush was about people saying W was 'dumb'. His supporters, the real low IQ set, will be furious and defend him, keeping the meme in the press. In addition, we already know that Bush doesn't like that characterization because he began a PR campaign to portray himself, comically, as an avid reader (is there anyone in the country who believes that?). Also recall Dana Perino's recent snit when reporters asked questions about Bush's phonetically written speeches? He's clearly sensitive about this subject.

  I think if everyone began hammering this home it would humiliate him to the point where his protectors would be forced to respond, again comically and unbelievably. The thing about being perceived as stupid is that nobody will take him seriously on any other subject because he's, well, stupid!

  by skrymir on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 06:47:47 PM PDT

  •  keee...rect....

    The wingnuts, especially, hate being called stupid. Mom always said how smart they were.

    They also hate being called uninformed, and any suggestion of same. But, they cannot recall the last time they saw/read any real news on whatever it is you are discussing with them.

    There "minds" are made up. Of what, we dunno.

    by Big Nit Attack on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 07:06:57 PM PDT

    •  The 'immaculate perception' of conservatives.

      They 'know' everything, even without ever studying the information available on a subject.

      by skrymir on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 07:19:59 PM PDT

•  "Retard" isn't PC these days, is it? n/t

  Sure wish the guys from South Park would do it though..

  by SecondComing on Mon Oct 01, 2007 at 08:49:36 PM PDT