George Bush: "Liberated by his unpopularity"

I just watched "The News Hour" weekly discussion with Mark Shields and David Brooks.  The first topic dealt with was Bush's "change of position" on Global Warming in advance of the G8 Summit.  Depressingly, Brooks and Shields agreed that the boy king deseved great credit for changing his tiny little mind, and were disappointed that those mean old Democrats were withholding praise for this great act of humility.  Then they went on to the topic of Immigration ...

Brooks, in his continueing effort to cast President Pissypants as an heroic figure standing bravely against adversity actually said worshipfully, that Bush was liberated by his unpopularity.  There you have it folks.  Your hatred is just giving him strength. The message from Karl via David is, give the little boy what he wants, or he's gonna have a really big tantrum.

•  I know it's short

  but the phrase made my head explode.

  by MadRuth on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:05:07 PM PDT

  •  Too bad the idiot son of and idiot didn't

    get liberated by his base a long time ago.  

    Too bad for them, that is.

    by funluvn1 on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:24:17 PM PDT

  •  If only he could be liberated

    from his immorality and stupidity.

    by litigatormom on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:32:08 PM PDT

    •  At that point...

      ....he'd probably commit ritual suicide. Well, at least in some moral systems.

      by metal prophet on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 07:24:35 PM PDT

      •  Did you ever see "Shogun"?

        It was a mini-series in the early 80s.  Richard Chamberlain in 18th Century Japan.

        All the Japanese warlords at some point would at least threaten ritual seppuku.  "I cannot live with this shame," they would say, and if no one talked them out of it quickly, self-disembowelment would begin.

        No one, no one, in the Bush Administration has any difficulty whatsoever living with shame.

        by litigatormom on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 08:47:37 PM PDT

•  I wish he would have that tantrum in public

  with the cameras rolling. Maybe then we could impeach him for misconduct.

  by Owllwoman on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:07:16 PM PDT

  •  He has tantrums regularly

    when a journalist actually asks him a question.  Then the rest of the journalists ignore it.

    by MadRuth on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:23:56 PM PDT

    •  It's like with Reagan

      They thought it was so cute and charming when Reagan lied.

      by metal prophet on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 07:25:09 PM PDT

•  Of course, if he were "liberated

  by his unpopularity," then how do they explain his "change of position" on global warming?

  by corvo on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:08:26 PM PDT

  •  So what now?

    Is he greeting the 70% of Americans that dislike him as liberators? Is he going to throw flowers at us and name a square after us?

    by calipygian on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:11:06 PM PDT

    •  (*wipes coffee off the monitor*) n/t

      by corvo on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:19:32 PM PDT

  •  Come on...

    you're asking for David Brooks to make SENSE! Don't you think that's a little unfair?

    by Leap Year on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:20:08 PM PDT

  •  All talk, no action

    The EU isn't fooled by Bush's alleged about-face on global warming.

    BRUSSELS (Reuters) -
    President George W. Bush's plan to tackle climate change merely restates U.S. policy which has been ineffective in the past in cutting emissions blamed for global warming, the EU's environment chief said on Friday.

    "The declaration by President Bush basically restates the U.S. classic line on climate change -- no mandatory reductions, no carbon trading and vaguely expressed objectives," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said, according to his spokeswoman.

    "The U.S. approach has proven to be ineffective in reducing emissions," Dimas added of Bush's call on Thursday for 15 major countries to agree by 2008 on a long-term goal for cutting emissions.

    by doubting thomas on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:49:01 PM PDT

    •  "We" shouldn't be fooled either! n/t

      by corvo on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:52:34 PM PDT

      •  That's why I was so disappointed

        when Mark Shields gave him credit for verbally changing course.

        by MadRuth on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 05:01:28 PM PDT

  •  Liberated from what?

    From the constraints that have tied him down heretofore?  Are we in for a rousing chorus of "Let Bush Be Bush" by the Reagan-worshippers, a last nostalgic fillip before the SS Chimpy goes under the waves?

    Mark Shields should just shake his head and snicker when Brooks delivers himself of such lines.  "What a maroon...."

    by Dallasdoc on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:49:11 PM PDT

    •  It's time for Bush's closeup.

      In a straitjacket.

      by jimreyn on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 05:30:40 PM PDT

    •  If Mark Shields was at all reasonable...

      ....he'd clean BoBo's clock.

      by metal prophet on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 07:26:01 PM PDT

•  What do you think of the new Repub

  talking point, that Bush is actually a closet Liberal?  Not kidding - Tucker Carlson and Scarborough are 2 that are pushing this new idea.  Think anybody's going to buy it?

  by sherlyle on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:08:56 PM PDT

  •  Yeah...

    the rabid Wingnuts he pissed off over immagration. They'll buy it hook line and sinker.

    by blueyedace2 on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:11:25 PM PDT

  •  Fox Propaganda! Tucker's the only one in the

    closet here. Come out Tucker and march in the next DC Gay Pride Parade waving your rainbow flag with matching rainbow colored spandex hot-pants.

    by PoliSci 000 on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:19:26 PM PDT

  •  I think it could possibly work

    in regards to his stance on immigration. Is that the context in which Joe and L'il Tuck brought it up?

    Lots of reactionary bigots hate Bush because he's not gunnin' to round up 12 million brown folk and ship them back to Mexico. They might see his approach as liberal. On other issues? I'm not so sure.

    by Leap Year on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:22:15 PM PDT

  •  That talking point ain't new

    I heard from a co-worker last year how Bush was a liberal.

    by calipygian on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:27:12 PM PDT

    •  Yeah

      they say he's a liberal, because he's obviously not a conservative and they don't want to admit he's a fascist.

      by MadRuth on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 05:03:16 PM PDT

  •  Mostly since these dumbfucks...

    ....are obsessed with the notion that conservatism cannot fail, it can only BE failed.

    by metal prophet on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 07:27:00 PM PDT

•  Admitting that he's unpopular

  is the first step to recovery. Unlike Tweety who once said that, "Everybody sort of likes the president, except for the real whack-jobs, maybe on the left," when his polling numbers were at around 40%.

  by calipygian on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:09:47 PM PDT

•  In Brook's universe

  somebody conservative who is looking at a long stretch in jail is probably about to experience freedom by his being locked up. If you are liberal or moderate, you are just going in the can.

  Remember, any day now Bush is going to be universally condemned as a liberal by these people in unison. A closet far-left liberal at that.

  by LeftHandedMan on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:11:14 PM PDT

  •  I think they use the GOP immigration meltdown

    (that they, incredibly, didn't see coming on the right despite who their base is) to cement the 'Bush is liberal' meme across wingnuttia.

    "conservatism cannot fail, it can only be failed".

    Comrade Romney-Guiliani-whoever was always the true heir to Comrade Reagan! There never was a Comrade W! He does not exist. All hail the People's Revolutionary Conservative Soviet.

    by LeftHandedMan on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:14:54 PM PDT

    •  Failing to see the immigration meltdown

      Good point - it is really surprising that they've let this get so out of control. Bush's stance on immigration is by no means a mystery - since his days as Governor of Texas, he's been consistent. He's never been for deportation or other punitive measures. What did Rove THINK was going to happen, with a rabid base that wants blood on this issue?

      by Leap Year on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:26:19 PM PDT

•  so then what's next??? Ratifying Kyoto? Not....

  This is just another crumb the Idiot-in-Chief is tossing to the ignorant masses and being eaten up by Sycophantic-Journalists like Brookes and Shields. This is the reason I no longer watch that program.

  by PoliSci 000 on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:14:10 PM PDT

•  In sailing we call that

  taking a flyer. Kristofferson correctly twigged it at 'nothing left to lose.'

  by sailmaker on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:16:32 PM PDT

•  I've often wondered

  how his handlers and the press would cope, what they would do, if the truly outrageous happened. What if Chimpy showed up at a press conference drunk, or such-like?

  Perhpaps it's already happened, and been quashed: "The president regrets that has a virus, and will not be able to attend this press briefing."

  by karmsy on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:17:26 PM PDT

  •  I'd love to see the response to

    this letter:

    Mr. Attorney General-
    I have recently begun a survey I am conducting via my website to find an answer to the question of the average loyalty of the American conservative to the actions of President George W. Bush. Inspired by an editorial cartoon I drew earlier this year, which I have attached for your reference, I began soliciting various conservative writers, pundits, and bloggers to respond with their reaction to a hypothetical scenario of President Bush killing a kitten with a hammer. I have attached a copy of the survey e-mail so you may understand the context.

    Obviously, letting brown people into the country is much worse to the base than murdering a kitten with a hammer.

    by calipygian on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:30:58 PM PDT

•  I wish we could be liberated from Bush

  2008 seems like an eternity away.  There's so much more damage Bush can do to our country between now and then.

  He's arguing with China, he's arguing with Russia, he wants to bomb Iran...

  Heck, by the time he's through we won't have a single friend left and people will be bombing us.

  by Sick Of It on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:27:29 PM PDT

  •  We'll always have Linda Blair, um.I mean Tony

    Blair. Oh what's the difference. I think I've seen both of their heads "spin" around.

    by PoliSci 000 on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:35:00 PM PDT

•  I just saw it too.

  I had just been thinking about the previous segment, an interesting discussion on free-market globalization, when suddenly things went from thought-provoking to merely provoking. I was feeling anger and disappointment with Mr. Shields (who really ought to know better), and then suddenly I was laughing out loud at Brooks' prim pronouncement, delivered in his best schoolmarm manner, pursed lips and all. 'Liberated by his unpopularity' may qualify as spin to Brooks, but it's so manifestly idiotic that I don't see how anyone else could buy it.

  by slksfca on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:29:27 PM PDT

•  have you EVER met a politician who wanted

  to be UNPOPULAR?

  watching the conservative punditocracy do their backflips and contortions as they try to escape the repercussions of supporting this failed administration would be highly amusing if it weren't so tragic.

  by Chrispy67 on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 04:35:24 PM PDT

•  The problem is

  Bush doesn't think of himself as a polititian, he thinks of himself as a monarch.  He's the commander guy.

  by MadRuth on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 05:34:00 PM PDT

  •  Feingold was right...

    ....when he said that Bush was acting like a king. Unfortunately, Bush took that as a compliment.

    by metal prophet on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 07:40:33 PM PDT

•  the real truth is that Bush is liberated

  from his own stupidity.

  by arcana on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 05:52:10 PM PDT

  •  God what I would give

    to be liberated from his stupidity.

    by Remembering Jello on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 05:56:09 PM PDT

•  Bush serves corporate interests with immigration

  bill, and his global warming is just heading off change with proposals for starting talks on voluntary controls to take effect sometime in the distant future.

  by Inland on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 06:20:26 PM PDT