Bush's Battlefield Envy

This man has no shame.  Dan Froomkin in today's Washington Post writes that,

"President Bush wishes that he could be alongside the troops in Iraq -- except that he's too old."!!

 Does this remind anyone (Everyone????) of his infamous, "bring 'em on"?

Apparently, Bush was participating in a chat with some imbedded bloggers when,

"Responding to one of the bloggers in Iraq he expressed envy that they could be there, and said he'd like to be there but 'One, I'm too old to be out there, and two, they would notice me.'"

WTF!!!  At least Froomkin caught the (irony, hypocrisy, idiocy??? pick one, pick all) of this:

Maybe Bush was just making idle chit-chat. But this would not be the first time the president has appeared unaware of the hardships his war has caused hundreds of thousands of American troops -- while expressing a misguided sense of bravado.

He goes on to skewer Bush for his false bravado:

He certainly hasn't ever put himself in harm's way. The president who avoided serving in Vietnam as a young man has made only three visits to Iraq since declaring that major combat operations were over more than four years ago. All three of the visits were unannounced and featured extensive security.

Bush's total time in country? Less than 15 hours.

But his apologists at the White House certainly paint him as being a frontline guy:

At the same time, the White House has depicted Bush as being on the front lines. In a June 14 briefing, Hearst columnist Helen Thomas asked press secretary Tony Snow if there were "any members of the Bush family or this administration in this war?"

Snow's response: "Yes, the President. The President is in the war every day."

Thomas said she meant the front lines.

Snow replied: "The President."

No, he's not.  But the President isn't the only delusional person in the White House:

In April, First Lady Laura Bush said that "no one suffers more" than she and the president when they watch television footage of the carnage in Iraq.

Hmmm, perhaps those who have lost loved ones suffer a little more????

You can read the entire column here.

•  Tip Jar

  by dave1042 on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 07:32:39 AM PDT

•  Neptune's fork!

  That no-good scurvy mutineer knows not the sting'a battle! He should be keelhauled fer sayin' diff'rent!

  by droogie6655321 on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 07:34:31 AM PDT

•  What footage of the war

  are George and Laura watching?  Unless they have a closed caption channel that only they can see, all I see is footage of soldiers patrolling the same streets day after day.

  A couple of years ago, George Bush actually said "I know war, I have twin girls."  

  Given the excessive extent to which he is protected at home, Albania seems to be the only place he is safe.

  by JFinNe on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 07:41:15 AM PDT

  •  Hah! You pegged it.

    Remember this scripted Bush teleconference with solders in Iraq?

    A live feed of the soldiers was beamed from Tikrit in north-central Iraq to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, near the White House. Through someone’s lapse, journalists were able to observe Deputy Secretary of Defense for Internal Communications Allison Barber putting the carefully-vetted group of soldiers, which included five officers, through their paces for some minutes prior to the president’s appearance.
    ...
    Barber became even more specific, explaining that Bush would ask the group, "In the last 10 months, what kind of progress have we seen?" ... Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo dutifully responded, "Over the past 10 months, the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces are improving.... They continue to develop and grow into a sustainable force."

    That was in October 2005, almost two years ago.

    The script remains the same but now it's General Patraeus reading the lines.

    I do believe Bush really is in a bubble, but it's by choice....that he's delusional and won't countenance anything that challenges those delusions.

    by sawgrass727 on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 07:59:53 AM PDT

•  The Bush Family

  From the disoriented old preppy to his wife who moved from NY to South Carolina to attend an all-white high school, to the fat little brother, the air-head daughters, the mousy librarian with the lousy driving record, and all the miscreants we don't even know, no member of this appallingly self-indulgent family must ever again be allowed to hold public office in this country.  

  by redstatemike on Wed Sep 19, 2007 at 09:01:12 AM PDT