Dubyanocchio had already turned down an offer to work as a greeter at Elliott's Hardware in Dallas, likely fearful of not knowing what to do without Karl Rove whispering the proper lines in his ear. But ...
customers [at Elliott's Hardware] arriving for an organic gardening class -- and even store employees -- were surprised Saturday when the 43rd president of the United States showed up to, um, shop. According to the store, Bush walked in around 11 a.m. wearing a light jacket emblazoned with the presidential seal. Accompanied by a small Secret Service detail, Bush signed autographs and posed for photos.
"Everyone was, of course, abuzz," said Andrea Bond, Elliott's marketing staffer. "Everyone started calling people on their cellphones. It was just amazing."
It's not known whether the caller to Mister Bush's left in the photo was ringing up The Hague.
That the former Torturer-in-Chief hasn't been indicted here at home, shackled with an electronic bracelet and had his passport yanked preparatory to a trial are yet more blots on our nation's reputation. Yes, yes, I know, this would divide the country and divert attention at a time when there are far more important concerns to deal with.
Prosecuting this war criminal and his vile colleagues, even initiating a serious investigation into the dark nooks of his administration, would certainly upset the folks who are buying merchandise like the "Thank You, President Bush" bumper sticker. Some of them the same cretins who are still hunting for Barack Obama's "real" birth certificate, no doubt.
Isn't it better to just forget the guy and move on? He's out of office. He's damaged the Gee Oh Pee brand for years if not decades, he's just a sad case now, so what is my f'n obsession? After all, another unindicted war criminal, Henry Kissinger, now gets to take official trips to Moscow.
Isn't it enough that Mister Bush is having a tough time finding a publisher? Isn't it enough that Laura probably has him changing light bulbs and testing out new locations for furniture for hours every day? Isn't it enough that his approval rating matched the lowest on record when he left office? Isn't it enough that even Dick Cheney is pissed at him?
No. Not nearly enough.
Sure, he was only the front man for the cabal that put hundreds of thousands of men, women and children into premature graves, who promoted torture, extraordinary rendition, secret prisons and illegal spying on citizens. But because he was only the public face of this criminal gang he should get off the hook? Please.
Giving him a pass means future leaders and their cronies get a pass. Haven't we learned this lesson yet? However, we've yet to see a definitive end to the Bush Doctrine, to the unitary executive, to abusive use of state secrets, to policies that allow prisoners to be held incommunicado in hellholes such as Bagram prison in Afghanistan. How much of all this lies behind the fact that there's no serious talk about hauling this guy and his pals into court?