Posted on 04/18/2009 3:25:43 PM PDT by decimon
BOAO — Former President George W. Bush cracked jokes about how he scoops up after his dog on neighborhood walks and then turned to more serious subjects like terrorism and the financial crisis Saturday during his first overseas trip since leaving office.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsvine.com ...
I could think of almost any place in the world I’d like to visit but Communist China is not even in the top 100.
Oh no. Is he going to bash America\? /sarc. I could not resist sorry. If anyone doesn’t bash America, it will be President Bush.
So lovely to see the name Bush back on FR. Three cheers for GWB
Actually it is awesome! I went in 2004 and had a blast. That Great Wall of China is incredible. You should really reconsider and go visit Beijing at least. Politics aside, it is a great country. The food is outstanding.
A decent article.
I’m glad he said . . . what he did.
Glad to see him out. I sure miss him. And I hope he doesn’t simply disappear. He really deserves a statue for how he dealt with 9-11 and kept us safe.
God bless GWB!
The part about not criticizing Obama is wise as well as correct for an ex-president. Bush being welcomed abroad is in itself a rebuff to his critics.
I would love to eventually go tour China.
I am glad that Bush is retired and enjoying himself, but I sure miss our last real president, warts and all............ we were much better off.
A million Amen.
The Great Wall is just as great as standing on the top of WTC 1 on an October night when the Mets were playing Boston. I’ll never forget how calm and clear is was that night. Now, all that is left of the WTC is a hole in the ground. Where is the outrage of WE, THE PEOPLE that have spent TRILLIONS and STILL don’t have a proper monument. Cheese and rice people, don’t you wonder? Don’t you remember?
Yeah, and the statue should be torn down for leading this nation to Obama.
BTW, don't bother getting all uppity with me. It's no longer possible to rationally defend Bush vis-a-vis politics. If it wasn't for Bush and his policies Obama would NOT be in office today.
Oh yippee, GWB visits the ChiComs...
Yeah, a great place to visit, politics aside, poisoned food aside, numerous communicable diseases due to hygiene aside, nuclear weapons pointed at us aside, threatening our free allies in Taiwan aside, working people like slaves sleeping next to their machines aside, tremendous pollution floating across the Pacific aside, bullying American towns to not recognize the Falun Gong aside, executing political prisoners for their organs aside, etc., etc., etc.
But hey, they’re buying our debt, much of which was created by GWB’s spending* - so party on, George!!
(* Yes, of course, Obama’s creating much worse debt.)
Ping!
Is he going to tour the drywall plant over there ?
What am I missing with your “ping” to people that haven’t even posted?
I am pinging them to this thread because I know that they would be interested in hearing about President Bush and his trip.
You can go to your comments and see your pings. Do you understand?
True.
I just hope we find out when they escape to their new South American . . . bunker . . .
Much as Hoover led to FDR. In his first term he should have read the riot act to his fellow Pubs and wielded his veto pen like a sword. Or some such dramatic thing.
“uppity”?? Now that’s a good one!
The food is enjoyable, as long as you don’t ask what you are eating. Visit local meat markets and you will see they eat anything that moves, including dogs and cats. Westerners who eat there for a couple of weeks have a high risk of taking home parasites in their stomach. Chinese food hygiene is very bad (or at least it was when I was there 20 years ago).
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. If we were to accept your specious reasoning about President Bush, we would also have to conclude that President Reagan was also a failure.
RIDDLE ME THIS:
1.) Who controlled Congress when President Reagan left office (versus most of his tenure in office)?
SENATE (1985-87)— 53 Republicans / 47 Democrats
SENATE (1987-89)— 55 Democrats / 45 Republicans
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/partydiv.htm
HOUSE (1981-83) — 242 Democrats / 192 Republicans
HOUSE (1989-91) — 260 Democrats / 175 Republicans
http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/partyDiv.html
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2.) During the 1992 election cycle, on whom did the electorate blame the bad economy — an assessment that delivered the White House to Bill Clinton?
According to Gallup, a majority blamed the economic policies of Ronald Reagan (who at the time had a lower post-presidency JA rating than Jimmy Carter — 47% to 49%). [FYI: The election of Clinton lead directly to the attacks of 9/11/01.]
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3.) Why do ‘conservatives’ ignore President Reagan’s historic spending/deficits, as well as other center-left policies (e.g., amnesty)?
Conservatives ignore Reagan’s deficits/center-left policies because he (Reagan) was fighting and winning a COLD war at the time.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I do believe that during his tenure, President Bush was fighting and winning a HOT war — and a hot war trumps a cold war every time!
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Additional perspective from Karl Rove:
“At home, Mr. Bush cut income taxes for every American who pays taxes. He also cut taxes on capital, investment and savings. The result was 52 months of growth and the strongest economy of any developed country.
Mr. Bush was right to match tax cuts with spending restraint. This is a source of dispute, especially among conservatives, but the record is there to see. Bill Clinton’s last budget increased domestic nonsecurity discretionary spending by 16%. Mr. Bush cut that to 6.2% growth in his first budget, 5.5% in his second, 4.3% in his third, 2.2% in his fourth, and then below inflation, on average, since. That isn’t the sum total of the fiscal record, of course — but it’s a key part of it.”
—Karl Rove
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123258532378704477.html
Thank you for the ping and the AWESOME comments (with which I heartily agree)!!
You will find some wonderful photos here — I particularly like the one of President Bush waving from the SUV:
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//090418/ids_photos_wl/r1019550173.jpg/
Thank you DrDeb. I’ll check them out!
I hate DUmmies posting as FReepers. “(
Yeah, me too. Just look at the financial mess they've gotten us.
He is a DUmmie?
“If it wasn’t for Bush and his policies Obama would NOT be in office today. “
No. If it weren’t for a corrupt and biased media Obama would not be in office today. (And I think Satan might have had a hand in it too.)
The contrast may make Bush look statesmanlike and Obama look petty.
“I could think of almost any place in the world I’d like to visit but Communist China is not even in the top 100.”
Ditto.
“Three cheers for GWB’
YES!! Didn’t agree with all his positions BUT he is a man of integrity and courage and he loves America and our military! May God always bless President and, our beautiful, classy First Lady Laura Bush.
Look at the top of your news page.
This will show you what a ping is all about.
If you can do without the Wall, Taiwan is better. It’s cleaner, safer, and more authentic in Chinese culture than that toxic waste dump on the other side of the Strait.
I don't expect to see either but the pictures coming out of the mainland support what you say of the ChiCom economy.
When Bush took office he had a republican House and a near split in the Senate. In 2002 the Senate become republican. What did he do? Did he make tax cuts permanent? Did he propose anything the would shif the country to the right? Not that I can remember. In fact, in several of his speeches he promoted more govt. help in getting low income people to buy homes.
It was that kind of schizophrenic governance that threw the nation into a spending frenzy.
Conservatives saw Bush acting like a democrat and they said, "What the heck! If our leader is doing it it must be right."
Bush used the war as tool to get things he wanted. He used it in damn near every speech. He gave too many concessions to the dems to keep the war going.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. If we were to accept your specious reasoning about President Bush, we would also have to conclude that President Reagan was also a failure.
Where did I say Bush was a failure? I said his policies, which were a lot like the dems, led us to Obama.
Remember "I’ve abandoned free market principles to save the free market system."? How could he even say that?
Bush's almost complete lack of leadership led us to Obama. People saw very little difference between Obama and the GOP just before the election and since they wanted change they voted for it. Bush NEVER made any kind of case for consevatism. On the one hand he would call for tax cuts and then implement a massive spending program.
He was to inconsistent. So, now we have Barack and Bush to thank for it.
Following your convoluted logic, Reagan’s amnesty bill, federal funding for education, lowering then raising of taxes, growing the federal bureaucracy, withdrawal of troops from Lebanon (empowering OBL), failure to support Judge Bork, and so on, and on, and on, lead to the defeat of Republicans in the House/Senate and the eventual election of Bill Clinton (per Gallup polling) . . . Clinton’s failure to fight Islamic terrorists, who repeatedly attacked the US/US interests during his tenure, lead directly to the attacks of 9/11/01 . . . ergo, Reagan not only enabled the election of Bill Clinton, he also enabled the attacks on 9/11/01 . . . Again, using your convoluted logic.
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BTW: I encourage you to do the research necessary to answer your own rhetorical questions about President Bush’s eight years in office. FYI: A few of your questions illustrate a pathetic illiteracy vis a vis the functioning of our democratic republic, i.e., only the Congress could have made the tax cuts permanent — thank you Senator McCain, et al, for that debacle . . . Oh yes, that’s the same candidate that actually lost the last election!
You can begin your research here:
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/index.html
I am looking at the picture between the two leaders and the body language tells me that they enjoy President Bush’s company to a greater degree. Kind of strange, since one would think that the one has more of an ideological connection with the People’s Republic than President Bush./Just Asking - seoul62......
Bush wasn’t hostile towards the Chinese and he’s not there in an official capacity. There’s not much reason for tension.
"I was picking up what I had been dodging for eight years," Bush said."
LOL! Ain't THAT the truth!
Heh, you GO girl!
I have a good friend living in Shanghai, while her husband’s company has him there doing business. I went to Japan in 2005 when they were living in Tokyo, and absolutely LOVED it! She’s invited me to come visit her in China, but I’ve told her I have no desire to go there. There are just some places, in addition to China, that it won’t bother me if I never visit, including Mexico, Russia, anywhere in the Middle East, Africa, and India.
(wink)!
Wait, aren't you the one that gave Bush CREDIT for the tax cuts? How is that possible? To wit: "“At home, Mr. Bush cut income taxes for every American who pays taxes. He also cut taxes on capital, investment and savings. The result was 52 months of growth and the strongest economy of any developed country."
How is it possible that he gets credit for something Congress did but doesn't get blamed for something Congress didn't do?
Yeah, I'm the one who's illiterate.
BTW, regarding amnesty. Reagan admitted that is was a mistake. Bush, on the other hand, pursued it KNOWING that Reagan made a mistake. I guess Bush was incapable of learning from another's mistake.
Following your convoluted logic, Reagan’s amnesty bill, federal funding for education, lowering then raising of taxes, growing the federal bureaucracy, withdrawal of troops from Lebanon (empowering OBL), failure to support Judge Bork, and so on, and on, and on, lead to the defeat of Republicans in the House/Senate and the eventual election of Bill Clinton (per Gallup polling) . . . Clinton’s failure to fight Islamic terrorists, who repeatedly attacked the US/US interests during his tenure, lead directly to the attacks of 9/11/01 . . . ergo, Reagan not only enabled the election of Bill Clinton, he also enabled the attacks on 9/11/01 . . . Again, using your convoluted logic. -
Funny, you completely leave out another factor - GHW Bush. Look at that another Bush that led to another dem president. Notice a pattern? A Bush gets into office, practices democrat lite and we end up with a democrat for president.
Nice try. GW Bush was pathetic as a leader. In fact, I defy you show me where he actually did lead. As a president. Oh, and you can't use the war on terror.
If it wasn’t for Bush .... Obama would NOT be in office today.....UMMMM, two words. JOHN. McCAIN.
Because he made it so. He, like his father, neglected domestic policy in favor of war.
Well, if that isn't the most pathetic thing I have seen for argument, I don't know what is. Here, let me turn the tables on you: I defy you to show me where Bush was a failure, but you can't use immigration in your argument.
It wasn't an argument. It was a statement that you choose not to try to disprove. I never felt "led" by Bush. Most of what he did was done by default.
Doesn't it ever bother you that he never once vetoed a spending bill till it was too late and the federal deficit was bloated?
What about his part in the housing crisis? Pushing for "hispanics" not Americans to own homes using taxpayer help?
On June 17, 2002, Bush held a press conference. "Three-quarters of white America owns their homes. Less than 50 percent of African Americans are part of the homeownership in America. And less than 50 percent of the Hispanics who live here in this country own their home. And that has got to change for the good of the country. It just does."
Bush was just as much at fault for this financial crisis as anyone else. He never planned ahead. It was all about his legacy of "ownership". Sorry, Bush failed to be "conservative" about getting into debt. He saw it as a way to build a legacy.
“GW Bush was pathetic as a leader. In fact, I defy you show me where he actually did lead. As a president. Oh, and you can’t use the war on terror.”
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Of course, let’s just delete the War on Terror (and Homeland Security) from any discussion of President Bush — it was only the defining/animating issue of his presidency. And while we’re at it, let’s excise the Cold War from any discussion of President Reagan, WW II from any discussion of FDR and the Civil War from any discussion of Abraham Lincoln . . . da’!
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Do you have a problem with reading or research? I’ve already provided you with a link to a webpage that very clearly and concisely details the Bush Record . . . Rather than relying on your own faulty memory and ‘not so hidden’ agenda, why don’t you try reading a few pages?!
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/bushrecord/index.html
You might also want to review the information provided here:
BUSH CALLED FOR REFORM OF FANNIE MAE AND FREDDIE MAC 17 TIMES IN 2008 ALONE... DEMS IGNORED WARNINGS
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/09/bush-called-for-reform-of-fannie-mae.html
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AND ONE MORE TIME, REPEAT AFTER ME . . . JOHN MCCAIN LOST THE LAST ELECTION NOT GEORGE W BUSH.
Now, why don’t you go run along and help Ron Paul author another $5,000,000 worth of earmarks for the next appropriation bill.
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[FYI: I’m responding to your absurd posts for one reason: to provide other readers with the arguments/links that I’ve provided for you . . . I have no intention of continuing our ‘discussion’ any further.]
Big sigh. I changed my screen name to Veto! when he took office, hoping for just that. And I liked my other name better. Nevertheless, GWB looks like Saint George compared with the devil in the WH today.
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