Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Farewell to a Hero
San Antonio Current ^ | 6/17/2004 | Gilbert Garcia

Posted on 06/17/2004 12:17:08 PM PDT by BigJnSA

Can you believe this would be printed in Texas?

Farewell to a hero

BY GILBERT GARCIA CRAWFORD, TX., June 16, 2032

The world lost one of its most beloved leaders yesterday when George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, passed away after a long, debilitating battle with attention-deficit disorder. He was 87.

(Excerpt) Read more at sacurrent.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: bush; eplubissmokempot; gw; highasakite; liberal; litemydoobie; lovesmaryjane; passthebong; sanantonio; texas
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-37 next last
The world lost one of its most beloved leaders yesterday when George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, passed away after a long, debilitating battle with attention-deficit disorder. He was 87.

As a grieving nation responded to the news with shock and awe, Bush was remembered as an impish nation-builder with a heart of gold. His two-term administration (2001-09) brought compassion to conservatism, restoring hope to the nation's beleaguered billionaires and galvanizing America's sense of pride after the troublesome Clinton boom years. To the end, he was a scrappy pitbull for liberty who gave God the ultimate veto power.

A self-made oil magnate, a Yale honor student, and a soldier who demonstrated extraordinary bravery as a member of the National Guard in the 1970s, Bush made a meteoric rise to political prominence in the 1990s. In 1994, with a minimal campaign war chest and few noteworthy political connections, he stunned Texas incumbent Ann Richards in that year's gubernatorial election. After winning re-election in a landslide, he narrowly edged Al Gore in the hard-fought 2000 presidential race.

Faced with the grim challenge of responding to the horrific September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Bush demonstrated decisive leadership, quickly identifying the presence of an international "axis of evil," and issuing what came to be known as the "Dubya Doctrine": If some foreign leader with a semi-unpronounceable name so much as looks at us funny, it is our obligation to take pre-emptive military action.

Bush put this policy to the test in 2003, sending 138,000 troops to Iraq to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein. Three decades later, Republicans continue to hail the success of this bold campaign, noting that by the end of 2032, the United States will have less than 50,000 troops remaining in Iraq. They also point out that the current Iraqi regime is among the most moderate military governments in the region.

Ultimately, Bush's success owed as much to his personal charm as his often underrated command of policy detail. Always quick with a good-natured malaprop, his frequent grammatical snafus made the country feel young again. In contrast to what he derided as the "fancy-pants elite" of Beltway know-it-alls, Bush never made his countrymen feel inferior. To borrow one of his legendary expressions, he was frequently "misunderestimated," but never duplicated.

In his second term, Bush pushed forward with an alphabet soup of domestic initiatives. His strong opposition to steroid use among professional athletes resulted in the passage of a 2006 law which stripped baseball icon Barry Bonds of his home-run records. He also worked feverishly to outlaw the sale of pine tar and stickum, and his vocal leadership caused Little League teams throughout the country to eliminate the clinking plague of aluminum bats. He also experimented with the idea of combining his faith-based initiative program with his "No Child Left Behind" plan, resulting in a spirited new wave of Christian indoctrination.

In 2007, his dream of sending a man to Mars came to fruition, as pop star Lance Bass made the three-year journey and returned home to a New York ticker-tape parade.

Much like Ronald Reagan, his political role-model, Bush delighted in surprising his critics. "I'm the master of low expectations," he once said with a chuckle. Also, like Reagan, Bush broadened the GOP tent. He reached out to Latinos by appearing at a 2004 Pensacola, Florida rally with singer Gloria Estefan and broke bread with respected African-American leaders such as Tiger Woods and Jimmy "JJ" Walker.

"He knew himself, and he was comfortable in his own skin," recalled Condoleezza Rice, his former national security adviser. "He knew that being a good leader meant never questioning your own ideas."

After leaving office, Bush retired to his Crawford, Texas ranch and lived a quiet life. In 2014, he and his wife Laura divorced, and the following year, he married his longtime assistant, Karen Hughes. Hughes, whose touching devotion to Bush often led her to mouth each word of his speeches along with him, was at his side yesterday.

"Some of you might remember that I once wrote a book called Ten Minutes From Normal," Hughes said in a press release. "Well, George took me those final 10 minutes, and he got me there in a shiny new SUV. Thanks to him, now I'm normal."

Already, there is talk of a movement to have Bush join Reagan on Mount Rushmore, an idea strongly supported by Rice.

"He had a heroic simplicity about him," she said. "He didn't care if the French or the Germans liked him. As far as he was concerned, they didn't have a vote. His obligation was to the hard-working CEOs of America."

With a sad smile, Rice added: "I know that Dubya stood for 'Walker,' but to me, it always meant 'winner.'" •

By Gilbert Garcia

1 posted on 06/17/2004 12:17:08 PM PDT by BigJnSA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA

This is just plain stupid, and I feel more dumb for having read it.


2 posted on 06/17/2004 12:23:40 PM PDT by Chad Fairbanks (Welfare's purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA

Here kitties! ...


3 posted on 06/17/2004 12:24:14 PM PDT by MHGinTN (If you can read this, you've had life support from someone. Promote life support for others.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA
As a Texas cowboy in a Pace Picante commercial might say:
Get a rope.



Click HERE for

The John Kerry Files
-at-
The CouNTeRPuNcH Collection

4 posted on 06/17/2004 12:24:35 PM PDT by counterpunch (The CouNTeRPuNcH Collection - www.freepgs.com/counterpunch)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MHGinTN

Aye, Valhalla, I am zotting!


5 posted on 06/17/2004 12:25:19 PM PDT by Frank_Discussion (May the wings of Liberty never lose a feather!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: MHGinTN
Yeah, I think that BigJnSA has been a 3-month mini sleep TROLL.

I guess you post a few "pro-Bush" comments and then start being the TROLL crap.

6 posted on 06/17/2004 12:26:54 PM PDT by mattdono (To President Reagan: Rest now. Look in on us. Enjoy eternity. I'll see you again some day.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Chad Fairbanks

The Current?! Mad Magazing has more integrity than that rag.


7 posted on 06/17/2004 12:27:12 PM PDT by ArmyBratproud
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA
CLEAR!


ZOT!

8 posted on 06/17/2004 12:29:45 PM PDT by SquirrelKing ("I have to march because my mother could not have an abortion." - Maxine Waters (D - California)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA
recalled Condoleezza Rice, his former national security adviser.

That's PRESIDENT Rice to you, buddy.

9 posted on 06/17/2004 12:30:14 PM PDT by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mattdono
Yeah, I think that BigJnSA has been a 3-month mini sleep TROLL.

I guess you post a few "pro-Bush" comments and then start being the TROLL crap.

Naw, he started off with "Can you believe this would be printed in Texas?". He probably just forgot the Ultra Mega Projectile Barf Alert.

-Eric

10 posted on 06/17/2004 12:35:12 PM PDT by E Rocc (Republicans believe every day is the 4th of July, but Democrats believe every day is April 15.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA

Too stupid, this is some altered universe fantasy piece.


11 posted on 06/17/2004 12:35:38 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA

This guy's got "issues."


12 posted on 06/17/2004 12:39:04 PM PDT by MNnice
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA

Speak up out there so we know you are not trolling.


13 posted on 06/17/2004 12:39:15 PM PDT by MEG33 (John Kerry's been AWOL for two decades on issues of National Security)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA

P.S.....Gilbert Garcia is peabrained.


14 posted on 06/17/2004 12:40:25 PM PDT by MEG33 (John Kerry's been AWOL for two decades on issues of National Security)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BigJnSA

Domain Name: SACURRENT.COM

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Evans, Lisa (WVMNQBLRQI) dom-admin@timesshamrock.com
The Scranton Times
149 Penn Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
US
570-348-9100 fax: 123 123 1234

Scranton is NOT TEXAS by the way.


15 posted on 06/17/2004 12:41:57 PM PDT by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E Rocc
He probably just forgot the Ultra Mega Projectile Barf Alert

Maybe so. But, perhaps, that's the reason why newbies should keep their pieholes shut and their fingers off of the "Post" button for a little bit.

I have commented before that maybe we should be a little more leery of the sleeper DU'ers that post for 2 months and then start the onslaught.

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it doesn't seem that BigJnSA has replied at all to defend himself. That's a bit of another strikes...the hit-and-run commentary is another very popular tactic of trolls.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe not. With all due respect to your statements, my comments stand.

16 posted on 06/17/2004 12:42:08 PM PDT by mattdono (To President Reagan: Rest now. Look in on us. Enjoy eternity. I'll see you again some day.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: Chad Fairbanks

I just emailed the paper.........told them I didn't know who was dumber.......Gilbert Garcia for writing it or them for publishing it...........signed my name: Gilbert Grape, (cause Gilbert Garcia is eating at me right now.) *~*


18 posted on 06/17/2004 12:47:30 PM PDT by Dawgreg (Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

To: BigJnSA

On June 18, 2004, Gilbert Garcia was committed to a mental institution. His family finally tiring of his hallucinations and masquerading as a legitimate journalist decided he needs some serious help. A spokesman for the family is quoted as saying "We are all praying for Gilbert".


20 posted on 06/17/2004 12:50:21 PM PDT by freekitty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-37 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson