Posted on 11/20/2013 8:17:43 AM PST by Hojczyk
"There's a Rembrandt trapped in this body," the former president said on the Tonight Show.
Former President George W. Bush is no longer a politician. He is no longer the decider. No, as he told The Tonight Show's Jay Leno on Tuesday night, the former president is a painter.
"You may not think I'm a painter," Bush told Leno, "I think I'm a painter."
Bush made a rare nationally televised appearance on Leno's show, billed by Bush as a send-off for the host. And he came loaded with the paintings he's been working on with a Dallas tutor once a week. "There's a Rembrandt trapped in this body," Bush said he told the instructor. "Your job is to find it."
The former president showed off a painting of his dog Barney (RIP), and a portrait of his new cat, Bob. Bush also proved that there's no late-night show anecdote better than a Putin anecdote:
"I introduced Barney to Putin, and he kind of dissed him," Bush said. "So a year later, Putin introduced me to his dog. Huge hound, bounding across the lawn, and he says, 'bigger, faster, and stronger than Barney.'"
Bush also came armed with a portrait of his host, just to push the whole thing over the edge into the semi-surreal.
The former president does genuinely seem like a different person. He received solid applause throughout the interview, but no more than after repeating his post-presidency rule for talking about Obama. "I don't think it's good for the country to have a former president criticize his successor," he said.
Asked if he was glad to be out of the White House, Bush didn't hesitate. "Yes, I am," he said. "Eight years is plenty."
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
Under normal circumstances I would agree with Bush. Its unseemingly and divisive to have one president criticizing another. However....we are not in normal political circumstances as Obama’s radical goal is no less than to transform the country that he finds so deficient.
No, Bush had an obligation to speak out against this would be monarch to defend our honor and our liberties. Instead, he has completely withdrawn into a personal cocoon. He’ll be fine in relative isolation; the rest of us, not so much.
At the very least the Bush’s are clearly fans of big government. And they are way too comfortable around liberals.
The media weakened him. Not so with Reagan. Just saying.
Compassionate Conservative. I cringed the first time he said it.
Nothing like telling your Liberal Enemies that they were right about those Evil Conservatives all along.
Who was the first to do it....and he did it overseas.
GWB is a class guy, not a very good president, but a class guy.
I would have painted Jay a nice middle finger.
Just curious if you and your fellow LA-based FReepers were in the Leno audience last night. I was stunned by the overwhelmingly positive applause and cheers that Pres. G. W. Bush and Laura Bush received from the crowd...
Bush set the train running down the track of recklessness and made it easy for 44/2
Really I thought that was the GOP and their choice of first McLame and then Romney that set the stage for the current POS, but you go right ahead because IT’S ALL BUSH’S FAULT! The media, gop, and voters that sat on their hands at home had nothing at all to do with it. I am less than thrilled with many things Bush did in office but there was only one Ronald Reagan and now we I fear we will always have to settle for less.
He let the media weaken him. Poor PR advisers. No push back.
why did you even say this. :-(
Well with Dubya at least you didn’t have to worry if he was a Muzzie lovin Commie.
I think its fair to say, the more they weakened him the more they weakened him. The relentless barrage of attacks took their toll, but IMO he allowed it to go on without challenge which essentially turned him into a political punching bag. The media is a bunch of jackals. Reagan understood this quite well and dealt with them accordingly.
GWB never figured it out. If you don’t stand up they’ll knock you down.
because of what the interview said. They had to take a shot at him.
that’s a great list
So true. W was out to lunch for the PR part of his admin.
Thanks. I made it in the middle of GWB, because I knew I would forget too many things as time went by....
Lol
GW VASTLY increased the size of government using 9/11 as a crisis.
The GOP is at least equally culpable.
GW VASTLY increased the size of government using 9/11 as a crisis.
The GOP is at least equally culpable.
Really, little old George did that by his self, or maybe with just some help from the GOP? I didn’t remember a President increasing the government and spending all by his lonesome until obamaramadingdong, let’s be honest everyone in government during Bush’s term had a hand in the bloat.
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.