Glad you had a first hand account of his behavior and were able to draw out of him, without his even realizing or hearing himself, answer you with such a flippant answer. It’s what most all of us have thought about him all along. He never seemed really interested in the job, hell, he couldn’t even make a heartfelt political speech, he always seemed to have that look like grade school kid in a play unsure if he’s getting his lines right.
The callousness of going to war AND cutting taxes seems to be lost on most people and it’s never brought up enough in my opinion.
You nailed it, he’s not going to endorse Harris, defending democracy is probably outside of his box.
Our experience with GWB was a missed opportunity. Had we impeached, convicted, prosecuted, and punished him, would we now be saddled with the Trump cult?
Lemme tell you a little something about missed opportunity: Your comment is central to the story I've been telling all this time -- to a country seemingly incapable of correlating anything. Understanding HOW we got here is far important that this election or any other. Trump is symptom of the cancer that America has become. 20 years ago, it would have been impossible for him to be seriously considered (let alone win). If you're not lookin' into that, you're not lookin'. You're certainly looking more than most, but I'm hoping you're willing to look a lot further.
Countless people comment about Iraq WMD every single day: Just don't ask 'em to ACT on those concerns by considering how we can put this lie in its place once and for all (which would open the door to the kind of conversation your question raised).
Now, if you want to do something about your concerns that would actually matter, hear me out. Below is something I wrote to another person along those same lines:
=========================
"Sept. 11 didn’t change everything. We did." Nicely put (and you've got some other good stuff in there). But I'd like you to consider the following comparison:
"Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney didn’t 'get' bad intelligence. They incentivized it and then cherry-picked it to justify invading Iraq, which had not attacked us and wasn’t going to because Saddam Hussein wasn’t crazy or an idiot."
Vs. my words:
********************************
DOE’s standard is to spin a tube at 20% above 90,000 RPM before failure — so 48,000 short is a pretty loose definition of “rough indication.” And since the entire point of testing should be to replicate the conditions of centrifuges, one would think that the full-blown testing would be performed before the NIE was completed.
Out of 31 tubes in subsequent testing, only one was successfully spun to 90,000 RPM for 65 minutes — which the CIA seized on as evidence in their favor. One DOE analyst offered a superb analogy of that contorted conclusion: “Running your car up to 6,500 RPM briefly does not prove that you can run your car at 6,500 RPM cross country. It just doesn’t. Your car’s not going to make it.”
In an industry where fractions of a millimeter matter, these guys were playing horseshoes with centrifuge physics . . .
— Richard W. Memmer: Act II
********************************
While you're 100% right on Bush & Cheney -- "incentivized" and "cherry-picked" have no teeth. Try this on for size -- as my surgical specificity in this clip puts this lie in its place in 5 minutes alone: https://youtu.be/X9Si5T2EmZA Imagine what I did with a 160!
Even all that will not make a dent in the hermetically sealed minds of our time. But there's another way. Hear me out and all will become clear. But to understand the solution, first you need to understand the multiple dimensions of the problem. As Ann Baker put it in "Critical Thinking: A fading skill in the age of information overload":
"Indeed, nowadays, we tend to take in and repeat whatever the values and beliefs of those around us have rather than forming our own independent thought and stopping to organize and evaluate the information we are receiving."
Claims of critical thinking are everywhere, but I haven't found it anywhere. My idea is simple -- but it takes "stopping to organize and evaluate the information we are receiving" to understand it.
Meaningless Majority: How the CIA Rigged the NIE Vote to Take Us to War in Iraq
“The truth, finally, was tortured until it was no longer recognizable. And the sons and daughters of America were sent marching off to war wearing the boots of a well-told lie.”
Yeah, I can see just how “concerned” you are.
As I wrote in the piece: Imagine if the author of those words shared them with the only person on the planet who told this story in full (from every angle that matters most). And that instead of blowing right by my work so he could pointlessly point to his: We’d combine forces to put this lie in its place once and for all.
Thanks for the inspiration! You talked about a "culture of cowardice." Buckle up and we'll see just how brave you are: "We must accept responsibility for a problem before we can solve it.” In a nation that incessantly blames & complains (seemingly for sport)—no one’s taking responsibility for anything. We could do something about that, but you're busy—you're always busy: https://liveoutloudandonpurpose.life/2024/09/23/never-in-history-have-so-many-cared-so-much-and-done-so-little-2/
Thank you! I am interested and I look forward to reading it in full. It looks like some great work from what I briefly browsed (and I'm stunned I never came across that piece). But I must ask -- did you watch my 5-minute excerpt I included above? https://youtu.be/X9Si5T2EmZA Your story is detailed, no doubt -- but it's not THAT kind of detail -- nor this: https://youtu.be/-KgmNcCgYic And that's where everyone went wrong (including the experts): By not hammering this home on the numbers. Now, with your experience & knowledge along with mine -- we could put this lie in its place once and for all. And THAT is what I'm really interested in! In fact, it's the only reason I'm on here at all. Thanks again!
Sadly, too close to the mark.She has all the endorsements she needs. She needs, and we need, votes. This bad dream of a presidential campaign needs to end. This b very uncivil war must stop.
Bush, the contemptible little sock puppet that fronted for the real owners of the Rangers and conned the citizens of Arlington to pony up for a shiny new stadium that was replaced after less than a generation. A fitting symbol of the times.
Lest the dark shadows of W. be lost amongst the horrifically dark shadows from Trump, your thoughtful post, Jim, is an excellent reminder. Having said that, on a conscience scale W. doesn’t register, but Trump is on the minus spectrum.
I’m a bit more clement toward GWB’s President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, that was “...the largest health commitment ever made by any country, now totaling more than $100 billion in more than 50 countries.” (NB: Laura Bush's foundational work in education and women’s health.) But, I’m not ignoring the Iraqi fiasco (his Viet Nam in the desert) and his Laffer economic policies that were more a gusher up than a trickle down.
As far as comparisons go, it’s interesting to make one between GWB and LBJ. True, GWB doesn’t hold a candle to LBJ in legislative capabilities, corruption, and war failures, but GWB does have a soupçon of redemption in his generosity to the third world, and compares to LBJ with his Great Society Programs, many of which we benefit from today. So along with their increase in national debt, an indebtedness to their good programs is owed. I guess it’s the nature of the beast that our imperfections grow in impact the more we grow in power. Talking about beasts, you’re right on about the comparison with trump. There’s none. Trump would eat his own children if it meant his own survival. There is nothing to redeem him. He’s a good reason, or a wish for it in his regard, to believe in hell, and, likely the reason for my more charitable recollections of a lesser of evils.
I agree with your regard for his AIDS efforts in Africa. It was important and is still resonating on the continent. I'm at a loss, though, to see how W compares in policy to LBJ's Great Society. I personally benefitted from LBJ's policies even though once he got me healthy and educated he wanted to send me to Vietnam for his dirty little war.
Glad you had a first hand account of his behavior and were able to draw out of him, without his even realizing or hearing himself, answer you with such a flippant answer. It’s what most all of us have thought about him all along. He never seemed really interested in the job, hell, he couldn’t even make a heartfelt political speech, he always seemed to have that look like grade school kid in a play unsure if he’s getting his lines right.
The callousness of going to war AND cutting taxes seems to be lost on most people and it’s never brought up enough in my opinion.
You nailed it, he’s not going to endorse Harris, defending democracy is probably outside of his box.
Thank you for not forgetting 🥲
Our experience with GWB was a missed opportunity. Had we impeached, convicted, prosecuted, and punished him, would we now be saddled with the Trump cult?
Lemme tell you a little something about missed opportunity: Your comment is central to the story I've been telling all this time -- to a country seemingly incapable of correlating anything. Understanding HOW we got here is far important that this election or any other. Trump is symptom of the cancer that America has become. 20 years ago, it would have been impossible for him to be seriously considered (let alone win). If you're not lookin' into that, you're not lookin'. You're certainly looking more than most, but I'm hoping you're willing to look a lot further.
Countless people comment about Iraq WMD every single day: Just don't ask 'em to ACT on those concerns by considering how we can put this lie in its place once and for all (which would open the door to the kind of conversation your question raised).
Now, if you want to do something about your concerns that would actually matter, hear me out. Below is something I wrote to another person along those same lines:
=========================
"Sept. 11 didn’t change everything. We did." Nicely put (and you've got some other good stuff in there). But I'd like you to consider the following comparison:
"Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney didn’t 'get' bad intelligence. They incentivized it and then cherry-picked it to justify invading Iraq, which had not attacked us and wasn’t going to because Saddam Hussein wasn’t crazy or an idiot."
Vs. my words:
********************************
DOE’s standard is to spin a tube at 20% above 90,000 RPM before failure — so 48,000 short is a pretty loose definition of “rough indication.” And since the entire point of testing should be to replicate the conditions of centrifuges, one would think that the full-blown testing would be performed before the NIE was completed.
Out of 31 tubes in subsequent testing, only one was successfully spun to 90,000 RPM for 65 minutes — which the CIA seized on as evidence in their favor. One DOE analyst offered a superb analogy of that contorted conclusion: “Running your car up to 6,500 RPM briefly does not prove that you can run your car at 6,500 RPM cross country. It just doesn’t. Your car’s not going to make it.”
In an industry where fractions of a millimeter matter, these guys were playing horseshoes with centrifuge physics . . .
— Richard W. Memmer: Act II
********************************
While you're 100% right on Bush & Cheney -- "incentivized" and "cherry-picked" have no teeth. Try this on for size -- as my surgical specificity in this clip puts this lie in its place in 5 minutes alone: https://youtu.be/X9Si5T2EmZA Imagine what I did with a 160!
Even all that will not make a dent in the hermetically sealed minds of our time. But there's another way. Hear me out and all will become clear. But to understand the solution, first you need to understand the multiple dimensions of the problem. As Ann Baker put it in "Critical Thinking: A fading skill in the age of information overload":
"Indeed, nowadays, we tend to take in and repeat whatever the values and beliefs of those around us have rather than forming our own independent thought and stopping to organize and evaluate the information we are receiving."
Claims of critical thinking are everywhere, but I haven't found it anywhere. My idea is simple -- but it takes "stopping to organize and evaluate the information we are receiving" to understand it.
Meaningless Majority: How the CIA Rigged the NIE Vote to Take Us to War in Iraq
https://liveoutloudandonpurpose.life/2024/08/19/meaningless-majority-how-the-cia-rigged-the-nie-vote-to-take-us-to-war-in-iraq/
=========================
I addressed this in great detail in a 2005 piece for Huffpost, if you are interested. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/judy-and-the-little-tubes_b_5117
“The truth, finally, was tortured until it was no longer recognizable. And the sons and daughters of America were sent marching off to war wearing the boots of a well-told lie.”
Yeah, I can see just how “concerned” you are.
As I wrote in the piece: Imagine if the author of those words shared them with the only person on the planet who told this story in full (from every angle that matters most). And that instead of blowing right by my work so he could pointlessly point to his: We’d combine forces to put this lie in its place once and for all.
You people are unbelievable! Like I said, thanks for the inspiration: https://liveoutloudandonpurpose.life/2024/09/23/never-in-history-have-so-many-cared-so-much-and-done-so-little-2/
Thanks for the inspiration! You talked about a "culture of cowardice." Buckle up and we'll see just how brave you are: "We must accept responsibility for a problem before we can solve it.” In a nation that incessantly blames & complains (seemingly for sport)—no one’s taking responsibility for anything. We could do something about that, but you're busy—you're always busy: https://liveoutloudandonpurpose.life/2024/09/23/never-in-history-have-so-many-cared-so-much-and-done-so-little-2/
Thank you! I am interested and I look forward to reading it in full. It looks like some great work from what I briefly browsed (and I'm stunned I never came across that piece). But I must ask -- did you watch my 5-minute excerpt I included above? https://youtu.be/X9Si5T2EmZA Your story is detailed, no doubt -- but it's not THAT kind of detail -- nor this: https://youtu.be/-KgmNcCgYic And that's where everyone went wrong (including the experts): By not hammering this home on the numbers. Now, with your experience & knowledge along with mine -- we could put this lie in its place once and for all. And THAT is what I'm really interested in! In fact, it's the only reason I'm on here at all. Thanks again!
Sadly, too close to the mark.She has all the endorsements she needs. She needs, and we need, votes. This bad dream of a presidential campaign needs to end. This b very uncivil war must stop.
Bush, the contemptible little sock puppet that fronted for the real owners of the Rangers and conned the citizens of Arlington to pony up for a shiny new stadium that was replaced after less than a generation. A fitting symbol of the times.
Lest the dark shadows of W. be lost amongst the horrifically dark shadows from Trump, your thoughtful post, Jim, is an excellent reminder. Having said that, on a conscience scale W. doesn’t register, but Trump is on the minus spectrum.
I’m a bit more clement toward GWB’s President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, that was “...the largest health commitment ever made by any country, now totaling more than $100 billion in more than 50 countries.” (NB: Laura Bush's foundational work in education and women’s health.) But, I’m not ignoring the Iraqi fiasco (his Viet Nam in the desert) and his Laffer economic policies that were more a gusher up than a trickle down.
As far as comparisons go, it’s interesting to make one between GWB and LBJ. True, GWB doesn’t hold a candle to LBJ in legislative capabilities, corruption, and war failures, but GWB does have a soupçon of redemption in his generosity to the third world, and compares to LBJ with his Great Society Programs, many of which we benefit from today. So along with their increase in national debt, an indebtedness to their good programs is owed. I guess it’s the nature of the beast that our imperfections grow in impact the more we grow in power. Talking about beasts, you’re right on about the comparison with trump. There’s none. Trump would eat his own children if it meant his own survival. There is nothing to redeem him. He’s a good reason, or a wish for it in his regard, to believe in hell, and, likely the reason for my more charitable recollections of a lesser of evils.
I agree with your regard for his AIDS efforts in Africa. It was important and is still resonating on the continent. I'm at a loss, though, to see how W compares in policy to LBJ's Great Society. I personally benefitted from LBJ's policies even though once he got me healthy and educated he wanted to send me to Vietnam for his dirty little war.