How soon after 9/11 did you realize Bush was the same ass as ever?

[BurtWorm]

[corriger]

1. other

knew beforehand.

[belle]

15. Yup. I did cut Rummy and Powell a little slack, though, for a while

Can't remember when that ended, but it was long gone by the time we waltzed into Iraq.

[mitchum]

31. Same here

it's hard to escape fetal alcohol syndrome. It's a pity that Babs didn't take a drunken fall down a very steep staircase...

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

2. I have always known he was an ass

Always has been, always will be. Nothing could EVER change my mind; my opinion on this is UNALTERABLE!!

[SarahB]

26. Yes!

:thumbsup:

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. Other.

I knew his father was an ass, and figured the apple didn't fall far from the tree. IOW, ALWAYS knew it.

[union_maid]

I think by the pretzel incident

It must have been before that, because I distinctly remember wishing the pretzel had won. I definitely was guilty of thinking that he would do his best to lead the country during that horrible time and that he, or anyone, would be above partisan politics in light of 911. So, I guess you don't have to be young to be naive.

[bemildred]

4. He was always an ass.

The notion that presiding over the greatest peace time attack
on the USA since Pearl Harbor and then doing NOTHING about it
elevated him in any way is ludicrous.

[freetobegay]

14. Agreed!

[Wwagsthedog]

5. bush was my governor for 6 years

that he is an ass is no surprise to me

[Career Prole]

6. All us DUers who live in Texas got the jump on you.

We knew he was sportin' the asshat long before he found out that the Beltway isn't a form of corporal punishment.

[Marymarg]

7. never a doubt

not even for a moment. I actually thought he might quit and go home to Texas, realizing that he was in so far over his head that it would be best to cut and run and let the adults take over.

[abelenkpe]

8. I felt it was something he let happen

the moment it happened. Just a gut reaction that has never really gone away. The Bush administration let 911 happen. I couldn't get it out of my head that the first thing he did when gaining office was to pull all our intelligence agents out of the middle east. Kinda convenient. He's an ass, but a sneaky manipulative ass that shouldn't be underestimated.

[unblock]

9. his behavior on 9/11 itself was deplorable

continuing to read to kids at a photo-op when your chief of staff tells you 'america is under attack'???!?!?!

and then flying to remote air force base after remote air force base, landing only long enough to say "i'll have a statement later"???

it was beyond "he's an ass". to me, it was "he's a psychopath". how on earth can you, as president of the country, not do SOMETHING the minute you're told your country is under attack?? at least ask the guy a question or two, jeez!

[corriger]

12. agreed

this guy does not behave as a leader of state and it is insulting to see this clown refered to as king of anything quite frankly even in jest

[BurtWorm]

21. When right wingers accuse me of letting my Bush hatred get in the way

of my fairness to him on 9/11 and after, I have to point out that I totally set aside my Giuliani and Pataki hatred (which have since returned) and praised both of them for being mensches during those awful first two weeks. (Mensches, not saints, as they've both made clear since.) I even used to praise Rumsfeld for the story (which I now doubt) that he went out to help employees at the Pentagon on 9/11. I still recall the excellence of Giuliani's leadership, in particular, and I would praise Rumsfeld (the rat bastard) if it could be shown that he really did help rescue or even encourage Pentagon workers on 9/11.

But I can't forgive Bush for just what you cite him for, and for the lousy speech lunabush cited him for that night, and for being asleep by 11:00 when the rest of us were up worried sick, and for hiding in his office the next couple of days, making one pathetic statement to the press in which he defended his inaction by weeping, "I'm a loving man" to a handful of reporters--as if learning that he thought of himself as a "loving man" was at all useful to anybody anywhere.

Feh! Same ass--to use a polite term--as ever. And ever.

[MoonRiver]

10. He's much worse than an "ass",

but you already knew that. Day One of 9/11 I hated him for running. Nothing had changed, he was still the cowardly AWOL chump he had been 25 years ago. :thumbsdown:

[Wickerman]

11. I was stunned at how horrible his speech was that evening

and by his lack of leadership that day. Totally floored that he got a pass for it.

[wtmusic]

13. Gave him TBOTD until 'Axis of Evil'

then WTF? Calling nations which had never threatened us 'evil'? Where the hell did that come from, besides Dick Cheney?

[corriger]

17. what is a tbotd

really this came from Bush, this 'evil' bit and it is representative of historical lack of US seperation of the religion from government.

[wtmusic]

18. the benefit of the doubt n/t

[corriger]

19. ah very generous of you

to be so let off

[IrishBloodEngHeart]

16. I knew Bush and Cheney were all along.

I thought Rummy and Powell might be okay. It took me a while to realize they were as bad as Bush and Cheney.

[truth2power]

20. I despised him before 911

and I despised him after. Nothing changed.

[OnionPatch]

22. 9-11 didn't change my opinion of him

at all. In fact, on 9-11 I was thinking, "Oh, Lord, a real crisis and that ___hole is in charge. God help us."

[Morning Dew]

23. I was slow on the uptake

but definitely before the end of 2001.

[AntiCoup2K4]

24. The first time I ever saw the stupid son of a bitch on TV

Which probably would have been sometime in the 80's, probably when he was working on his daddy's campaign.

[Guaranteed]

25. The second he started talking about Iraq.

I never really liked him, although after 9/11 I was willing to give him a chance. Then in early 2002 he started talking about invading Iraq, and that was the end of that.

I didn't even think it was possible. I remember telling people, "He can't do that- this is America." Then he went and did it, and I lost all respect for the people of my country. I couldn't, and still can't believe that they allowed him to invade a country unprovoked.

[yardwork]

27. Knew it that day and every day beforehand.

Knew W was a loser from the first time he hit my radar screen. Thought his dad was a loser. Loser family from way back.

Next question?

[2Design]

28. Before he was appointed

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

29. Um I knew he was the same ass as ever

way back when he was governor of MY state.

Icky man. Just icky.

[sofa king]

30. When he showed up drunk at WTC.

He was leaning on that fireman like a lush--and take it from me, I am one.



That's when I knew we were screwed like a lag-bolt at a frickin' Craftsman trade show.

[indigo32]

32. I never had any doubt he was an Ass

took a look at him during the 2000 campaign, got it figured out very quickly. 9/11 didn't change a damn thing about that opinion. It was a horrible day, but I most certainly didn't look to him expecting anything at all.

[markses]

33. When I walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, I stopped in a bodega for a drink

My throat was still parched, you see, from all the smoke and dust - even though I had a Snapple through most of the ordeal.

In any case, they had a little TV on in the bodega, and a newscaster was saying "The president is out of contact." That's when I knew that Bush was still the same old ass. So, morning of 9/11, approximately 11am.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

34. "Other". He has always been an ass. Why didn't everyone else see that?

[troublemaker]

56. There are gradations

Anyone whose view of Bush has stayed the same over the last four years doesn't deserve credit for their perceptiveness, but rather criticism for their neurotic inflexibility.

Bush has changed over time so why should my perceptions of him be constant? He was always an evil idiot with little use for Democracy but before 9/11 one could have an informed debate as to whether he was worse than Reagan. (No longer an open question) Part of what makes an idiot evil is willingness to assert his idiocy. Bush's post-9/11 talks with god have made him even worse than he was before... an assertive, crazy, evil idiot.

[loudsue]

35. "Other": The first time I heard about him running for office....

He's an ass now, he was an ass then, and he'll be an ass throughout eternity.

He has the soul of an asshole.

:kick::kick:

[Sinistrous]

36. I consider myself an"8 PerCenter" who has never wavered in

my estimation that bush is a greed-sotted sociopath.

[maggrwaggr]

37. here's what a ridiculously nice guy I am

After 9/11 I thought "well, here's this idiot son who has failed upward his whole life, but is suddenly finds thrust upon him the leadership of the free world after a terrible and tragic attack ......

This is a classic "hero's call" in the Joseph Campbell sense of the term ....

Maybe he'll rise to the occasion. Maybe he'll be like Winston Churchill, and find strength and mettle and wisdom he never knew he had ....

I actually thought that. I hoped for the best. I wanted him to prove himself better than the people who put him in office.

And what did we get?

Holy fucking shit. We got the biggest LOSER to ever get anywhere NEAR Washington D.C. Not just a loser, but a war criminal, liar, profiteer and all around evil piece of shit who needs to be put in JAIL for fucking EVER.

[union_maid]

43. That's where I was at

My 80 (at the time) year old mother wasn't fooled, though. She kept on asking what the hell he was doing in hiding at a time like that. Of course, she was around during WWII so I guess she had a better idea of how national leaders are supposed to behave during times of crisis.

[BurtWorm]

53. I really appreciate your candor and that of the others here

who gave Bush a second chance. I didn't have it in me, but I can understand that some people are kinder about such things than I am, and I'm truly sorry for you that Bush rewarded your generosity as he did.

[Justice]

57. Call Me Ridiculous Too

I believed Bush had an opportunity to turn it all around after 9/11. I remember wanting him to do well in the evening speech that night - desparately wanting him to do well - not for him, but for our country.

I lost faith in the weeks that followed, when he squandered the good will of the country, and ultimately started talking about Iraq.

[sampsonblk]

38. I never fell for Shrub

Not no way, not no how.

[LibertyorDeath]

39. Never thought he was anything other than.

[Leilani]

40. I still remember the 1st time I was aware of him

during the primaries, I saw him on C-Span.

I was amazed that such an inarticulate, idiot, was running for Prez.

And I am still amazed that he is Prez of this country.

9/11 never changed a thing.

[VOX]

41. When he broadsided John McCain in the 2000 GOP primaries...

This left no doubt as to the lengths that this guy, his family and his buddies would do to gain power.

The fact that Cheney was hovering in the background, and the rest of the recycled gang of thieves as well indicated early on that this guy was going to be trouble.

On the night of the contested 2000 election, my wife said to me, "If he (Bush) gets in, how long before he goes after Saddam?"

[fujiyama]

42. They started marketing

the invasion MUCH earlier than the fall of '02. It was done around spring of that year.

I feel like an ass because I actually did give him the benefit of the doubt immediately following 9/11 (admittedly my first reaction was, "Oh SHIT - This idiot is in charge of our country NOW?"). Granted, I still didn't believe he was legitimately elected because of what happened that day, but for about a month or so, I figured I'd take a wait and see approach to what he would do.

However, I woke up right when he was pushing through the PATRIOT Act. I knew something about the name itself didn't sound right.

By the time he gave his axis of evil speech, I realized he hadn't learned anything because of 9/11 and his reasoning and knowledge of world affairs was no better than earlier.

By the following spring, the US had already begun claiming victory in Afghanistan, and the administration began the marketing of the invasion. By then I liked him about as much as I had before 9/11, meaning, of course that I didn't.

As for when I first realized he was an ass -- the republican primary debates in the fall of '99. I thought, damn this guy is dumber than Dan Quale.

[Disturbed]

44. Son of a Bitch!

This shallow dolt sits there in a stupor then goes to a photo op, rides around in a plane for hours then goes to Ground Zero for his nexr photo op. This is a sociopath with the maturity level of a mean spirited 8 yr. old. That he is the Pres. of the most powerful nation on this planet is astounding and scary!

[robbedvoter]

45. Before the bunker hopping, the "WH evacuation" told me

that the rats had jumped the ship....If I thought I was angry after the stolen election, that day proved me ZI can be angrier still!

[Jazzgirl]

46. I knew when he was govenor of Texas.

I don't recall not knowing he was the same. I knew the rest of the country would suffer 10-fold what Texas did under him. He's about as useful as a dog turd.

[Cheswick2.0]

47. I am proud to be part of the 10 percent that never swayed from

the opinion that bush was a gigantic ass, liar, con man, illegitimate pResident and all around anti-christ.
I didn't give a single member of his administration any slack either.

[devinsgram]

48. My husband and I both shook

our heads that day and said after seeing a clip of * at the school that he knew that this was going to happen. You could see it in his face.

[patricia92243]

49. I never quit thinking that, so I didn't have to "realize" anything.

[LWolf]

50. other: Always knew it. And

knew on 9-11 he was manipulating the country for personal/political gain. What better way to overcome the selection than to present yourself as a "leader" protecting a fearful nation? What better opportunity to "unify" the nation behind your "leadership" is going to present itself? What better opportunity to keep opposition too fearful, or too loyal to "America," to effectively oppose you?

[peacefreak]

51. My opinion has never changed.

Everything he has ever done only confirms what I feel.

[dryan]

52. Bush

Bush should have asked the Inaguration Committee to have a very low-key inaguration. They acted like they won by a huge landslide! In fact, they've kept this attitude up since 2000 but that's another story. As soon as the president got the word that the planes had hit the WTC he should have insisted on returning to Washington instead of this endless nomadic trek across America.

[proud patriot]

54. Aprox.. 8-10 days after 9/11/2001

I flew to Hawaii on the 18th of Sept. and spent four days
ignoring the News entirely.

Getting on the plane for my Friends Wedding was a
life affirming , fear shedding healing experience
for me . I knew at the moment of Take-off that I
would never allow those that want me to live in fear
to control my life .

[troublemaker]

55. I never cut him slack on 9/11, but

the question's a bit turned around. It's not that I thought he was satan and eased up on 9/11 and then returned to that view.

I thought he was very, very bad. It wasn't until a little after 9/11 that he revealed himself to be lower than McCarthy, Father Coughlin and George Wallace rolled into one.

I already thought he was the worst president in at least a century, and a revolting anti-American movement conservative. But I didn't yet think of him as the Martin Sheen character in THE DEAD ZONE.

The point where I realized that we was *unambiguously* in the service of Satan was a few days after 9/11 when he said drilling in Alaska was an essential part of the war on terror. The bodies in New York were still steaming at the time!

[BurtWorm]

61. That's a very good point.

In my book, Bush sank below the shitline in the septic tank of history when he and his men stole the 2000 election, so he would have had to perform some miracles to get me to turn my view around enough to get his nose out of the brown.

[waywest]

58. I don't see it as a realization...

The fact never changed. The hopping and hiding on Sept. 11th proved it.

[Kinkistyle]

59. How about his performance with that China - Spyplane fiasco.

I knew we were in trouble when he had to deal with that. That was some of the worst statesmanship I had ever seen and I thought for sure that we would end up starting a new Cold War with China (I think Bush and his team were probably hoping for the same thing - until they lucked out and found a better boogeyman).

[THUNDER HANDS]

60. i didn't

I thought he was an ass before 911 and he took it to a whole 'nother level after 911.

He's not even an ass anymore. He's a hemmhroid wrapped in an anal fissure surrounded by a pus-laden infection.