For Bush, a Light Moment on a Painful Topic

[kysrsoze]

OK, this is TOO funny. Wanted to post this in breaking news, but there is too much material. Enjoy....


http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/politics/11BBOX.html

GREER, S.C., Nov. 10 — President Bush rarely refers to one of the unhappier chapters in his life, the compulsive drinking that led him to give up alcohol altogether 17 years ago.

But on Monday, at the BMW auto manufacturing plant near here, he could not resist mentioning it, for the second time in two weeks.

Mr. Bush, making a stop before a campaign event that raised $1.5 million, was speaking with Steve Thies, the president and chief executive of the Spartanburg Steel Products Inc., a privately held manufacturer that provides much of the steel used in the two car models that BMW produces here. His company also has a side business, Mr. Thies noted, making beer kegs.

"We're the only American beer keg manufacturer in North America," he boasted to the president, in front of a few hundred employees of BMW and Spartanburg Steel.

"I quit drinking in '86," Mr. Bush shot back, to laughter.

Then looking out over the audience of workers and reporters, he said, "I bet some of the people out here use the product. I'm not going to point out which ones."

Mr. Thies could not resist a quick one-liner. "Well," he told the president, "we did notice a dip in demand at that point in time." After an initial gasp, the crowd roared. "But probably no relationship," Mr. Thies added.

[jumptheshadow]

1. It's interesting that he's talking about the subject

Especially at a time when Don Imus and the Democratic Internet boards are speculating about whether he is off the wagon.

[corarose]

2. Imus "The Drunken Skull"

If you threw a match on Imus it would cause an explosion.

He went off on his boy Bush that's a change. He is usually falling all over himself to support him.

[elperromagico]

5. I caught Desiccated In The Morning a few days ago

There was some news report about Bush hoping to raise $170,000,000 for the upcoming campaign. Imus said something like, "Maybe if he went to a few soldiers' funerals and spent some more time fixing this mess in Iraq, he might not have to spend so much trying to get re-elected." It surprised me; Imus has been kissing Bush's ass regularly for years.

[Terwilliger]

3. 'painful' my ass

if it was so painful, he wouldn't have made a joke about it

Bush is a drunk.

[dsc]

4. I don't defend Bush much

but clearly you haven't known many recovering alchys. Some of the best jokes I hear are during leads and most of those are about dumb ass things we have done while drinking. He may well be off the wagon but this isn't the reason I think that.

[Terwilliger]

7. well, since my mom didn't make jokes about her alcoholism

before she died, I assumed that drunks wouldn't want to joke about their being out-of-control

[dsc]

8. I am sorry about your mom

If she died of alcoholism though I think that might explain why she didn't joke. It is miserable living that life but we do have to keep that life in perspective and sometimes that means laughing at it.

[Terwilliger]

11. she died of complications from her alcoholism

she had been dry for 10 years

[dsc]

13. That is very sad

I am very sorry. I know that could well be me if I decide to go back out. I have already gone to a decent number of funerals in sobriety of people that I met in AA. I hate doing that.

[elperromagico]

6. Our Lovable Non-Alcoholic Alcoholic President

"Well," he told the president, "we did notice a dip in demand at that point in time."

Translated into Beavis-speak: "Heh heh, you drank a lot."

[DrFunkenstein]

9. And Yet Cocaine Profits Have Held Steady - Hmmmm

But despite significant media attention this week, the only government official to touch upon the disconnect between the drug use of political leaders and the punitive drug policies that they often espouse was Sen. John Kerry.

On Monday, Kerry was asked by reporters to explain why he thought that questions surrounding George Bush regarding whether or not he had used cocaine were more substantively relevant than Gore's use of marijuana. Kerry, noting that Al Gore had already admitted his use of marijuana, said:

"(H)e (Gore) said 'I used it.' So that's not an issue... And I don't think Al Gore intends, you know, to make prior use an issue of other people, except to the degree that it affects public policy."

Pressed later on the question of the Bush cocaine rumors, Kerry laid out his thinking on why Bush's drug use, if substantiated, is indeed an important issue for voters to consider:

"The issue about George Bush is not the fact that he may have used it, said Kerry. "The issue about George Bush is, how can you, if you have (used cocaine), have a position that is so at odds in terms of being a governor where you send a lot of other people who may have done the same thing you do to jail. That's the issue. It's not a question of whether he used it or when he used it, it's a question of what his policy is today and whether that's hypocritical and dangerous."

http://www.stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/123/gorequestions.shtml

On "Fox News Sunday," John Kerry claimed Gore was better than Bush because he admitted use, and better than Clinton because he didn't claim he only used it once and didn't inhale. Then he turned around and said Bush's rumored drug use should be the only issue since he supported tough drug laws.

http://www.mediaresearch.org/BozellColumns/newscolumn/2000/col20000203.asp

[dsc]

10. actually

This is one of the few things I agreed with Bush on. I think all candidates should tell the press to drop dead on these did you use drug inquiries.

[elperromagico]

12. Right

It should only matter if they are currently using, or if their prior use has adversely affected their ability to perform the duties of office.

Marijuana use has become a badge of honor of sorts for Presidential candidates. I don't like Joe Lieberman, but I think it's ridiculous that he should feel "ashamed" about never using it.

However... if I should ever run for President, let me make this perfectly clear: Yes, I have used marijuana, and yes, I have enjoyed it. :P

[MSchreader]

14. "Well, we did notice a dip in demand at that point in time."

BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Great comeback!

Martin