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Monday, December 31, 2007

Bad Times and a New Year Dawns, as Our Delusional, Optimistic Leader, W, Tells Us What Made His Year Special....
Posted by Melina | 11:15 PM

The Media disconnect occurs somewhere between the New York Times lauding blogger Steve Gillard in this week's Sunday magazine, and inviting Bill Kristol to become a regular columnist. The paper hopes to stir up some controversy and sell some papers, not realizing that probably what will sell papers is some cold hard truth, rather than the words of a man who is wrong at every turn, with every prediction, and every comment; has he ever been right about anything?

Its been a lousy as hell year all around. Good riddance to 2007! I cant think of anyone who has had an easy go of it, not family or friends, not Paris Hilton or Anna Nicole...and especially not the brave military families and veterans who are serving so patiently and bravely in a war with no purpose and no end. New and old friends; even strangers tell me that its been bad. I don't know if they're referring to the overwhelming barrage of lies, deceit, and misconduct that we have been subjected to from our government, or if its the growing effect of that misconduct on our every day lives. Surely the failing economy, lack of healthcare, loss of lives in Iraq, and stress from the empathy that we cant help but feel for all of those who are worse off beyond our own situations, weighs heavily on us all...the depths of despair, the illness, the loss; the loss of feeling like being an American means something.

Well, it turns out that as the year ends and the ball drops, George W. Bush feels pretty damned good about things. According to an article in this pastSunday's Parade Magazine penned supposedly by the king himself, He has a list of things that made his year special, and his sneering, squint-eyed self glaring stupidly from the cover tells the story of how out of touch the man is. There is no downcast glance and teary statement of how we appreciate the sacrifice of our boys and girls in harm's way. There is not a thoughtful nod towards the people who have lost their homes to bad loans or medical crisis, or who no longer have jobs.
No, our president is an "optimist" who takes strength from the few, well screened people that he meets when he is on the very edge of his bubble, and can sort of see through the opaque mask that is the boundary of his understanding.

So sometime after the staff begins to take down the decorations at the White House,Laura and Dubya muse on the few people that they have been allowed to meet in person and how great and inspirational they were. The brave family of a soldier who gladly died for his country while on a mission in Afghanistan, an entrepreneur who has changed her life by opening a small bakery in Nashville, the director of the Human Genome Institute, who is especially special because he is a man of God, and so he wont mess with stem cells to try to cure anything (because the Human Genome will cure Cancer, you know!)....and the list goes on....an AIDS mother from South Africa (he touched her AIDS free child!)the wife of an imprisoned Cuban who was jailed for democracy in evil Cuba, and "other Americans" who have shown W and Laura that America is strong....despite what he has done to us.

There is no mention of the mess in Iraq and the mounting deaths every day. There is no mention of the lies and corruption in his party. No mention of our lost standing in the world and the scorching lack of diplomacy that has colored every move that this administration has made; we are irreparably damaged, and there is no way to tell if we can regain what we've lost in the past 7 years.

On the edge of the year in which we will kick these bums out of office, we know that we will likely do so without proper documentation on the books of their crimes. We will move ahead with the knowledge that the memory of moist Americans is so short, that this war will become the property of the next administration, as if they had started it and run our country into the ground from scratch.

He is optimistic? Optimistic?
What a word to throw around in light of all that's happened this year.

The comments following the online version of the story say it all. There is really nothing I can add to the voices of real Americans, commenting in this Sunday newspaper magazine that is distributed inside national and local papers across the country. Does this magazine have a political side? If anything, Ive viewed it as a Good Housekeeping-ish conservative fluff rag. I'm not sure; judge for yourself. All I can see out here in the world is that the American people are speaking up, and they don't much like the way things have been going :


George W Bush
By Johnnyjoeymickey@aol.com on 12/31/2007 8:57:PM

When I Saw Bush war criminal on the cover of Parade, I cried, I really cried. I cant believe you put a picture of the devil himself on your magazine. Shame on you!!!! Shame on you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Abominable Cover of the Monster-in-Chief
By tumerica@gmail.com on 12/31/2007 4:45:PM

Place a murderer--an actual monster--on your cover. Let him drone on about his "optimism," show complete disregard for your readership . . . do all of these things, and what do you expect you will achieve? Will it buy you a coveted place in the regard of this person's last few months in office? Will it endear Parade to future readers? I felt a visceral and real nausea when I saw whom you had placed on your cover. In return, I have no respect left for Parade and will hereby boycott reading your publication. May many other Americans follow suit.
George Bush gave me a Nightmare and I got sick!
By Leomoon80@msn.com on 12/31/2007 2:18:PM

I've read a few of the other comments, such as "He should have talked about his Accomplishments",and I understand why he did not. What he has accomplished has being responsible for the deaths of thousands and thousands of people, invading a country that was NO threat to us, as not one Iraqi attacked us on 9-11. Running our country into virtual bankruptcy, bringing the dollar to the lowest value ever in the world. But I can see the Smile from ear to ear, as he and his fellow rich friends and family continue to reap thanks to his laws, "Record Profits" from the suffering of others. Sad indeed! The only picture in the future I'd like to see of G.W. Bush, is one behind bars.
Worse Cover
By Wathen on 12/31/2007 2:02:PM

It is easy to be an optimist if you have health insurance and your children have health insurance. Is Bush smiling because he is thinking of all the children that have and will die because spending billions in Iraq is a higher priority than saving the lives of children in the U.S. by providing health insurance? Or is he smirking because of the suffering he has caused by not providing all the help he can on stem cell research? He has destroyed any legacy that his father may have had and he certainly has done nothing that his twins can be proud of. What a sad evil person we have for a "president".
You who voted twice for this thing
By mark223@hotmail.com on 12/31/2007 11:37:AM

hell yes i'm a voter... as for you you **** head i bet i can describe you to the "t"... your a male and your race is white, you been divoce maybe more than once you always have to have the last saying (because your mr. perfect). people talk behind your back and you know it. you are surely are not like. and because of you whom vote for bush you made the republican party history... hurrah!!!
What Made My Year Special
By leighpc@hotmail.com on 12/31/2007 9:43:AM

Seeing George Bush smiling on the cover of Parade Magazine yesterday and seeing the words "What Made My Year Special" made me physically ill. Does this man have no heart or soul? How can someone who has brought so much death and misery to the innocent civilians of Iraq and Afghanistan sleep at night, let alone smile placidly for the camera? All I can say is "Praise God" that 2008 will be the last year this small, terrible man will be in a position to inflict his evil policies on our nation and the world.
Ongoing
By sambrown.6@gmail.com on 12/31/2007 2:23:AM

With every word Bush "writes" and every word he says, the words maintain the obvious that he sees the world in black and white and uses religion as a front for his lack of imagination, intelligence, and reality. I have lived through many presidential era's and even talked with some Presidents. Never have I seen someone who so lacked the capability to be a President. I have been disgusted by Presidents only twice in my life and both have existed in the last 16 years.
Bush is a human rights violator.
By shildahl@gmail.com on 12/30/2007 9:00:PM

As a VN vet, I am critical of you featuring the Bush war criminal on your cover. Keep in mind that he, and Cheney, Rove, and Rice are all folks who have no clue about "service" to their country's military. Rumsfeld did serve, but left when the VN war was heating up. Shame on Parade Magazine! Let's send them all to the World Court.


With 1 or 2 out of 21 comments being pro-Bush, for no real reason besides that he is The Decider, the captions cry out...its really quite unbelievable:

Bush's' "Special Year".
Very disappointing.
Too Sick to Read On.
what were you thinking?
Could'nt get Al Gore to do your cover?
Unreal.
Are You Kidding Me?



But my favorite comment of them all and one that represents my feelings exactly:

By odziana@charter.net on 12/30/2007 2:32:PM

This man has lead by fear and lies and you ask him anything. He is as deep as a toenail. Our countries greatest assets are our deversity and open heartedness. He represents none of that. Why not ask a mass murderer what made his year special, at least they would have health care and meals. something this president does not seem to even know we need. Well when you never have to touch the middle class, nor care to, I guess you can be optimistic. If he really , really cared about us, he would let go of his stubborness (fear) and stop killing us in oh so many ways. Verta Odziana, michigan


An interesting addendum to the Parade issue is that Parade's upcoming issue was supposed to contain the last interview of Benazir Bhutto that had been scheduled to be released on the first Sunday in January. It was written by Gail Sheehy, who traveled to Pakistan and followed Bhutto as she campaigned across the country, interviewing her twice at her residence. In light of Bhutto's assassination, Parade has published the piece online this weekend.
I will be interested to see if she still appears on the cover next weekend.

c/p RIPCoco

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6 Comments:
Your post was accurate. As we give the calendar another flip, it will be up to us to clean the stench of Fundamentalism and Bush out of the nose of America. Good writing, and Happy Hew Year!!
1/1/08, 4:22 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
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1/1/08, 4:39 AM  
Blogger merlallen said...
Remember, 2001 was a fabulous year for him and Laura.
1/1/08, 6:27 AM  
Blogger Distributorcap said...
The Fabulous and Glorious Life of George W. Bush -- all in living color ----

according to an article in this past Sunday's Parade Magazine penned supposedly by the king himself,

that was the bestest line --- i thought there was a law that mass murderers arent supposed to profit from their crime

oh i forgot, Chimpy doesnt follow any laws, he signing statements them away -- hence him 'penning' that article

may you, your friends, your family, and readers have a wonderful, peaceful and better new year. 2007 was tough for all of us in many ways --- 2008 also looks tough --

but may the entire bush clan be eternally miserable.
1/1/08, 6:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Please!
Is there ANY organization, NGO, government, ANYTHING -- the UN, the World Court, the International Court of Justice, the government of France [we DID set a precedent by invading Panama to "arrest" Noriega for drug crimes! Surely 'war crimes' would qualify!], England, Iraq, Canada -- that can arrest and try [convict!?] W and his bunch.

Admittedly, CONGRESS is SUPPOSED to do that, but we know absolutely that they are in W's pocket and have no clue..
1/1/08, 11:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
“…His sneering, squint-eyed self glaring stupidly” – I feel that you are going overboard here and should keep in mind that any ventriloquist act is going to have certain limitations.
1/2/08, 11:42 AM  
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