Letters to the Editor
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Did he kick any puppies on the way off the podium?
Did he pull away an old lady's walker just as the tried to grab it? I suppose no one on Salon has ever had words come out the wrong way before. I don't really give a crap about the Pres, and I wish he would resign, but your demonization of everything he does, up to what he probably eats for breakfast (are his corn flakes made by a non-union company? Probably!), is getting old. Pick your battles.
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I don't know how you do it...
I admire you for being able to even follow and report on W's nonsense week after week, year after year. I seriously don't know how you can stomach anymore of his antics and attitude. I can only take a dosage of him about once every 3-4 weeks now. You'd be more than forgiven if you carried a barf bag with you as part of your work materials, along with laptop, etc.
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Much Ado About Nothing
Like, I hate the Prez as much as the next guy, but the girl herself said she was crying because she's shy and she was nervous, not because of what he said.
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This is not just a botched joke.
It's an issue larger than "words came out wrong".
We're told from day 1 that we have the right in this country to question our government. Address grievances to our government. This President and his administration have never been too concerned with hiding their contempt and disdain for questions and criticism from the people.
This girl wanted to ask the Leader of the Free World a question, and in doing so celebrate one of the benefits of living in the United States. And he responded like a petulant child, younger than his questioner. This girl may have had aspirations to be a leader, and now this. I'm not saying that George Bush wrecked her self-esteem, but 13 is a formative year, and if this incident has caused this girl (or anyone else) to think twice before standing up to ask a question, then George Bush should be held to account for it. It's part of a pattern, Anonymous, and it's the true face of the Bush Administration. The rest is an act. This contempt, arrogant contempt of the people is their modus operandi.
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Pick Your Battles
Habeas Corpus. Torture. Fiscal Insanity. Department of Justice turned into political machine. Iraq War. Outing of CIA Agent and then Libby pardon for lying about it.
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A Small Incident, but Telling
I agree that his sarcastic snarl at a teenage girl is small, but it shows how great the gap is between reality and the "conventional wisdom" of the Washington press corps.
The "guy you'd like to have a beer with" line never had any basis in fact. Hey, I've met that type of guy in many a bar while I was sampling liquid bread -- the guy who picks an argument with you over the way you look, or who you're talking to, who ratchets up the sneering if you ignore him.
But the ad men came up with the line, and the Washington stenographers ran with it, and having run with it, they don't know what else to say.
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Charisma, and lack thereof
Presidential candidates kiss babies, don't they? It's that whole "charisma" thing, where you show yourself as this person the people can love and trust. Even though we are a nation of laws and not men, the President is supposed to represent us to the world. And also, as was pointed out, you should be able to take the President to task about anything and everything, regardless of what you are.
Bush always shows disdain towards those who question him. He is the Decider, dammit, and any questioning (let alone criticism) is tantamount to treason. But this also shows his disconnect with the audience and, by proxie, his people. If the girl cried because she was nervous, then her nervousness was obvious and he should've been paying attention. Whatever happened to being nice to kids? Especially kids who are brave enough to ask the President a tough, maybe even adversarial question. Instead, he acts like a dickwad.
Yes, he's done worse things. Yes, it may seem as a minor incident: after all, nobody died. But this is like Mr. Burns taking candy from a baby after he's nearly destroyed Springfield. It is the last straw. Face it, Nation, we hate this guy. He's an asshole. Unfortunately, when assholes are elected President, they destroy their nation. This is a symptom of the worse things.
2008 can't come fast enough.
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Chimpy
Don't get me wrong, I loath the current resident but making a 13 year old girl cry is no challenge. I raised 4 children 3 of which were girls. They would cry at the drop of a hat. If a boy they liked didn't say hello in the hall they would spend half the night crying hysterically in their bedroom.
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What pissed him off is that . . .
he called on her because he expected a soft ball question. She did not give him one. Good for her. He snapped at her the way he habitually snaps at people from whom he must suffer hard questioning. Bad for him.
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oh geez
At least Bush didn't try to physically pick up the girl, the way he did with the winner of the Kentucky Derby this year.
Things could always be worse.
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The Thirteen-Year-Old Girl Isn't the Only One Crying...
Bush has been revealed as unraveled for some time now. He can't handle the pressure of being president and it shows. He can't claim a single victory other than managing to get the office and stay in it. That's it.
I'm so sick of this clown and the gaggle of morons with whom he has surrounded himself. The Bush team isn't our best and brightest - not by a long shot. And maybe that's their biggest crime, the fact that they're so utterly stupid.
There is something almost Shakespearean about LBJ's decline and Nixon's resignation. But somehow, this priviledged brat has allowed himself to be managed into a position representing the worst of the Johnson and Nixon administrations. Who could have imagined that anyone would aspire to such dismal depths? Rove? Cheney? Wow - there's real vision. Nothing Shakespearean about Bush - he's a boob.
Villify these flacid fools for not being smart enough, savvy enough, or charming enough to accomplish a single thing other than keeping secrets and getting us involved in a war with no plan. No f@%*ing plan.
As far as picking on a 13-year-old girl - somebody told him to pick on somebody his own size so he did.