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Tag: Laura Bush

Personal Political

Personal Political

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Warning. This is an uncharacteristic post. I feel the need to write about something that has been haunting my thoughts since yesterday. It’s about a quick clip I saw on the news. I don’t even remember what they were talking about.

George W. Bush and Laura Bush are walking toward a helicopter. The camera’s view is from the back and to the side, so that the view is a three-quarter view from the back – you can sort of see their profiles. They walk side by side. There is a man in uniform standing at salute next to the helicopter door.

At the time, I commented to John that it sure was a weird, half-hearted, wavy little semi-salute gesture that Bush gave to the man as he started to enter the helicopter. That was all.

But ever since, the image of the two of them walking to the helicopter keeps coming to my mind.

His posture was odd, twisted to the side in a very subtle way. Although they walked side by side, I had the distinct impression that Laura was sheparding him.

When this image comes into my mind, I am overwhelmed with pity. I feel as though I want to cry, as though I want to hug them both and help to heal them somehow.

Yeah. I know. It’s bizarre. I am opposed to almost everything Bush has done. I don’t even like them. I don’t quite think they are of the same level of horribleness as say, Cheney and Gonzales and those oil executives who wouldn’t testify under oath, but they are in the same general kind of category – people for whom other people don’t matter very much.

Looking at these two people, I wonder if they fully realize what has happened to our country. He thinks he’s a strong leader, but he’s been played. He wanted to be a compassionate conservative, but his administration is just the opposite of both – it’s cruel and radically opposed to American values. Do they know? Do they understand? Could it really, truly be intentional? Or is he just in over his head?

Suddenly I felt the tragic dimension of it. He should never have become the President of the United States.

Yes, I blame him. It’s his responsibility. Still, I think of Judas hanging from the tree, and I always thought that the best Christian would be one who prayed for his soul.

I don’t know why this little clip affected me this way. Maybe because he wasn’t speaking. He just looked like an overgrown depressed kid. Is it possible that he could find something inside – that he could turn around? – or is it far too late for that?

Or maybe he knows something we don’t know?

Where does this pity come from? Why now? It makes no sense to me.

Laura Bush – Corinna Corinna

Laura Bush – Corinna Corinna

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Laura Bush (and again, what drugs do they have her on?) referred to the hurricane Katrina as “Corinna” twice.

Laura Bush - Hurricane Corinna Corinna

It wouldn’t bother me so much except that:

1) It occurred to me that it was a Freudian slip. Whoopi Goldberg may be the only black person that Laura can think of, and she is assocated with a killer hurricane? What does that imply? Some sort of “they brought it on themselves” idea? Or should we look at the movie itself, a low-key romantic comedy, for the answers? I’d love to hear Whoopi’s opinion on this – she could write a whole routine on this one.

2) When the transcript was put on the web, they corrected her words. Hey, I listened to the clip on Randi Rhodes. She said “Corinna” – twice!

3) The other Bush woman, the mighty Barbara, had also made a very revealing statement: “What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality,” she said in a radio interview from the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. “And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this — this is working very well for them,” she said – with a laugh. (Crooks and Liars has the audio)

It reminded me of Barbara’s comments before the invastion of Iraq, when she indicated her lack of interest in the potential death toll. “Why should we hear about body bags, and deaths, and how many, what day it’s gonna happen, and how many this or what do you suppose? It’s not relevant. So, why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?”

Beautiful, beautiful minds there. Sigh. I have a pile of stuff here about FEMA and photo op fakery and some amazingly repulsive quotations, but it looks like it’s all being covered elsewhere in the blogosphere and even on some of the news – so I think I’ll skip it for today.

This afternoon, we’re doing to my nephew’s first year birthday bash. Ben picked out a great present, and we’re going to try to appreciate what we have. It’s a beautiful day in Atlanta – crisp early fall – my favorite time of the year. I’m about to turn off the computer.

After that, I will be requesting that Benevolent Deities, Inc. deliver love and necessities and all-over healing to everyone who is hurting. I’m sure they can do a better job than the government of the USA. Oh – there was a memo – it seems that Big God (of which none greater can be thought) is getting a bit…. I believe the word might be….”miffed.”