Bush: "Liberating" To Be Out Of Office, Picking Up Dog Poop

ARTESIA, N.M. — It was a humbling moment for the former commander in chief: President George W. Bush was walking former first dog Barney in his new Dallas neighborhood when it stopped in a neighbor's yard for relief.

"And there I was, former president of the United States of America, with a plastic bag on my hand," he told a group of graduating high school students in New Mexico on Thursday. "Life is returning back to normal."

Bush, in one of his few public appearances since leaving office in January, told the students that leaving office lifted a heavy burden.

"I no longer feel that great sense of responsibility that I had when I was in the Oval Office. And frankly, it's a liberating feeling," he told seniors from Artesia High School.

He received a warm welcome in the southeastern New Mexico community, the Roswell Daily Record reported. Bush declined interviews and no video cameras were allowed inside.

The crowd gave him multiple standing ovations and after his speech he was presented with a sculpture of an eagle taking flight from a torch. The sculpture will be dedicated at City Hall on Memorial Day in honor of Bush and America's veterans.

Bush invoked an Iraq veteran's story to motivate the students to continue their educations. He described visiting Army Staff Sgt. Christian Bagge, a soldier from Oregon who lost both legs in combat.

When he visited Bagge at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Bush told him that someday Bagge would get out of his bed and run.

Then, one day, an aide went into Bush's office and said Bagge was waiting on the South Lawn and wanted to go running with the president.

If Bagge could do that, Bush told the students: "You can go to college."

Bush said he hoped President Barack Obama's administration would be successful. He also said he was writing a book about some of the difficult decisions he made while in office.

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Information from: Roswell Daily Record, http://www.roswell-record.com

Comments

[levibatgirl]

Before leaving the house with Barney, he read 'Scooping Po op for Dummies'.

[dcarn2]

Haha I'm surprised he was allowed to give a commencement speech to high schoolers. I thought he was only qualified for junior high commencement speeches.

[Counterpunch]

Now we know what George has for lunch.

[WindySailor]

Glad to learn George has found a task for which he is intellectually qualified.

[Colmore]

Too bad nobody pointed out that if his administration had never invaded Iraq, that soldier and many others would still have all their parts. Many others would still be alive, and the Iraqui people would not be faced with the tragedy that their country has become. I am sure that the Secret Service assigned to watch Georgie will be shocked to learn that HE picked up dog poop. Isn't that one of their duties? He is expert at leaving messes for others to clean up.

[Bigidea]

He finally found his vocation

[NewArtz]

Is the statue presented to him representing America barely escaping from the consuming fire of his Presidency?

[PuppaX]

As opposed to leaving it everywhere?

[Budokan]

Why isn't this criminal in jail?

Oh, right, Democrats are too gutless to prosecute. Sorry. For a while there I thought I belonged to a party that had some backbone....

Silly me.

[Joeblue]

Do you think the war crime trials are going to happen overnight?

[Whinger]

It would far better if G. W. would place the plastic bag over his head and tie it off at the bottom!

[zizizzi]

Love it!

[walleymr]

liberate: set (someone) free from a situation, esp. imprisonment or slavery, in which their liberty is severely restricted.

yes, that's you

[kustom]

OK, he probably screwed that job up too.

[Humanistpuppy]

If only W would curb Dick Cheney, because Dick is putting out an awful lot these days...(and for the past 8 years come to think of it...just in secret back then)

[dagdavid]

And America is stuck cleaning up 8 years worth of Bush's droppings

[Kerra52]

Please read previous comments before you make another '"We/Obama are picking up the poop now" joke.

[nowRnever]

"Please read previous comments before you make another '"We/Obama are picking up the poop now" joke."

Why? Posters should be able to say what they want to say, regardless of whether or not someone else may have already said it.

[Grunty1]

There will be endless repeats of that one, for two reasons

1) Great minds think alike
2) Sometimes, the jokes just write themselves.