The Most Inappropriate Bush War Smirk of 2007

Given 2008's inevitably ramped-up analysis of the Bush Legacy by the very serious traditional media, there's one aspect of the president which, staggeringly though not surprisingly, won't be covered. In fact, it's never been covered to my knowledge. The traditional media has never really challenged the president on his grotesquely inappropriate reactions to serious issues -- especially Iraq.

His uncomfortably ridiculous smirks and smiles illustrate his inadequacies as a leader: his fugacious attitude; his vacant stature; and, most strikingly, his apparent inability to grasp the reality of his decisions. It's all right there on the screen -- underlined by those tiny baby teeth.

So as a reminder to the traditional media, I'd like to present the Most Inappropriate Bush War Smirk of 2007. But first, some runners up.

The date: October 17, 2007
The place: The White House Press Briefing Room
The hilarious quote: "But this -- we got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding [grinning] World War III [end grinning], it seems like you [begin giggling] ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge [end giggling] necessary to make a nuclear weapon."

The date: April 3, 2007
The place: The White House Rose Garden
The hilarious quote: "That's precisely why I sent more troops into Baghdad."

The date: January 14, 2007
The place: 60 Minutes
The hilarious quote: "There's not enough troops on the ground right now to provide security for Iraq and that's why I made the decision I made."

And now, for the historical record, The Most Inappropriate Bush War Smirk of 2007:

The date: January 16, 2007
The place: PBS's NewsHour With Jim Lehrer
The hilarious quote: "If I didn't believe we could keep the egg from fully cracking, I wouldn't ask 21,000 kids -- additional kids to go into Iraq to reinforce those troops that are there."

Soon after this smirk, the president, as part of his euphemistically nicknamed New Way Forward, ordered an additional 21,000 soldiers into Iraq with the goal of providing military cover for a political solution to the civil war there.

During the intervening 11 months between the above smirk and today, 6,796 American soldiers were either killed or wounded under the president's hap-hap-happy command.

The political solution for which these soldiers gave their lives... never happened.

I don't know who he thinks he is or what he thinks he's grinning about, but for the Commander in Chief of the United States armed forces to smile and giggle while discussing warfare of any form or magnitude is an insult -- not just to the soldiers who followed his orders into battle, but also to basic decency and human morality. From his zany "those WMDs have to be around here somewhere" sketch to his shit-eating grin whilst comparing warfare to wacky-yet-delicious breakfast foods, this extends far beyond the necessary objective distance of a military leader and into the realms of madness.

This is the Bush Legacy, Traditional Media. Please consider this in the coming months. President Bush injected a psycho bomb into the Middle East without any real grasp of the consequences and, nearly five years into the conflict, is so affectless about these consequences as to smirk and laugh at it all.

Or maybe there's an hilarious joke in there somewhere and we're all just dumb about it.

--
Bob Cesca's Goddamn Awesome Blog! GO!

Comments

[newsweek1945]

AT LAST, A GROUP OF TRULY OBSERVANT COMMENTORS WITH WHOM I CAN NOW BELIEVE HAVE AT LEAST NOT FALLEN UNDER THE SPELL OF THE "WICKED MONKEY". THEY SEE HIM AS I'VE ALWAYS SEEN HIM, A VACUOUS, EMPTY-HEADED CHIMP, WITH AN EQUALLY EMPTY SOUL!!

[kamigyoclancy]

I live in Japan, without a TV, so all my U.S. news comes in print. I have seen Bush on TV in others' homes and it is interesting to note that the Japanese take on this man is that he seems to be enjoying himself. The weight of public affairs is not weighing him down, and a mild disbelief accompanies their thoughts on his re-election. I say mild because Japanese have little respect or trust in their own leaders. Americans have "caught up" with them by their disconnect with U.S. politicians they feel.

[gevan]

NEVAR FIRGET! During the Vietnam War G.W. was a volunteer in the battle of Alabama.

[mariadealbuquerque]

I've always ask myself how could you americans elected this man. When I look to his face I wonder if he can write or read, did he ever went to school? But even with his supid face, his complete ignorance, his lack of culture, his love for wars, you reelected him. How could this be possible?

[Honest George]

This post somehow should be framed.Might these expressions be titled Embolding the Enemy? What a loser this guy is.

[OneWoman]

Sometimes I wonder if it's organic, i.e. some sort of neurologic­al/develop­mental problem. His smirking/laughing at inappropriate times is reminiscent of Asperger's syndrome. I've read he carries a diagnosis of ADHD and has a learning disorder. Who knows...

Personally, I loathe his policies and I find him to be distasteful. But I really do think some of the behaviors he displays speak to a neurological disorder. (His narcissistic and/or sociopathic traits would be consistent with having something along the lines of Aspergers.)

[Donk]

"Ask not at whom the chimp smirks, because he smirks at you"

www.smirkingchimp.com

[Hollyse]

George Bush is a man without a face of his own. His face represents everyone else's faces, a composite of who we all are 24/7. Any group of people who can allow this to go on for as long as we have serves the composite ego's illness, not that of one man. Americans should decide if we drink the poison or give it to GW. At least one man finally put his fingers to the keyboard instead of foot to the pedal. More milage that way... Thanks Bob for a good article!

[realpolitic]

I loathe him. I really do.

[HypocrisyAlarm]

Do others here remember the smirk in the second debate (I think it was) with Al Gore when the topic was the death penalty? The soon-to-be national idiot was OVERJOYED that he had had a hand in the exectutions of all those people in Texas!! I strongly feel that even if one supports the death penalty one should respect the gravity and tragedy that an execution represents. It's utterly no laughing matter, certainly no cause for pride. It's like a kid laughing while pulling the legs off a grasshopper. I thought that once America had seen such a revelation of shameless inhumanity on his face, the miscreant's chances were history. America dissappointed me deeply. Those on TV who try to tell America what to think even claimed victory to the fool without even admitting that the standard was "against expectations" and that no one HAD any expectations of the birdbrain. America has blown it, and without a serious overhaul of the society and governing structure, I think she is doomed to decline.

[HearNoWeasel]

Thank you for this spot-on post.

His "inability to grasp the reality of his decisions."

Such as when he was asked which laws apply to military contractors in Iraq and he joked about how "convenient" it was that he wasn't in charge of knowing answers like that. The gravity of the topic was completely beyond him. He doesn't give a sh*t.

The man is such a disgrace as president that I can no longer listen to him. Too painful.

[neoconcriminals]

Its all so surreal.

You have a real appreciation for that actor in
"Invasion of the Body Snatchers".

Half of this country fell asleep next to a Bush pod and woke up lobotomized and stupid. And then tragically, stepped into a voting booth.

[RumiSouth]

The DSM-IV, standard reference for psychiatrists and psychologists, describes Antisocial Personality Disorder as:

"A personality disorder characterized by continuous and chronic antisocial behavior in which the rights of others or generally accepted social norms are violated; associated personality traits include impulsiveness, egocentricity, inability to tolerate boredom or frustration, irritability and aggressiveness, recklessness, disregard for truth, and inability to maintain consistent, responsible functioning at work, at school, or as a parent."

Is there a more fitting description of Bush?

SOCIOPATH

http://www.osborneink.com/sociopath-in-chief.htm

[researcher]

traditional media is corporate media and wars for profits enhances their profits.

america has become a country about profits not people.

the decline is on cannot be stopped.

bye bye middle class. check how the decline of the middle class and imperialism caused the decline of rome.

next up fascism.

congress is preparing the way for fascism.

anyone that votes demo or repub is part of the problem. both parties war mongers or imperialists.

military budget is for imperialism not for defense. both parties support existing military budget.

[bumpersticker]

What strikes you is that Bush is quantitatively different in behavior than anyone else in the room. It seems clinical; as if we just need the right name for it - Asbergers, Autism...something about cognitive handicap. It always strikes me that the people helping at the drive up window seem more in the world and connected than does GW Bush. That's terrifying.