The political postscript to all the hugs, kisses, personal Oval Office desk drawer notes and backslaps between POTUS 43 and POTUS 44 isn't exactly a warm, Pete Seeger, sing-along scene.
I went to high school with Pete's Daughter, Mika; he was a great icon and true believer in harmony back then and still is, at a spry 90, leading a million-plus citizens in song last Sunday in DC.
But partisans from former and current administrations are striking a very different tone. The smell of fresh upholstery hasn't even worn off the new, improved White House website yet and already there's been ugly griping, whining, dissing, and rancor that almost makes the Caroline Kennedy whack-a-mole rumor fiasco seem tame.
On the not-Air Force One plane ride back to Texas Jan. 20th, some loyal George W. Bush aides cut loose over the clear smack Mr. Obama took at his predecessor throughout the inaugural speech.
"There were a few sharp elbows that really rankled and...(the incoming Prez was) not as magnanimous as the occasion called for," said whip smart down-home Texas W gal Karen Hughes, throwing her own elbow.
President Obama "really missed an opportunity to be as big as the occasion." But she was just winding up. Some parts of the speech, she went on to say, were "fundamentally unfair and dishonest."Mr. Bush's chief White House speechwriter said, "It was an ungracious inaugural."
It was, as the political writers say when they dip into their cliche drawer, a bare-knuckle inaugural address, no doubt about it. Mr. Obama's Doberman, Rahm Emanuel, no stranger to unpadded fists himself, responded that his boss was just "turning the page." Then he threw this hard left: "If they (the Bush folks) didn't know that was the judgment of people, then their subscription to the newspapers was canceled over the last three years."
Ouch. That shot landed squarely on Hughes et al and also kinda glanced off those of us at newspapers, where canceled subscriptions is a sore subject these days. Couldn't he have said "their Blackberrys were turned off"? They surely had them.
On this one, I'm standing, booted and bow-legged, with the Crawford cabal. They're out, gone. They get to complain at their leisure -- and without serious consequence -- because leisure is where the departed president is now living. Their beefing about Mr. Obama doesn't cost anyone, really. Criticism of the inaugural speech isn't going to bring back Dick Cheney or Don Rumsfeld, no matter how hard they pick that nit.
So Mr. Obama's supporters, both paid and unpaid, should leave it alone.
At the same time, kicking Mr. Bush now won't have any real effect, either. Unlike Richard Nixon, who it turned out we DID have to kick around after his failed gubernatorial bid in 1962, the former President isn't likely to come back into the public spotlight; he never looked like he craved it the way some of his predecessors have and he doesn't seem like he wants to try for a senior statesman-style comeback or the million dollar speaking tours. Even his hey!-I-was-the-smart-one/ supposed-to-succeed-dad brother, Jeb, decided not to run for the Florida Senate.
And the senior Mr. Bush looked a little frail at the ceremonies this week.
The Bush dynasty is probably done. Let it go. And, by the way, G.W. himself really was nothing but gracious to the new president in his last weeks in office; his glowing comments about the historical moment or Mr. Obama's daughters, seemed genuine and heartfelt.
Brawling over speeches, like the infamous but still unclear vandalism scandal that blew up when Mr. Bush took over from Bill Clinton (remember the alleged "missing w's" on White House keyboards?) isn't worth the trouble. Obama officials have more important things to do.
The bone of Mr. Bush's legacy will be gnawed over by the dogs of history and eventually there'll be a judgment.
But until then, people in their new positions of responsibility should just let the contrails of the plane ride to Texas dissipate.
Have you volunteered to help Bush write His Book and His Legacy?
To quote someone else... "methinks you doth protest to much"
Your Quote..: ."And, by the way, G.W. himself really was nothing but gracious to the new president in his last weeks in office"
Do you read other papers as well..? Maybe the one story where Bush made up the 'fictional' previously scheduled guest to stay at Blair House for O N E night to cover His A zz. (120 Rooms for only 1 guest) So gracious for Laura to go along with the Scam as well.
I guess You are right... He ' graciously ' told them... S O R R Y...move along.
Is that His form of Texas Hospitality..?
In hindsight, Reagan used Nixon's precedent of an imperial presidency to conduct illegal (or at least extra-constitutional) operations in Nicaragua despite Congressional prohibitions upon them. Dick Cheney learned all the wrong lessons from Watergate--i.e., it's not a mistake to create an imperial presidency and ignore the Constitution, you just have to do it with more stealth and more force.
So I ask you--what other than prosecutions and/or impeachments after leaving office do you folks who want no further "shots" at Bush suggest we do to make sure that no future President declares that we can ignore the Geneva conventions and commit torture at will? that no future President makes dozens of signing statements alleging that the law of the land is not the law of the land when the President feels like saying it isn't? that all future Presidents understand that they cannot get away with ignoring the law but will face penalties of some sort because nobody is above the law in a real democracy? Or do you folks just want to leave us wide open in the future to another President who will treat the Constitution like a floormat or worse?
We cant let it rest...........Lest we forget. I will continue to stay on the Palin scam as an underhanded ploy to get votes at the possible peril of us all. It was a disgrace and on the verge of a treasonous act. Imagine the possible outcome............for the sake of votes
We should all be accountable for our actions
Tell me - is ignorance bliss? Wake up and do your research.
I just went to see FROST/NIXON and it is amazing the similarities between Nixon & Bush. At least Bush wasn't pardoned, hopefully we CAN prosecute him and his cronies so this kind of thing doesn't keep happening - since we were kept from learning from THAT mistake we repeated it. NO ONE is above the law!
You're right. Pardoning Nixon led directly to Bush, resulting in the Iraq debacle and economic meltdown. If Bush and company are not held accountable, some new generation not far down the road will suffer for our negligence. They're already going to suffer enough from having to pay the Bush deficits, including the ones Obama's forced to run trying to clean up Bush's mess.
Let the trials begin.
Sorry, no.
While I do feel that we do need to continue to move *forward,* we do need to take time to remind ourselves what a disgrace president #43 was and is. As everyone else said, he disgraced our country, shred our most sacred document after having sworn to protect it, and literally robbed our national purse.
No, we don't need to be sore winners. No, we don't need to make snide remarks. While I would hope that we forgive, we don't need to forget. There is this thing called justice. And this old addage, you reap what you sow. That man sowed a lot of bad seeds, and now those vines are reaching up and strangling him.
We need to remember so we don't repeat.
The ONLY reason boos did not reach a crescendo was out of respect for President Obama on our day. No one deserves longer and louder than the ex pResident...
He also can be direct when the occasion calls for it.
I admire both qualities.