Calling on Bush to Take American Farewell Tour

Earlier this week, President Bush returned from his European trip known as his 'farewell tour,' where he attempted to describe poor relations between America and the European community as good, and the last several years as just one big misunderstanding. After saying goodbye to Europe, the president should get back on Air Force One and take an American farewell tour and try telling Americans it's all been one big misunderstanding as well. A few suggested stops include:

Treasury Department, Washington, DC

Visit the Treasury Department and learn more about the $236 billion annual surplus you turned into a $410 billion deficit this year. Ask how we managed to accrue $3 trillion in new debt.

Niles, Ohio

Drive past the Amweld Building Products factory, then meet with the workers who lost their jobs when the factory closed. When you took office, the unemployment rate in Ohio was 4 percent. Today, it's 5.6 percent and workers who still have jobs have seen the cost of basic goods and services rise, while median family income has fallen by nearly $1,000. This would also be a good time to explain why you now oppose extending unemployment benefits.

Any Gas Station in California

Fill up at any gas station in the Golden State, home of the most expensive gasoline in the country. The average price per gallon of gas in California is $4.60. Californians were paying an average of $1.58 per gallon when you took office in 2001 and the recent increases have been a surprise to you. When told about the prospect of $4 per gallon gasoline, you said "Oh, yeah? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that."

Veterans Hospitals Across the Country

Thank our veterans and explain why you originally opposed a new GI bill for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Visit New Orleans and meet with residents who are still waiting for the Bush administration to keep its promises to the people of the Gulf Coast. Make sure to mention your opposition to funding that would reduce the homelessness, which has doubled in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

Track Down Sammy Sosa

When you were asked to name your biggest mistake you once said "I signed off on that wonderful transaction -- Sammy Sosa for Harold Baines. "After the war in Iraq, the economic slump and gas prices hitting record highs, it is probably time to call or visit Mr. Sosa and admit that trading him when you owned the Texas Rangers probably wasn't the biggest mistake you've ever made.

Swedish Covenant Hospital, Chicago Illinois

A trip to the emergency room at Swedish Covenant would allow you to meet some of the millions of Americans who can't afford health insurance and others who have seen their family premiums nearly double. Remind everyone of your old comment: "people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room."

Advise Sixth Graders on Revising Reports

Drop by a sixth grade class and teach them about how to alter reports when the facts aren't to their liking. Point to White House efforts to pressure scientists to remove references to 'climate change' and 'global warming' from a range of documents and the installation of an oil-industry partisan at the White House Council on Environmental Quality who worked to downplay links between emissions and global warming.

College Campuses Across the Country

Stop by any college campus and see the students struggling to afford the skyrocketing cost of college -- tuition costs have increased 75 percent since you took office. On graduation day, the average student will leave college with a diploma and anywhere from $14,000 to $17,000 in debt. Don't forget to say hello to the students just outside the gates who want to attend but can't afford to.

Scott McClellan's House

Check in with your old press secretary and see if he has any summer reading suggestions.

John McCain's Office

Check in with your favorite Senator and formally pass the torch to the man who wants to continue your legacy.

At the end of this tour, the American people will be sure to realize that their opinion of President Bush's time in office is not the result just another misunderstanding. President Bush's legacy speaks loud and clear.

Comments

[veracity]

That's an awesome (awful!) recitation of the impact President Bush has had on America, Rep. Emanuel.
Why can't Speaker Pelosi bring up these points, and FORCE the media to cover them? Each and every day, _FORCING_ the media to highlight these points as you just have?

Every 2 or four years Democratic voters pony up tens of milions of dollars for Democratic candidates to oppose the Right-Wing narrative, but to get our best talking points in one page, and at full force.... we have to go visit HuffingtonPost.com???

For a text-book example of how the "major media" diverts, distracts from, and whitewashes these and 1,000 other issues, watch _Righty_ radio host Michael Smerconish (of Phila.) tell Chrism Mathews that "the Bush administration has a lot of nerve saying we're the tough-guys on national defense, when Osama bin Laden and Zarkawi are still on the lam"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqObdWSv5lg

(To be specific, as soon as "liberal" radio host Ed Schultz agrees with Smerconish, that the Bush administration has botched the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mathews starts talking about.... flag pins, Bush's "stand on rubble of 9-11 moment", and that Mathews didn't think that Bush manipulated intel to make the case for invading Iraq.)

[veracity]

Oops! Wrong link: Here is Chris Mathews talking over Michael Smerconish and Ed Schultz, to _divert_ attention from Iraq war "depleting our resources from the real war on terror" discussion that Smericonish brought up...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LUzyWmXthA

[bigfated]

I have read far more comments on this article than most. And the majority were really interestin­g....inclu­ding some "missteps" I had actually forgotten. The human mind----after all---can store just so much madness. But if I were to suggest a stop on the Bush farewell tour, the very first would be to go to the graves of Madison, Franklin, Jefferson, Paine,etal­....and he should explain----if he possibly could....j­ust what made him think he understood how America should work better than those who risked absolutely everything to give us----and the world---the magnificent blueprint to what was---for a very long time---The Greatest Country On Earth. Did he really think his tiny little brain was up to the task of improving on their work? And he should also explain to those brave men of our past why it was that a future President of America and his future Vice President ... both went to such extremes to avoid serving their country in time of war. Tell these old men in your own words why you feel sending thousands of your own citizens needlessly to their deaths in pursuit of $oil$ was "the right thing to do." THen....st­op by my place. We'll have a drink.....­and I'll spit mine in your smirking, traitorous face.

[PepperzMom]

Dear Rahm:

Not on one penny, nickel, dime or quarter of my money!

Sincerely,
Overloaded­/underpaid­/hung out to dry by my gov't Taxpayer

[shel3364]

I'd love to see him visit even ONE of these places.

The comparisons between then & now are fabulous.

[darker]

As a result of the "then and now" comparisons,
Bush should be PELTED WITH ROTTEN EGGS & SALMONELLA TOMATOES everywhere he goes!

[profounddogs]

Excellent article.

[betz55]

Nice article but you forgot a couple of things that maybe Bush and you should consider:
Why are we still unconditionally, unquestioningly, unendingly still financing Israel ? My tax dollars are still funding the illegal settlements in the West Bank and the apartheid oppression of the Palestinian people. Cutting their aid would make the Israel's do something, finally, after 60 years. I'm sick and tired of my tax money giving every Israel $1500.00 per capita while our own go without.

Why are we still letting AIPAC define Middle East foreign policy ? Iran nuclear transparency, means Israel better be transparent too. It's time for the US to stop the hypocritical, double standard of protecting Israel while demonizing a member of the NNPT and who allows IAEA inspections. Israel does not.

Israel warmongering through AIPAC has killed 4000+ US people in Iraq and now they want us to do their dirty work in Iran.

ENOUGH RAHM. Start putting the USA first instead of Israel. ENOUGH RAHM.
You control the money Rahm.

It is time for the U.S. to stop the blind support of a rogue nation and cease all financial assistance to a country that continues to refuse to abide by the E.U. and Quartet 'road map", UN sanctions, Geneva conventions, IAEA and NNPT rules, and continues the inhuman, apartheid treatment of the Palestinians.

[normathumb]

Bush should stop by the old Soviet Union, China, and a few other despotic dictatorships and apologize for all the nasty things we used to say about their human rights abuses. Daddy was wrong about them, too. We just didn't appreciate the nature of the internal threats they were contending with. We now see the wisdom of kidnapping, domestic spying, extraordinary rendition, secret prisons, denying habeus corpus and torture. We, especially, want to let everyone know we were so wrong about torture. IT REALLY WORKS!!! And can be great fun, too. We have the pictures to prove it.

[Deidroni]

Bush needs to stop by at that hearing Representative Conyers needs to hold on the 35 articles of impeachment he is sitting on.

Where's the "new direction for America" that was promised for the 2006 elections????

Why are the Dems funding this war without restrictio­ns????????­????

[profounddogs]

That's what I want to know. Why ARE the Dems STILL funding this illegal war????? As far as I know, all they have to do is not even bring up the bills to fund in the first place. Why are they continuing to allow this war to continue to be funded? Stop the funding. Stop the war. Plain and simple!

[Vinca]

To Deidroni: If ONLY WE HAD MORE SPUNKY DEMS LIKE DENNIS KUCINICH, IT BWOULD BE GREAT

[Grunty1]

Bush is a sociopath, so he would likely call the above schedule as a "Victory Tour"

[profounddogs]

LMAO

[PatCroft]

you guys have foregotton and / or not mentioned his long term thunder clouds in the appointments of Roberts and Aleito along with several thousand other judges which we will need to live with for decades. I still laugh when he mentioned he might nominate Gonzales for the Supreme Court.

Logic would dictate the ability to undo or reverse mistakes that have been done accross the board.

[96Bravo]

Love the article sir. The President should really just call it the Apology Tour!

[Zentomato]

Rahm tell Speaker Pelosi to put impeachment back on the table. It's your duty to do so.

[Beaux510]

Amen from the back row!!

[profounddogs]

Here, here! What is Pelosa afraid of? What are you guys afraid of? There's got to be something that is stopping you from doing the right thing. Dennis Kucinich -- now THAT'S an American!!!!

[Vinca]

TO Zentomato: Rahm SHOULD TELL PELOSI TO PUT IMPEACHMENT ON THE TABLE, I DON'T CARE IF IT TAKES UNTIL ELECTION DAY OR JAN 2009, START IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS NOW

[stonepier]

While he's at it, he can stop by the Supreme Court and thank them for giving him the job in the first place.

[profounddogs]

Hahah! I LOVE IT! RIGHT ON!

[plages]

Mark Morford nails it!
http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/morford/

[zachman]

Rahm, you're just tempting me to fall in love with you. Unfortunately, there's only a handful of people in Congress who have huevos and it takes more unity than that to combat all of those Bush lies. I support you and people like Dennis Kucinich, but I do think that most of Congress is comprised of "yes men" and it simply frustrates the hell out of me. Still, keep on with the good fight. I'll always support you.

[scooperss]

Guess he favors this too. Any doubt left as to how many parties there are?

The House agreement would broaden the authority to spy on people in the U.S. and provide conditional legal immunity to companies that helped the government eavesdrop after the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to aides in both parties. Senate Democrats have signed on too.