BUSH QUIT GOLF FOR IRAQ
 

US President George W Bush has revealed that he quit playing golf in 2003 out of respect for the families of US soldiers killed in the conflict in Iraq, now in its sixth year.

"I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal," he said in an interview for Yahoo and Politico magazine.

"I don't want some mum whose son may have recently died to see the commander-in-chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them."

The US president traced his decision to the August 19, 2003 bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed the world body's top official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

"I remember when (Mr) de Mello, who was at the UN, got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man's life," Mr Bush said.

"And I was playing golf, I think I was in central Texas, and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, it's just not worth it anymore to do."

Mr Bush's last round of golf as President dates back to October 13, 2003, according to records kept by CBS news.

On the day of the bombing two months earlier, he had cut short his golf game at the 12th hole and returned to his ranch in Crawford, Texas.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...14/2243973.htm

Very noble of Mr. Bush

I will quit golf when I have to hit a driver on a par 3 from the senior tees... and no sooner. Couldn't he just quit the war instead?

LOL

So, who in the hell cares?:rolleyes:

He does need some time off! So, he takes a few, so what?

Most of you have done little in your life but belong!:rolleyes:

So, just what have have have YOU done?

Oh, maybe piss and moan!:rolleyes:

Say it!:mad: You want to!:rolleyes:

He's the commander-in-chief, that means he's the highest ranking military officer, so he shows people respect....and judge other lest ye be judged my friend, what have you done?

Keith Olbermann on Bush

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540...35229#24635229

That occurred to me, too.

I read about this on several sites today but couldn't watch the video from work. I've finally watched it now, and have to say that it did not in any way disappoint. I know that K.O. isn't exactly known for non-bias, but I am impressed nonetheless at the position and the manner in which he presented it.

You are correct, I haven't done a lot, but one thing I have done is shown people respect. And, you want to know who does care, yes that Marine in the casket draped with the flag that he shed blood protecting has a mother, and I guarantee you she cares. Bush was an integral part of the decision making process to send a young man probably not much unlike myself into harms way, and as respect for mothers and families of these men, he doesn't play golf. And you have the balls to ask who cares? Whether you support the war or not, those troops are putting their ass on the line, so you can irritate the hell out of the people on GC, and you ask who the hell cares?

ETA: BRILLIANT, INTERESTING, SADNESS

I just watched the Olbermann thing (which I LOVED, I'm putting it in my sig), and the most ridiculous, disgusting, yet sadly, typical, thing about this is that it is once more a load of crap. Bush made it sound like when he cut that game short, that was when he decided he'd give up golf "out of respect". But then as noted above, there are pictures of him golfing in October, 2 months after the bombing incident that supposedly inspired his "sacrifice". I don't care if he holds the title of Commander in Chief or Colonel Sanders, he's a blathering idiot.

Keith Olbermann is an idiotic POS who would get absolutely demolished if he suddenly grew a spine and ever allowed his views to be challenged on his show.

I don't care what you think of KO, address the issues he brings up and refute them on their merits. If you can.

Jon Stewart talking about it right now on TDS.

KO didnt say anything that people haven't been saying for years...you ought to see what the editor from GQ wrote....short version is that Gee Dubya is clinically depressed and it shows more and more monthly....hehehe

ETA: Republicans - Doughy, White, Happy

Whats doughy mean?

use your imagination...

or go to www.republicandictionary.com

Ok, this may be me being too literal, but I couldn't find "doughy" in there.

(and it took me reading several definitions before I realized it's a parody site :p)

Once again... I really have no idea what it means.

^^^I'm guessing it either means wealthy or bloated & out-of-shape. Those are the only two contexts I can imagine it fitting in (well, other than something referring to baked goods).

LOL. Carbs (and the GOP?) are the debil.

I am not really a big Bush fan, but I understand why he is doing it. It makes me think about Lent (where you give up something to strengthen your faith before Easter). Although, it is not a big sacrifice in comparison to the sons/daughters/mothers/fathers etc. who have given their lives for our freedom...I commend him for giving respect where it is due.

I could give an absolute damn what you think about what I think about KO. If you want to present a substantive topic to discuss, feel free. If you can, of course.

It quite simply doesn't matter. Many liberals don't care about whether Bush is genuine or not, they care only about diminishing him as both a politician and a human being. The great majority of this country agrees with them, but they're far from satisfied with that.

30ish% = "the great majority"? http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm

You must have had an awesome statistics prof.

"Them" being liberals, as mentioned in the previous sentence. You must have had an awesome reading comp prof.

Woop, you're right, I read it too fast. My error.

No prob.

Must agree with shinerblock on this one. The (liberal) people who don't like Bush would belittle him for golfing while our troops are in harm's way. Some people aren't happy unless they're unhappy.

Actually, the thought of whether or not Bush was playing golf during the war would never have crossed my liberal mind. I don't care if he plays golf or not.

I do, however, think it's a pretty cheap sentiment.

No, wait, are you serious? I never heard or cared one thing about him playing golf until he talked about it in that interview. NOW everyone's talking about it.

And let's remember, this is the guy who made the claim he gave up golf out of respect after a particular event but was still golfing up to 2 months afterward.

This is the guy who stayed ON VACATION for THREE DAYS after Katrina hit. In fact, he went golfing the next day!

And this is the guy who did this, on camera, shortly after 9/11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3p9y_OEAdc

Don't try to pin his idiocy on supposed overreactions by "liberals", he makes an ass of himself, unprompted, all the time.

I guarantee if it'd have been plastered all over the news that teed off at 10 am every Friday, 98% if liberals would have been bashing him all over the place for it.

^^^The man has spent over 40% of his presidency ON VACATION. And yet, he got re-elected. How much air time did all of his time away from DC or his golf playing get? Very little. I'd wager people are much more concerned these days about how they're going to fill up their car at $4.00 a gallon to get to their $6.55/hour minimum wage job, buy food, pay for their house and clothe their kids. Would they like a president that spent as much time working for the citizens as he does on his recreation skills? Sure. But are they expending time or energy screaming about it? No, because it wouldn't do anything. Everyone's just waiting for January 2009 and sweet relief from this long, painful nightmare.

I don't think the man is an idiot for playing golf. In fact, until he claimed he gave it up for the war I assumed he'd been playing golf all the time. I don't care about that. What I care about is that every time he opens his mouth he says something moronic, that he makes our country look like a bunch of bumbling fools for electing him to our highest office.

I've disliked him since he first showed up on the primary trail for that reason - I think he is an idiot. I'd rather he played golf every day all day, instead of making speeches and putting himself in the public eye. Had he not done his job a day of the last 7 1/2 years I would have been happier because I think the country is better off with no leadership than with his sloppy version.

If you want to assume you know what liberals would or would not think about a situation you have to be able to empathize with a liberal, to put yourself in their head. If you cannot do that, and most people who are excessively partisan cannot, then you shouldn't presume to know how liberals would react. My assumption is always that I don't know how '98% of conservatives' would think about something because it's very difficult for me to put myself in their headspace.

the people who don't like bush would belittle him regardless. i can run off a litany of reasons to talk about him and none of them would include golf.

Maybe they should get an education so they don't make $6.55/hr.

Then let me rephrase this: the people who don't like President Bush - most of whom are not moderates or conservatives - are going to be upset with him no matter what hits the news. Those who think that he woke up one morning and said, "Hey, let's tell everyone that I haven't played golf since the war in Iraq!" don't know how the press works.

And whomever decided to "break" this type of story isn't the brightest bulb in the White House Press Corps.

:rolleyes: If working two jobs at minimum wage only lets you live, how precisely are you to find money and time to go to school on top of that?

Oh noes the government would have to give them money, and then they'd be living off of the "hard working Americans" or something.

Listen, I know you're a rabid liberal who harbors extreme spite for our POTUS, but I'm gonna need you to back this up.

Also, about Jan 2009, I'm sure everyone will be happy until we begin mourning the death of the free market in approx. Mar. 2009.