Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

I know this has been a touchy subject lately, but I had to share...



'Mr. President, this job can't be fun for you any more. There's no more
money to spend--you used up all of that. You can't start another war because
you used up the army. And now, darn the luck, the rest of your term has
become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people. Listen to your Mom.
The cupboard's bare, the credit cards maxed out. No one's speaking to you.
Mission accomplished.

'Now it's time to do what you've always done best: lose interest and walk
away. Like you did with your military service and the oil company and the
baseball team. It's time. Time to move on and try the next fantasy job. How
about cowboy or space man? Now I know what you're saying: there's so many
other things that you as President could involve yourself in. Please don't.
I know, I know. There's a lot left to do. There's a war with Venezuela.
Eliminating the sales tax on yachts. Turning the space program over to the
church. And Social Security to Fannie Mae. Giving embryos the vote.

'But, Sir, none of that is going to happen now. Why? Because you govern like
Billy Joel drives. You've performed so poorly I'm surprised that you haven't
given yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man. Herbert
Hoover was a ****** president, but even he never conceded an entire city to
rising water and snakes.

'On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four
airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the City of New
Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't love this
country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the
other side.

'So, yes, God does speak to you. What he is saying is: 'Take a hint.' '

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

God I LOVE Bill Maher!!!

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

go to google.... type in the word failure, and then click 'I feel lucky'

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

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Posted by LaurenluvsTJ

go to google.... type in the word failure, and then click 'I feel lucky'

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Holy sh!t gotta love google...OMG!

And BTW - Bill Maher rocks!

Yeah the last paragraph was a low blow...but it's just a hint, no?!

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

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Posted by LaurenluvsTJ

go to google.... type in the word failure, and then click 'I feel lucky'

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That is HYSTERICAL!

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

I think Bill Mahr nailed what most of the country is feeling.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

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Posted by JPC1125

God I LOVE Bill Maher!!!

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My sentiments exactly!!

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

I saw the show when he did this - he is the best!!!!

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

I love Bill Maher. And I miss Politically Incorrect- that was a fun show to watch.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

Personally, I'm not a fan of Bill Mahr. I don't see how commentary like this helps in any way whatsoever. I see Bill Mahr using this tragedy as a way to spew his political liberalism. Why hasn't Bill Mahr commented on the actions, or inactions, of New Orleans' Mayor or the Governor of Louisiana? Why isn't congress being held responsible for not coming into session earlier when they are the only fragment of the Federal government that can dole out money? Why isn't Clinton being blamed for some of the responsibility of 9/11 when during his presidency there was ample information about the sleeper cells and the devastations they can cause. He!!, they even had pictures of 3 of the masterminds taking target practice out a Calverton.

Sorry...I had to vent.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

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Posted by shamrock12472
Why hasn't Bill Mahr commented on the actions, or inactions, of New Orleans' Mayor or the Governor of Louisiana? Why isn't congress being held responsible for not coming into session earlier when they are the only fragment of the Federal government that can dole out money?

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There is very little money that the Mayor or Govenor can get without federal approval. The Mayor of New Orleans was on every hour after the hurricane, and years before the hurricane when he asked for federal funding to repair the levy that everyone knew would break if there was a large hurricane. He called the President, who for several days did nothing. It's a very difficult thing to convene hundreds of Senators who could be anywhere in the world since the Senate was not in session. They did come when necessary, but it's not an easy task to get all of them together. And there is plenty Bush could have done. The National Guard should have been in there immediately, and Bush should have been down there. To me it's a disgrace that he took so long a summer vacation when our country was at war. The whole situation reminded me of Sept. 11th when he was told of the Trade Center while reading to a school. He smiled and went back to reading. OK, you don't have to be leader of the free world to know that the largest terrorist activity ever on American soil warrants you not finishing reading Clifford the Big Red Dog. I just don't get the feeling that he reacts well under pressure or is capable of either making decisions or listening to his aides who help him make decisions. His inactivity is much of what has led to this backlash.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

Actually, a state of emergency has to be declared by local and state governments prior to the Federal Government being able to intervene. After a state of emergency is declared, and only after such, can the Federal government assess and declare it a National disaster area. Pres. Bush actually requested the Mayor of New Orleans declare a state of emergency 2 days prior to the hurricane evening hitting land. The Mayor waited 2 days after the hurricane and several hours after the levies broke to in state a Mandatory evacuation of the city. By the time that was ordered, half the fleet of buses that were to be used to evacuate the city were underwater.

The Federal government can not come in and take over a state. There are lots of laws prohibiting that. The local and state governments have their own protocol that would lead to Federal help but they were lax in getting there.

In addition, with the Homeland Securities Acts, the first responder for life and medical support is the Red Cross.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

In addition, the ONLY arm of the Federal government that can allocate money to the city or state is Congress. The president can't give them aid, he can only request that congress approve such expenditures.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

I've got to say I wouldn't have declared a state of emergency two days before a hurricane either. The fact of the matter is that we needed the National Guard at a time when so many were unable to help out in Louisiana and Mississippi because they are deployed in Iraq, and the tens of millions of hurricane and flood-control dollars that never made it to New Orleans because they had been diverted to Iraq. I'm not saying the Mayor of New Orleans was not at fault--I think he is, and his cursing out the government certainly didn't make him look professional--but I do think plenty of fault can be found in the White House. Bush took a 35 minute flight over New Orleans before speaking at the White House. How about going to see what it is really like? He said, 'It's devastating. It's got to be doubly devastating on the ground.' It's his job to be there for the people. And Clinton, despite his faults, was excellent at handling a crisis and making people feel more secure in his leadership. He would have been down there, letting people know he felt their pain.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

I agree that quicker response should have gone into trying to help New Orleans. My point is that the local and state governments were too slow. The National Guard can't be called in unless a State of Emergency is declared by local and state governments. They didn't. The president, regardless of who is president, has limited powers and can't just do as they please. There are checks and balances throughout the political and legal system that prevent this. Federal Aid couldn't be considered until the local and state governments declare the State of Emergency. That is why it was so important to do so in the very beginning. Had they declared it, the Federal government could have gone in immediately.

I don't have any information on the misappropriation of monies to be used for the levies so I can't comment on that.

We all have to remember that when we watch the news or read the newspapers, these are businesses looking for rating or subscribers. They are independent, unbiased entities. I think we all forget that and believe that what we see and read is the absolute truth. We forget that there is usually a spin to make it more interesting thereby increase ratings or readers.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

Actually, I just found this:

On August 26, the Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco declared a state of emergency. On August 27, after Katrina crossed southern Florida and strengthened to Category 3, President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi two days before the hurricane made landfall.

Looks like Bush did declare a state of emergency for three states before it made landfall?

link

But that's even worse if it had been declared and so the Federal government could have gone in immediately, but chose not to.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

Perfect. Says all the truth...Pres Bush is a total mess.

Re: Bill Mahr on President Bush...I know this has been a touchy subject lately

The State of Emergency was not in force at the time of the flooding.

We are all entitled to our own opinions. One is not any more right then the other.

All in all, what has happened is a terrible tragedy and I will do, as I have done, all that I can to help. That is the most important thing to do right now.