by Larry C. Johnson (bio below)
At first I thought this was a blog parody. I mean, really, no one could be this clueless. Right? Boy, was I wrong. Here’s what President Bush had to say at Brooke Army Medical Center the other day. Remember, he is visiting U.S. soldiers who are missing arms, legs, and eyes. Some soldiers are horribly mutilated from wound suffered in Iraq. Most of the soldiers Bush visited were not “injured”, they were “wounded”. You get wounds in combat. You get injured while playing football or cutting brush. This is not just mindless nitpicking on my part. This demonstrates a Commander-in-Chief out of touch with the reality of combat.
President Visits Troops at Brooke Army Medical Center
“As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself — not here at the hospital, but in combat with a Cedar. I eventually won. The Cedar gave me a little scratch. As a matter of fact, the Colonel asked if I needed first aid when she first saw me. I was able to avoid any major surgical operations here, but thanks for your compassion, Colonel.”
The president needs to understand what combat means. It is not tangling with a chain saw and some prickly pear brush. It involves firearms and explosives. It means watching your best friend bleed out on the battlefield. It means mind numbing fear as you prepare to enter a building that may or may not be providing refuge for a terrorist. It means killing other human beings. And for some, it leaves an emotional scar that the brave soldiers carry with them to their grave.
More importantly the President needs to understand that he now has a sacred obligation to ensure that the men and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan will have the full backing of their country to provide them with the medical care they need to recover their physical and mental well being. Instead, Bush talks a good game at the hospital but is not removing obstacles for key treatment for a variety of wounds, including post-traumatic stress syndrome. Key benefits and treatment are already being denied to some returning vets.
There is a silver lining, at least the President did not award himself a purple heart. But this attempt at humor, no matter how well intentioned, is offensive and insulting to the soldiers who have sacrificed their bodies in response to the orders of this Commander-in-Chief. That, in my view, is no laughing matter.
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Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an international business-consulting firm that helps corporations and governments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. Johnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a recognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and risk management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety of media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. Mr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including Security Management Magazine, the New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. He has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world. Further bio details.
Personal Blog: No Quarter || Bio
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The facial expressions of the four people standing behind Der Bush are priceless. No fans there, I would guess.
I saw a clip on Olbermann last night and immediately afterward, Bush turns and shakes hands with all of them and they are all smiles. The last woman on the right, not shown in photo, was a black woman in uniform with astonishing platinum/gray hair and Bush kissed her on the cheek and threw his arm around her shoulders! She was grinning away, too. We’re all such fools in the face of power; I might even smile away if I ever met the beast face-to-face. Nah, I’d probably get in a lot of trouble instead.
Personally, I can’t imagine pulling my face into anything resembling a smile for this individual. He gets all the props he needs; he certainly doesn’t need mine. Celebrity worship be damned — anyone smiling at this piece of mobile human waste looks ridiculous to me.
as my mother used to say(wonder what that means?)
If that repellant individual came anywhwre near me-I would slap him silly and then kick him in the nuts when he was down.
When I saw that on “Countdown”, I couldn’t believe how totally tasteless that comment was. I felt like Will Durst: “You can’t make shit up like this?”
I can just imagine him sitting next to the bedside of one of those wounded soldiers, trading “war wound” stories…”Sorry to hear about your leg…but look what happened to me during the holidays…”
I’m surprised he didn’t say “ooh ooh, look at this!” as he was trading battle wounds. :/
Incurious George strikes again. The disconnect is massive.
You think a man who left the Air National Guard six months early to attend Harvard Business School, would know when to shut-up and just hand out the medals. As Bush little pharse reminds when my “god daughter told me in spanish she had un coco–or an ouchy.” I think an ouchy is a lot different than being wounded by an IED.
Not seen in that photo in the diary was a doctor that had a bandana on and glasses. If I read body language as well as I think I do he was totally put off by Bush. Bush seemed teed off and agitated while talking about the NSA and how it is only incoming calls to the US. Yeah, he really said that and I heard today they were scambling to correct his little faux statement once again. This asshole is a duffus for sure. May he rot for all eternity in hell!
I saw that photo! It was on the White House Web site … let me see if i can find it.
When they showed the live feed last night the guy looked as if he did not want to shake Bush’s habd and the woman at the end wasn’t too happy about the kiss either. Maybe its just me projecting.
I figured that little display was to prove that, ‘see I really do love black people’.
George is incable of love. Laura even gives him the Stepford stink eye lately! Can you even imagine trying to be married to this idiot?
Take courage. Only 24 months to endure. And we just may cut that If we capture the house and senate at mid-term.
since he doesn’t leave office till January 2009…unless he’s carted off in handcuffs before that…
Looking forward to this sometime:
Umm…hate to be picky but isn’t it 36 more months?
well, yes 36 months to be precise. Let me amplify my earlier post.
Frankly I erased the 10 months in 2008 calculating that by Jan 2008, IF he lasts that long and I expect he will that mentally, at least for me, he’ll be totally tuned out since energies will focus on primaries, the campaign and going the distance to take back the White House, Congress and the Senate.
2006, 2007 continue as the years of scandals – a mere distraction for teflon king but ever so pained to watch that nothing will bring him to resign or be impeached.
What a bastard.
God, he’s just…repulsive.
The man is clearly a narcissistic sociopath with a thoroughly stunted emotional & psychic life. No matter what his actual IQ, he’s an utter cretin — let alone the world’s worst joke.
I am utterly & completely sick to death of this transparent, infantile nonsense. Will someone please get this man a suitable job?
Suitable job..let’s see,….
Dog catcher: No, he would probably torture them.
Planning board? Don;t make me laugh. Planning??
School board: Once again not even the words intelligent design and Bush mesh
The obvious job: Bushwacker, go out with a logging crew and work for a living. Just try it, you’ll not last a day. Pity the tree that falls on that skull.
Frankly, I’ll be damned if he’s ever actually cut down anything resembling a tree (not a sapling).
No doubt that if he ever truly tried, he’d make a little mess & then have someone else take care of it (as usual). The man can’t even use a hammer properly!
I can see him as a rodeo clown or soapbox evangelist, though. Lots of attention & bullcrap.
He is! The only pain he’s capable of feeling is his own!
I cross-posted this at DailyKos on Larry’s behalf … thought it too good not to spread around.
I watched this idiot and when his went into his little injury spiel I wasn’t surprised just disgusted once again at how completely fucken clueless georgie boy is. It’s always all about him isn’t it. To talk about his ‘injury’ and making almost a funny story out of it and then talk about troops who have died makes you wonder if he just loses brain cells daily? Alcohol poisoning will do that to ya.
Personally, I’ve known quite a few hardcore lifetime drunks with infinitely more compassion & simple human intelligence than Bush exhibits.
I blame the parents. Prominent families can truly be a horrific, soul-killing mess.
Thanks for the post Larry. I knew Bush paid a visit to wounded troops, but I missed the sound bite.
There are no words.
This prick just has an incredible knack for saying the most incredibly inappropriate thing in the most incredibly inappropriate circumstances.
The NSA doesn’t have to tap my phone to learn what I think of Bush.
They don’t need to tap my lines either. I write to the White House alot. They know what I think of the dimwit! They wqeren’t kidding us in grade school when they said anyone could grow up to be president.
As to his resigning…not likely. I rather think he will be telling the nation that as he is the best ever equipted president to fight the “Wah on Terrah” he will be stying on as president indefinetly so as to assure Victory!
Yes he will name himself “Prenint fer Life”. Can you see Joe Biden or the hapless Kerry stopping him?
His jokes were not well intentioned.
He doesn’t care.
He likes the suffering of others.
Don’t give him any leeway.
He is very disturbed. He’s crazy. He wants to destroy things. He’s violent.
Thats all there is to the man.