Former President George W. Bush leaves after the presidential inauguration on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 20, 2017. CREDIT: Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP.
“Power can be addictive and it can be corrosive.” Normally, there wouldn’t be anything remarkable about that observation. In this case, there is – it was said by George W. Bush, about the Trump Regime. Colour me stunned.
During an interview on Today, former President George W. Bush responded to President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban and recent criticisms of the media by speaking in support of religious freedom and the free press.
“I consider the media to be indispensable to democracy,” Bush told host Matt Lauer, weighing in on a question about whether the media should be considered “enemies of America,” as Trump said during his speech at CPAC last Friday.
“We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,” Bush said. “Power can be addictive and it can be corrosive. It’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere.”
[…]
When asked about Trump’s “Muslim ban,” an executive order that prohibits travel by immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, Bush alluded to the constitutional “bedrock of our freedom — a bedrock of our freedom is the right to worship freely.” Bush added that he supports an immigration policy that’s “welcoming and upholds the law.”
Bush also supported the call for a special prosecutor to look into alleged Trump campaign ties to the Russian government, saying that he was looking to Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to recommend a special prosecutor.
“I think we all need answers,” Bush noted. “I’m not sure the right avenue to take. I am sure, though, that that question needs to be answered.”
If Bush’s criticisms of Trump sound like they merely restate fundamental American principles, that’s because freedoms of worship and of the press are already part of this country’s constitutional guarantees.
Yet Bush’s statements are also oddly significant given Trump’s harsh criticisms of the press and Islamophobia. Trump rarely restrains himself from condemning Muslims in the aftermath of real or imagined terrorist attacks, but has yet to publicly condemn two deadly attacks perpetrated by Islamophobes since he took office.
Trump has also escalated tensions with the media by calling them the “enemy of the people,” sometimes claiming that major newspapers like the New York Times aren’t reputable simply because they criticize him. As a result, major news organizations like CNN, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, were denied access from the White House’s daily press briefing last week.
Via Think Progress. (There’s video at the link.)
Surreal.
To say the least.
I only recently discovered the genius of George W. Bush when I re-read the following quote:
If that doesn’t predict Obama and Trump I don’t know what
Giliell:
:Gently bangs head on desk:
Yep, that’s Bush.
“We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,” “We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,”“We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,”
“We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,”“We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,”
“We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,”
“We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,”“We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,”
“We need an independent media to hold people like me into account,”
ARRRRGGGHGHGHGHGHGHGHHGHG!!!!!!
Sorry. I lost it for a minute there.
Marcus:
It’s okay, I had a, um, moment when I read that too. Thought I might really choke on my tea.
How exceptionally fucked are we!? George W is now a voice of reason and an ally!?!
Raucous Indignation:
More than we’re willing to recognize.
I think you get it. I know I try. So much wrong, so much going worse. I’m leaving my children a broken planet and society. No way I’ll let any of my children or any children go to war for that fucker. No way I’m not going to be carbon negative. Whatever cut I get in my taxes is going to the resistance. Resistance is how I’ll be spending my twilight years. It’s comforting knowing what I’ll be doing tomorrow.