I’ve heard stories throughout Bush’s interminable tenure as President that in person he’s charming, that he seems real. I’ve also heard that he’s dumb as a post, a person who reacts crudely to immediate situations rather than revere and ponder the responsibilities a majority of misguided Americans bestowed upon him.
What I had never heard was the degree to which he was a mind-numbing boor: the rude, childish pig as leader of the free world. While catching up with The Daily Show, I saw footage of Bush doing things my father would have spanked me for doing in public. When I was 10 years old.
The untouched footage showed Bush sitting at a large G8 dining table while Tony Blair leaned over him. Bush mentioned, slapping his lips around a mouthful of food, that Hezbollah needed to be dealt with so they’d stop “doing that shit.” (Please see the episode for a completely accurate quote). I should not at all be surprised, but I was genuinely surprised that the American President to his British counterpart at a table full of world leaders, would say something, in such an uncouth way, that is so offensive, so revealing of his intolerance and ignorance.
But it gets better! Caught on tape was the President referring to how the G8 leaders — during open mic — talk too much. After which he got up and said absolutely nothing of importance — oh, except for equating Russian’s failure as a democracy with Iraq’s success as one. It made my day to see President Putin evoke huge laughs for reminding Bush that he’s actually kind of glad Russia isn’t a democracy like Iraq is.
We voted this pig into office not once, but twice.