posted on December 5, 2000 03:00:38 PM
"Possible former drug user"
No possible about it. He is an admitted cocaine addict and has been through Betty Ford for treatment. He felt telling his children about his cocaine addiction was okay but not the drunk driving arrest.
posted on December 5, 2000 03:20:53 PM
boysmommy, And who knows what else we might have found out about the shrub if only he hadn't expunged his own driving record -- his first act as Texas governor! Gotta think there was LOTS there that might have made the DUI look like a frat night prank.
And this is the guy who's going to "restore honor and integrity to the White House." Makes me ill.
posted on December 5, 2000 03:36:52 PM
fountainhorse - I agree with you, except I don't see where the Position of President or the White House has lost any Honor or Integrity. When I see republican supporters start up with that banter of return to morals and integrity to the White House. I immediately dismiss that as ignorance of the average republican.
And when you look at their candidate of choice you really see how ignorant the party really is. In fact the only honorable thing done by any of them was done by Newt. After his banter and raving about President Clinton he got caught and faded away. But then again a real man would have taken the shots and answered to the public. But it was easier for the party to preserve their precious Family Values image by getting rid of Newt.
posted on December 5, 2000 04:27:29 PM
I actually know a guy (or, more properly, knew a guy) who has some parallels to George W. He and his family are sort of a mini version.
This guy I knew came from a political family. His father was mayor of one of our middle sized cities, his brother was, and is still, I believe, a Congressman in our state legislature, and another of his brothers might hold a state office as well, not sure. It was pretty common knowledge that his family, his father, especially, had used his political office to do various not quite ethical things (such as buying up a bunch of property cheap and then getting it rezoned in order to sell at high profit, etc.) As a result the family was quite wealthy (in a Georgia sort of way) and well connected politically.
I met this particular guy when I was in college in the late 70's. Like me, he was going for a political science/public adminstation major. He was already a casual friend of one of the guys in the group I hung around with, both of them having grown up in the same middle sized city, and their groups of friends back in their hometown overlapped. He and I had couple of public adminstration classes together, and he hung out with the group I was with quite a bit, as he was commuting to collge from his hometown, an hour and a half away, so he spent his between class time in the dorm room of one of our group which was sort of the hub, everyone wandered in and out before, between, after, and sometimes during, classes, we went to the same parties, etc. It was pretty much the general concensus, among us, that he was sort of fried. He was a good guy; friendly, easy going. He had blond hair down to his shoulders, always wore faded blue jeans and an old army jacket. He wasn't, that I could see, particularly intellectual. Sort of a hippy/good old boy. Slow talking, maybe slow thinking, but affable enough.
About 8 years or so ago, he ran for mayor of his hometown. He had cut his hair, gotten rid of the blue jeans and fatigue jacket, gotten married, etc. etc. There were many many allegations that he had been a drug user, etc., which he vehemently denied. Of course he was lying.
He won, and he won again, and he's still mayor today. As far as I know, he's doing a fine job, not that his job as mayor would be too difficult, this city is pretty much goof-proof. Still, he's done more than just sit there, he's been pretty agressive, and successful, in annexing surrounding areas into the city, increasing the tax base.
So, while this guy I knew I wouldn't consider particularly smart, he does have political savvy, and that's pretty important in order to do the job. You can always hire smart guys to do the thinking for you.
posted on December 5, 2000 05:48:40 PM
Unless you have name recognition, donny. Then you don't need savvy or smarts.
Coincidentally, Dubya reminds me of someone too: A friend of mine, who also happens to be my mechanic. Never was much of a student, works when the mood strikes, likes to kick back a few six-packs on the weekend sprawled out on the couch watching the tube.
Damn! But for a different daddy, HE coulda been Prez. (shuddering now -- not cause we don't have him for pres., but because we likely WILL).
posted on December 5, 2000 09:04:16 PM
Well, part of political savvy is knowing how to make use of your name (if you have one, so to speak.) Both my college friend and George W have the name. Not that my old friend's name would mean anything to anyone here, but around this area, and in his city, it meant a lot, the place is full of boulevards, parks, civic centers, buildings, etc., etc., named after his father. Actually, now that I think about it, they've more in common than I realized. George's W. is my old school mate's last name.
posted on December 5, 2000 09:34:24 PM
I suppose you're right, donny. It's just that I don't happen to think that being skilled at trading on the family name is so much savvy as it is scummy, assuming one has no other redeeming qualities, as in this case.
posted on December 6, 2000 09:14:27 AM
marwin, I suspect that the obvious dysfunction in the immediate Bush clan has less to do with the progeny living in the shadow of greatness than with patriarchal overindulgence.
IOW, baby bush is a spoiled brat who never had to work any harder than to say "Daddy, fix this."
And I see the red bandanas are gone today. Darn. Coulda used a few chuckles.
spelling
[ edited by fountainhouse on Dec 6, 2000 09:15 AM ]
