Think Progress

White House: Bush was in the dark.

By Nico Pitney on Feb 22nd, 2006 at 10:37 am

White House: Bush was in the dark.

“President Bush was unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates until the deal already had been approved by his administration, the White House said Wednesday.”



53 Responses to “White House: Bush was in the dark.”

  1. Pete Bogs says:

    this explains why he’s defending it so strongly? dude, get a clue about what’s going on around you…


  2. Mark says:

    If he didn’t know why is he so GD adamit about defending it?


  3. yankeluh says:

    Because he is a moron.


  4. Granite State Destroyer says:

    Because the King can do no wrong.

    Now the Dildo in Chief is stepping away from the whole toxic mess with a stupid: “I didn’t know.”

    Pretty damn sad.

    PS. That civil war in Iraq that Crumbsfeld and Rice and every other neo-con pudwipe said was not happening.

    Read some news, looks like it is happening, right about now.

    -GSD


  5. thot's n TN says:

    He knew Rumsfeld knew they all knew .All they are doing is trying to blow smoke up our azzes.

    This was a done deal over a cup of coffee so to speak..


  6. Badmoodman says:

    George Bush, a man that has had more recent bad outings than Bode Miller, a man so flawed he makes the Iraqi regime seem like a lottery winner.


  7. Drew Mackenzie says:

    Bush’s handprint again found in the back of loyal staffers thrown in the way of the onrushing train of consequence.


  8. Howie says:

    So let me guess, this was a deal Cheney brokered. He is wanting to suck up to UAE to get Haliburton into their country.


  9. ElectricBassPlayer says:

    Bush didn’t know?

    Sounds like BULLSHIT to me.


  10. Rosencrantz says:

    WTF does Bush even do as President? Seriously…Cheney, RUmsfield, Condie, etc. are all running around running the show and Bush never has any idea WTF is going on. Why is he even in office at all? Just send him out to the ranch permanently since at least then he’d do SOMETHING. I mean,at least clearing brush is something the AMerican people can verify as Bush doing work.

    Reminds me of Seinfeld when George comes up with the “jerk store” line. The bosses tell him, “we only wake you for the important meetings.” THat is what GW is…George Costanza without the charm.


  11. Austin Talk says:

    Come on — this deal was cooked up by Cheney and Rove who then told their puppet to get out there and say it is a good deal. You can tell that Cheney and Rove have Bush over a barrel (of monkeys) and he jumps when the “real president” speaks (Cheney).

    Get real people.


  12. hardass says:

    This know nothing president is a disaster, he never ask questions , he is kept out of the loop , constantly running and never governing , why is congress not asking for his removal and the whole administration with him .


  13. Hot Tip! says:

    A Question to ask yourselves.
    Fightem or Needem?
    If you say fight them, then how.
    if you say need them, then how.
    China for instance. Do we need them?
    or
    Do we Fight them?
    If we need them, then we must sacrifice Liberty.
    If not, Then we Fight them.
    But, How ?


  14. Phil says:

    WHO IS RUNNING THIS GD COUNTRY?


  15. Skeptic says:

    If George is so completely ignorant of everything how can he be protecting this country! Didn’t he run for reelection by swearing to keep America safe?
    Words seem to escape me in this matter. How can he not know?

    I’m going to go fume quietly to myself until I can make sense of this.


  16. pgw says:

    someone tell me what these two things have in common:

    “President Bush was unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates until the deal already had been approved by his administration…”

    “Administration Failed To Conduct Legally Required Investigation Before Approving UAE Port Deal”

    sounds like bush just sits around and googles stuff all day long


  17. crazy canuck says:

    I shall name him Bubble Boy.


  18. Skeptic says:

    If bush googled stuff all day long, he wouldn’t be so completely ignorant!


  19. Leslie Pool says:

    But wouldn’t it be illegal for members in Bush’s Administration to finalize a deal that Bush didn’t know about but only he has the authority to determine?


  20. T says:

    The wheels are starting to fall off of this thing. Another example of weak leadership. Don’t blame me, I voted for President Gore in 2000.


  21. Dr. Van Nostrand says:

    He didn’t know anything about it, but he defends it. What the hell is going on? Thanks again to the Bush voters out there who gave us this dishonest and incomptent adminstration.


  22. Dr. Van Nostrand says:

    Whoops, that should be “incompetent.”


  23. Clyde the Ripper says:

    #s 16 and 18

    The only things King George the Dumb Arab Hand Holder ever Googled was My Pet Goat and the Saudi Prince.


  24. bluefish says:

    I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that this crap keeps on happening, or the fact that I’m not surprised by it anymore.


  25. Hyades says:

    He didn’t even know?? He’s defending it with a veto threat and he didn’t even know??? #10 (Rosencranz)is right, WTF does this guy do all day? You would think that this “war president” who sees his main duty as “protecting America” would at least have taken an interest in knowing about a deal involving an Arab company (from a nation with ties to terrorism) that would be handling our very vulnerable ports.

    This administration is so friggin’ incompetent it’s mind-boggling. Makes me ill, actually…


  26. Flamethrower says:

    Even Adam Ant is adamant about this deal!


  27. Zookeeper says:

    #10 – “WTF does Bush even do as President?”
    Um, nappy time and PE? Probably graham crackers, too, if he’s good and hasn’t wet his pants.


  28. Zookeeper says:

    Personally, I don’t think I’d be defending myself with the “I didn’t know” defense. It’s weak, and makes him look more stupid than ever. Fortunately, GWB is too dumb to know this and he’ll keep on doing the same thing over and over.


  29. Seefleur says:

    If Bush didn’t know, and it was “the administration” that approved the deal, then it’s been admitted that G-Duh-bya ISN’T in charge, then who in the hell IS in charge??? It sure isn’t Congress… oh wait, it’s obvious, the whole damn country has been outsourced…. Fall of the Roman Empire sound familiar?


  30. Godfry Daniel says:

    Welcome to the United States of Arabia. Camels and burkas will be distributed shortly.


  31. For Truth says:

    That’s why he is called bubble boy. This further proves he really does not run this country.


  32. Keith H. says:

    I didn’t know . . . . it’s their fault for not informing me.
    They told me to, so I supported it before I actually knew about it.
    Who’s idea was this anyway? Am I finished presnit yet?


  33. MagnumDB says:

    He doesn’t need to know things ahead of time. Bush KNOWS who he hired. They are all loyalists. He doesn’t need to know what they are doing because you can be sure that whatever they do, is something Bush will not be upset about. He hired these people so they can do the work he doesn’t have the time to do, or would like to do – but would look bad to the public if he did it.

    Bush believes Jesus will come back during the apocalypse. So he wants that to come ASAP. How will he do that? By doing just what he has been – making things worse all over the world, damaging the environment, and now allowed the ports to be owned by companies with ties to terrorism.

    And I understand that the actual patrolling of the ports will be done by American law enforcement, but I can not help but wonder what kind of crooked cops there may be, or what kinds of ways the terrorists will find to work around the law. After all, they will OWN the ports – there has to be a way around law in that case.


  34. JP says:

    This story is so huge that even the local Radio NEOCON Talk Shows are withdrawing support of this idea – not because they care about security, they know we do business with these corrupt bastards all the time and could care less who these people murder as long as they make $$$ – it’s because from just a PR standpoint alone, this is f**king them in the ass. But folks seriously what none of them want to do is tell you who is behind this and a good starting point is the Carlyle Group (headed by Bush Sr. with ties to the Bin Ladins) who purchased a portion of CSX’s container business. Just google Carlyle and CSX.


  35. buzzbomb says:

    So he says he knew nothing about the deal until it was approved and then turns around and assures the public he has carefully studied the deal and it’s safe. Which is it Bush? You know alot about the deal or you know nothing about the deal? I hope to god this is the final straw to change the minds of the idiots who still back this clown that claims to be such a hard ass on national security. What a friggin’ joke.


  36. ElectricBassPlayer says:

    Bush didn’t know because they didn’t have enough blocks to spell it out on the floor for him.


  37. For Truth says:

    Having a dumbass constituency is backfiring, go to Foxnews.com and see their poll, people have overwhelmingly voted no, and are against it. So Billy O’Tool, is trying to edumacate them on it, and of course supports the Admin.


  38. ElectricBassPlayer says:

    #35 — that’s a good point. Why would he get so whipped up about it that he’s threatening to veto a bill against it, when he (supposedly) didn’t even KNOW about the deal until after the fact?

    As I said before. . . it sounds like complete, utter, total bullshit.

    I’m so tired of always being lied to by the leader of my country. Everything he does involves pulling or trying to pull a fast one on us. God dammit, we deserve better than this moron. This is AMERICA, fer chrissakes! And it’s being run like it’s a banana republic.


  39. big papa says:

    L’il Dick strikes again…

    …betcha he knew…


  40. Jeffrey Stewart says:

    This guy is unbelievable!

    He didn’t know about Cheney shooting a guy in the face. He didn’t know about Katrina. He didn’t know about the $12.7B cut in student loans a student asked him about in Kansas. He didn’t know about this deal? If he didn’t know about it, why did he threaten a veto that would prevent it?

    What a complete and absolute moron! He is a Schleprock! Everything he touches turns to crap!

    His daddy must be very proud!


  41. Dumb Fox says:

    I have my reservations about the coverage of this story, but there is a cracker in this MSNBC article… “the administration also said that it should have briefed Congress sooner about the transaction“.

    Firstly, what the f*ck? THIS P&O TAKEOVER HAS BEEN A RUNNING SAGA FROM LONG, LONG AGO, WHEN DPW AND THE SINGAPORE PORT AUTHORITY COMPETED FOR THE ACQUISITION. IT HAS BEEN WIDELY KNOWN FOR MONTHS, IF NOT YEARS, THAT P&O WOULD BE SOLD, IT WAS JUST A QUESTION OF TO WHOM.

    Congress should have had a clue all along, and the fact the administration might not have completed all its obligatory checks is an interesting but separate matter.

    But the main thing is this – Congress was not informed (what’s new), Bush wasn’t informed, Rummy wasn’t informed (allegedly)…

    Further proof surely that Darth Birdshot is running the show. And depending on whether you believe Rummy, the cabal is either still functioning, or Darth is flying solo. (#34 – I’m sure you’re on track. Dick’s executing for his base.)

    All considered, Bush is set to become the first lame puppet president in our nation’s history.


  42. big papa says:

    But folks seriously what none of them want to do is tell you who is behind this and a good starting point is the Carlyle Group (headed by Bush Sr. with ties to the Bin Ladins) who purchased a portion of CSX’s container business. Just google Carlyle and CSX.

    Comment by JP #34

    Right on the money!


  43. hit_escape says:

    I believe it. I also believe that it is more important for Bush to play along and pretend it was his idea than admit he is being played for a chump by his own administration and admit the mistake.


  44. Five of Diamonds says:

    Bullshit.

    Bullshit bullshit bullshit. I’m sick of this lying adminstration’s transparent attempts to divert culpability from the President.

    It is creepty and wholly obvious that nothing is EVER on this president’s hands.


  45. pluege says:

    the bushliar regime is clearly losing it if they are going to use the idiot defense. That’s worse politically than almost anything.


  46. Amazed says:

    Next, just watch, Bush is going to claim to have no idea who the UAE are. Then when his ties to the UAE are brought up by the responsible media, he’s going to deny ever having any personal contact with them at all.

    And I bet a whole lot of dumb people are going to believe him too.


  47. Fatty bin Laden says:

    #46–WHAT responsible media?

    It’s a nice thought though.


  48. Marie says:

    I can’t decide if Bush is the most stupid president we’ve ever had or the most sinister. Does he feign stupidity and ignorance because he prefers that to being seen as a knowledgeable and wicked.
    We all knew he was an uneducated, illiterate dope in 2000, but we were told, the team is smart. Well, the team is evil and corrupt.
    Is he really that dumb – or is he part of the schemes and this is his role — playing the empty suit who sits at the head of the table — like the Queen of England. A figurehead — no substance.
    Could he really prefer appearing to be so stupid and uninformed? Did he not know of this deal – did he ignore it (a la PDB 8/06/01)- did he not understand it (more complex than “My Pet Goat”) – could he not find someone to read it to him – perhaps only the abstract?
    Which is it — incredibly stupid or incredibly sinister?


  49. mr ho says:

    Read MY LIPS No New Taxes

    I was in the DARK aka I was out of the Loop

    I dont recall

    I dont remember

    I was Drunk

    I was uninformed though my Job is to be informed

    I am the King and a Lie isnt a Lie its a Noble Cause

    I dont know the man

    I dont even Know Karl Rove


  50. War4Sale says:

    Bush pleads the Ignorance defense again. Just like he did after 9/11, Katrina, faulty intel on Iraq, and the Plame leak.

    So, even if you give him the benefit of the doubt in all four cases, the best thing you can say is that he’s completely incompetent.


  51. British non-troll Gary says:

    there are three things to know about American politics: the right thing, the wrong thing or nothing at all. Only Bush would prefer to know nothing at all.


  52. bushhater says:

    Bush is unaware because he’s too busy giving himself BJs. Monica Lewinsky, your country NEEDS you.


  53. Clif says:

    #52 She’s been outsourced for a guy named gannon, not that she really wanted to do Dumbya.



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