David Brooks Enters Bush’s ‘Universe,’ Walks Away Entranced By President’s ‘Self-Confidence’
David Brooks Enters Bush’s ‘Universe,’ Walks Away Entranced By President’s ‘Self-Confidence’
Describing it as an encounter that was “like entering a different universe,” New York Times columnist David Brooks recounts a recent conversation he had with President Bush in the White House. In the editorial entitled “Heroes and History,” Brooks writes:
I left the 110-minute session thinking that far from being worn down by the past few years, Bush seems empowered. His self-confidence is the most remarkable feature of his presidency.
110 minutes with Bush, and all Brooks appears to be able to offer his readers is a superficial diagnosis of Bush’s psychology that any right-wing pundit on Fox News could render. In his last column, Brooks wrote: “I figured that sometime between now and September the White House would be so isolated that it would have to launch withdrawal plans. But ending a war is as complicated as starting one. In order to wind up the Iraq conflict there has to be some general agreement about how to do it. We’re nowhere close to that.”
Presented with an opportunity in a meeting with Bush to determine where this “general agreement” might lie, Brooks uselessly offers that Bush “feels no need to compromise to head off opposition from Capitol Hill and is confident that he can rebuild popular support. ‘I have the tools,’ he said.” (This was one of only two quotes Brooks managed to gather from a 110 minute session.)
Enamored with Bush’s self-confidence, Brooks writes of the two sources from which it flows:
The first is his unconquerable faith in the rightness of his Big Idea. Bush is convinced that history is moving in the direction of democracy […]
Second, Bush remains energized by the power of the presidency. Some presidents complain about the limits of the office. But Bush, despite all the setbacks, retains a capacious view of the job and its possibilities.
In an effort to head off the obvious criticism over his panderific column, Brooks argues, “Bush is not blind to the realities in Iraq.” His evidence? Bush “lives through” difficult moments: “the trips to Walter Reed, the hours and hours spent weeping with or being rebuffed by the families of the dead.”
To hear Brooks say this, one might forget that thousands of Americans and Iraqis live painful personal trials of the same sort each day, and many of them have come to the self-confident realization that the war needs to end. And where Brooks had an opportunity with Bush to shatter some illusions about the future course in Iraq, Brooks opted instead to reinforce the neoconservative faith in the “rightness of his Big Idea.”
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130 Responses to “David Brooks Enters Bush’s ‘Universe,’ Walks Away Entranced By President’s ‘Self-Confidence’”
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I have a big idea for Brooks ass kissing Bush…
STFU!
And this from the most ‘liberal’ of the MSM, the New York Times. Gag me.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:36 amSociopath.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:37 amDescribing it as an encounter that was “like entering a different universe,†—- Yeah? and? I’d think it was obvious he wasn’t operating in our universe.
Some presidents complain about the limits of the office. But Bush, ———Makes his own rules!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:38 amHow dare anyone think Democracy is the way of the future. How dare you Bush! We don’t want Democracy anymore then we want to share Democracy with Iraq!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:39 amIt’s not self-confidence.
It’s ignorance, confusion and delusion.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:40 amWell since Bush operates in his own Fantasy World bubble with an adolescent mentality it’s not hard to see why bootlicker David Brooks was ga ga !
July 17th, 2007 at 10:41 amWhat crap. Bush’s big idea is “freedom” - something he talks about but doesn’t understand. It’s just a buzz word used by a sociopath who wants unlimited power.
And that weird use of Tolstoy as a straw man…what a strange and disturbed man David Brooks is!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:41 am“David Brooks…”, oh hold on, wait, i’m already laughing. Okay, go on, really what did he say again…
July 17th, 2007 at 10:41 amDemocracy? In the Bush/Cheney/Rove world, “democracy” means winnning just enough votes to be declared the winner, then carrying one like you are Musolini. Their actions show they hate democracy, compromise, accountability, and the rule of law.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:42 amThis was one of only two quotes Brooks managed to gather from a 110 minute session.)
he would have had more quotes, but for some odd reason, every time he picked up his pen, he felt an odd pain, like a mild electric shock, run up his arm.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:42 amIt kind of makes me worried that Bush thinks he can rebuild popularity after all he’s done. It makes me fear that he’s counting on another 9/11 to boost his approval ratings and possibly declare that since we’re in war we have to suspend elections or something like this.
Willing to Buy Tin Foil Hat!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:42 amsounds like the same experience as spending 110 minutes with an insurance salesman. Any sane person would be looking for sharp objects as they back out of the room, not this guy. He can’t remember any thing said, but it sure was impressive how this guy noted several pathological indicators of serious mental health issues, but didn’t recognize them for what they are. Do you think we should insist on a psychiatric eval of any politician? It seems really important when the tic itself makes statements that confirm the pathology.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:44 amWow! This proves that small minds are easily amused! David Brooks is obviously one of the very worst judges of character out there! He certainly has nothing to say that I’d want to hear!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:44 amI bet when Bushie entered the room Brooks got a RAAAGING CLUE…
July 17th, 2007 at 10:45 amBush seems empowered. His self-confidence is the most remarkable feature of his presidency.
It would be nice for the country if the “most remarkable featue” of the Bush presidency were, y’know, accomplishments, rather than simply the remarkable strength of the President’s delusions.
But I can see Brooks’s point.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:45 amGeorge W. BushCo Inc. has ONLY one BIG IDEA:
Money.
I hope this helps the criminal investigations.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:46 amJeez, that brings tears to my eyes to hear about the great courage, sacrifice and vision our Commander-in-Christ is bringing to th eOval Office
July 17th, 2007 at 10:46 amHow dare anyone think Democracy is the way of the future. How dare you Bush! We don’t want Democracy anymore then we want to share Democracy with Iraq!
Comment by Roger_Roger
If bush is so pro-Democracy, why is he working to destroy the greatest Democracy the world has ever known? Why did he say that “this would a heck of a lot easier if it were a dictatorship, as long as I was the dictator…hehehe.”?
He has repeatidly undercut democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan, and cozied up to dictators from Saudia Arabia and Pakistan.
you are a stooge RR.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:47 amBrooks is becoming even more of a slave to his mancrushes than Chris Matthews. Maybe we should get the two of them together.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:47 amHis “big idea?” Bush hasn’t had an idea in years. Unless Brooks means his embrace of the values of PT Barnum: There’s a sucker born every minute.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:48 amAll these years I took for granted Brooks’s good old fashioned conservativism on The News Hour. But he is very clearly a KOOK, now. And I am ashamed he is still invited to NPR to spew the talking point “no underlying crime” referring to the Libby case.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:48 amHe must be on the take. Cashing in for his retirement.
“Second, Bush remains energized by the power of the presidency. Some presidents complain about the limits of the office. But Bush, despite all the setbacks, retains a capacious view of the job and its possibilities.”
That’s because he knows when the false flag event is going to be launched and then he will declare marshall law.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:49 amNo surprises here. Keep moving.
The Bush toadie has urped again.
So. What.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:50 amI wonder if he’s confusing “self-confidence” with “delusional”?
July 17th, 2007 at 10:50 amBrooks is like all these other 25 percenters - they have no pride and thus no shame. It’s really just all about the money, they’ll say whatever their owners want them to say, so long as they get paid.
It’s high time in America to consider those who sell their opinions and souls for money in the same class as those who sell their bodies for money.
At least the latter aren’t ruining America.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:50 amSelf confidence or narcissistic delusions of grandeur?
July 17th, 2007 at 10:51 amOkay so Bush sounds like a cult leader. Not far off when you consider the slavish devotion he seems to garner from his supporters. Too bad for them, he doesn’t give a rats ass about what they think, or want. I have to say that while I liked Clinton, I didn’t have this sort of man crush on him the right wing has for Bush. Anyone listen to Cult of Personality by Living Color lately?
July 17th, 2007 at 10:52 am“His self-confidence is the most remarkable feature of his presidency.”
Too bad it’s not his competence.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:52 amDear David: How much energy does it take to be a part of a one-sided conversation? Bush has half of his brain in neutral at all times. A resting state is very…restful. Hummm.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:53 am“Bush, despite all the setbacks, retains a capacious view of the job and its possibilities.”
If today were 1776, David Brooks would be a royal courtier, resplendent in his red coat, penning gushing tributes to His Majesty King George’s wisdom, courage, and divinely-authorized powers.
It’s good to be King!!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:54 am“Some presidents complain about the limits of the office. But Bush, despite all the setbacks, retains a capacious view of the job and its possibilities.”
Easy to have that view when the constitution and laws of the country are your own roll of toilet paper.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:55 amThe Times’ effete NYC male journalists continue to be enamored with Bush’s pseudo-manliness.
Get over it!
July 17th, 2007 at 10:57 am27, Krazny, good song! Wonder whatever happened to the lead player?
July 17th, 2007 at 10:57 ambush: “i have the tools, and you’re one of them, david brooks!”
July 17th, 2007 at 10:57 amBrooks is like all these other 25 percenters - they have no pride and thus no shame.
Comment by Vice President Bush — July 17, 2007 @ 10:50 am
Conservatives have never had any shame, and at this point pride is a luxury they can’t afford.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:59 am“His self-confidence is the most remarkable feature of his presidency.â€
It’s a breeze to be supremely confident when you control all of the rules and can change them to suit yourself whenever you want. Of course this requires that you have no morals and no conscience, but W qualifies in spades on both those counts.
He learned from the best:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKseal.htm
July 17th, 2007 at 11:00 amRecipe for a pathologically confident president:
Start with a deficient intellect and a cold heart.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:01 amMortgage the soul.
Place in the presidency and medicate.
Supervise and adjust information and medication as necessary.
Here, let me fix this for you.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:01 amBut Bush, despite all the setbacks, retains a rapacious view of the job and its possibilities.
When you know for a fact that a false flag attack is about to seal the deal for your pending dictatorship and global rule - it’s easy to be self-confident - even cocky - to a fault.
http://www.911truth.org/ article.php?story=20070716230841584
Beware the land of unintended consequences, George.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:02 amAnother round of koolaide for the lunatic right wingers.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:02 amFor all the layers on top, just a bully and his sycophant. If you can remeber junior high school, you know the dynamic.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:03 amDon’t most manic-depressives suffer periods of grossly exaggerated self-confidence? Maybe his former substance issues where just an attempt at self-medication
July 17th, 2007 at 11:06 amAgain, ace, stellar posts.
Thanks for bearing up under the iron fist of the TP censorship…you’re a real inspiration.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:08 amPresident Randall P. McMurphy enthralls another neocon. I’m shocked.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:08 amBrooks is obvously enamoured of Bush.Being gay he probably sees him as the John Wayne “he man type”.He is so ga ga over him that he dosent see the damage he has done to this country.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:09 amWhen has Bush spent time with grieving military families? He’s been rebuffed by them? If true (no guarantees with Brooks), there are some juicy stories here for an enterprising reporter.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:10 am” It’s more of a theological perspective. I do believe there is an Almighty and I believe a gift of that almighty to all is freedom. And I will tell you that it is a principle that no one can convince me that doesn’t exist.”
Where to start on this load of gibberish ? Putting aside that the last sentence is incoherent, He actually thinks that his belief in an invisible being is the sky that gives us the gift of freedom is a principle ? No one can convince him this “principle” doesn’t exist ? HUH ? Think about that. It is delusional. No wonder he embraces intelligent design, the Terry Schivo idiocy , and his moronic position on stem cells. He doesn’t think, he just believes in things . The president of the United States of America doesn’t think our freedoms come from the constitution, the bill of rights and the consent of those governed but instead from his personal religious beliefs ? The president of country not only thinks this but says it in public ? WTF ? The man is a religious wing nut and unfit for his office.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:15 amYes Bush is blind to reality period and belongs in a alternate universe along with Cheney, Lieberman, and the rest of the totally insane neocons.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:16 amI love my President, I just love him soooo much.
I get all goose pimply when I think of his manliness……….Oooohhh!
July 17th, 2007 at 11:17 ambrooks in a bubble!
July 17th, 2007 at 11:18 am#18 So your worried Bush is hurting the chances for Democracy in Iraq? How is your demand that we surrender and leave going to help the chances for Democracy in Iraq?
July 17th, 2007 at 11:20 amCan you say Liquid Courage?
July 17th, 2007 at 11:20 amBush’s confidence comes out of a bottle or his daddy’s piggy bank. He knows when he fails, his daddy will be there to cover his behind. A self-made man he is not. More like self-made wretch.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:20 amBrooks managed to glean from his 110 minutes with the King that he is very confident in his delusions — which makes Brooks the most hack-tastic of all the hacks!
July 17th, 2007 at 11:20 amHe (Bush) is a freekin’ sociopath. No one has busted his chops yet. it’s not confidence, it’s mental illness.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:21 amBush’s role model, Alfred E. Newman has self confidence, too. What, me worry?
July 17th, 2007 at 11:22 amHitler, too, was “confident”, as Soviet troops massed four miles from the Fuhrer’s Chancellory bunker.
I’d call that confidence “insanity”, Mr. Brooks, but then I’m not a nut-job Republican.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:23 amI get all goose pimply when I think of his manliness……….Oooohhh!
Comment by Mr President
We’ve ALL known this for quite some time…
July 17th, 2007 at 11:26 amRoger_Rhetoric sez:
No, we’re worried that Chimpy is hurting the chances for democracy in America.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:28 amAnd was the President’s scent manly and reassuring, Mr. Brooks, perhaps English Leather w/ an undercurrent of sulfer and brimstone?
July 17th, 2007 at 11:30 amYeah — nice to know that Bush has 110 minutes to spin his bs with Brooks. What about the military families who are demanding action to end the War?
Read Brooks’ report from his talk with Bush and you will know why the NYTimes is going down the tubes. He was hired because of his overly cute commentary in “Bo-bos in Paradise.” Big mistake by the NYTimes.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:30 amNo, we’re worried that Chimpy is hurting the chances for democracy in America.
Comment by TripMaster Monkey
Let me re-phrase that for you, if I may…
…that Chimpy is hurting America, period.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:31 amHow is your demand that we surrender and leave going to help the chances for Democracy in Iraq?
Comment by Roger_Roger
There is something so irrational and dishonest about this statement it makes my head hurt to think about the confusion raging in your mind, Roger_Roger.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:33 amWhoa, don’t hold anything back, hterrya. Tell us how you REALLY feel.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:34 amOh how the servants jockey to praise the king… when will we ask - how much does it pay?
Are we wise to believe that the $240,000 paid to Armstrong Williams to produce favorable press coverage was the only incident of purchased journalism? When will we ask the endlessly optimistic opinion makers who praise Bush how much they received?
Buying the press, a few $100,000 at a time… why does no one ask?
July 17th, 2007 at 11:36 am“The Simpson’s”
Context: Bart has been expelled from school. Quote: “Bart, you need to graduate, otherwise you’ll end up having to go into the army. Then you’ll be shipped off to our next military quagmire. Where will it be? North Korea? Iran?
Who knows as long as Commander Koo-koo-Bananas is in charge!”
July 17th, 2007 at 11:37 amThanks, TRS - I forgot 4 (to be symetrical):
PUTZ!! PUTZ!! PUTZ!! PUTZ!! {:-)
July 17th, 2007 at 11:39 amHow is your demand that we surrender and leave going to help the chances for Democracy in Iraq?
Comment by Roger_Roger
If 80% of the Iraqi people want us out of their country and we persist with our occupation how can we claim we are supporting Democracy?
July 17th, 2007 at 11:39 amIt’s not self-confidence.
It’s ignorance, confusion and delusion.
Comment by Chaz — July 17, 2007 @ 10:40 am
Also, obstinance and arrogance.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:42 amIf over two-thirds of Americans want to begin bringing troops home and we persist in our occupation of Iraq, how can we claim to represent Democracy?
July 17th, 2007 at 11:42 amI translated some of Brooks’ adjectives since they are a bit confusing:
“Far from being beleaguered, Bush was assertive and good-humored.”
Bush was arrogant and self-absorbed.
“Bush seems empowered. His self-confidence is the most remarkable feature of his presidency.”
Bush seems delusional. His self-denial is the most remarkable feature of his presidency.
“The first is his unconquerable faith in the rightness of his Big Idea.”
…his unshakable rigidity in the rightness of his simplistic view.
“Bush remains energized by the power of the presidency”
Patient has psychosis and is unable to understand consequences of his actions.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:42 amComment by Jamie — July 17, 2007 @ 11:42 am
Thanks for the translation, Jamie! It’s spot on with true honesty.
That’s something Media Putz Brooksie could NEVER muster up!
July 17th, 2007 at 11:47 amInteresting how questioning the faith in the ‘Big Idea’ is so similiar to questioning the faith of an Evangelical Christian. Neither one is supported by fact or ‘reality’, it is all about personal speculation. Each skepticism also evolks extreme irrational response, usually in the form of personal attacks brought on the skeptic versus rational defense of the dogma.
Of course he seems ‘empowered’, he’s making a mockery of the Constitution, and no one is holding him to account. He’s gotten away with totally ignoring Congress, the Laws, and the People. Why shouldn’t he feel self-confident and empowered?
July 17th, 2007 at 11:50 amKeep in mind that when the neocons talk about “democracy”, they aren’t talking about any democracy that you or I would want.
Do the Rovian election tactics of 2000 and 2004 feel like “democracy” to you? Does keeping the public in the dark about important decisions, important facts sound like “democracy” to you?
Why in the hell do we want Iraq to be “democratic”? The first thing they did when we gave them the chance was impose Sharia-based laws on themselves! They rolled back secular laws protecting the rights of women. They want the slavery of Islam and Sharia, not the freedom of a Jeffersonian democracy.
Iraq has no history of democracy. Giving the Iraqi people the right to vote without also giving them the tools they need in order to properly exercise that right is not democracy. Simple majority (i.e., mob) rule is not democracy.
If I thought for one single moment that democracy in Iraq would be like that of Turkey or Israel then I’d be all for it. But instead, we will have an Iran-style “democracy” in which the Iraqi people will have a choice of mullahs on the ticket - but no secularlist will ever have a chance and Iraq will dissolve into an inevitable sectarian civil war.
Can you honestly say that even a single drop of American blood was worth that outcome?
July 17th, 2007 at 11:50 amIt makes me fear that he’s counting on another 9/11 to boost his approval ratings and possibly declare that since we’re in war we have to suspend elections or something like this.
Willing to Buy Tin Foil Hat!
Comment by Chris — July 17, 2007 @ 10:42 am
Scary stuff. I read an article on News max (hey, I read from all sources, not just liberal/progressive) about how Al qaeda is here, they have nukes, the plan is simultaneous attacks on 7 major cities, and we should be afraid, very afraid. They were taking excerpts from some book by some FBI ex-agent. I am not saying I believe it’s true, but it’s out there, and at the very least they are attempting to ramp up the fear.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:54 amBush’s Universe is separate from the ‘reality-based community’ most of us are forced to live in.
Why would anyone expect any of you BushHaters to change your opinion one whit based on stories like this? Reality doesn’t enter the conversation here.
People who actually meet President Bush are impressed by him, and say so, even if they disagree with his policies.
Just because President Bush is self-confident, and he actually uses the power of his office to accomplish his goals, does not make Bush delusional, a sociopath, etc. etc. etc. True leaders lead regardless of what the polls say, and continue to lead regardless of popular opinon.
Wait, I just realized I’m attempting to talk sense here in a rational and reasonable way…..sorry to interrupt…..
Let the irrational hatred continue!!!
Oh, wait! One more thing:
“Where to start on this load of gibberish ? Putting aside that the last sentence is incoherent, He actually thinks that his belief in an invisible being is the sky that gives us the gift of freedom is a principle ? No one can convince him this “principle†doesn’t exist ? HUH ? Think about that. It is delusional. No wonder he embraces intelligent design, the Terry Schivo idiocy , and his moronic position on stem cells. He doesn’t think, he just believes in things . The president of the United States of America doesn’t think our freedoms come from the constitution, the bill of rights and the consent of those governed but instead from his personal religious beliefs ? The president of country not only thinks this but says it in public ? WTF ? The man is a religious wing nut and unfit for his office.
Comment by Doug — July 17, 2007 @ 11:15 am”
Ever read any history, Doug? Have you ever read any of the words of the founders of our country? Are you even aware of our history?
It’s obvious by your post that either you have not read those words, are not aware of our history, or you merely choose to ignore the basic truths of the founding of our country.
Go do some soul searching, read some history, and then come on back when you have something intelligent to say.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:55 amIs there any evidence of Bush weeping with the families of dead soldiers? I haven’t seen any. Any film of Bush crying? Nope.
And, as for the two Big Ideas, isn’t this Newspeak at its most maddening? Bush has destroyed American democracy. He’s actively suppressed the vote, rigged vote counts, and used the office of USAttorney to meddle in elections at the eleventh hour.
As for being energized by the Presidency, well, it’s not hard when you’ve turned it into a dictatorship. Limits? Bush knows know limits. It won’t be until 2009 that we learn definitively that his “signing statements” were unconstitutional. Bush has ignored Congress and the courts. He’s ignored the UN and international treaties. No wonder he doesn’t feel the contraints of past presidents; the man is a law unto himself.
Brooks’ article is a case of shameless puffery. And reveals White House desperation. (Remember, this is the WH that gave almost no interviews in its first 4 years.) And it just reminds me of the great journalist Carole Coleman who confronted the Great Decider and wrote Ireland, I wanted to slap him! Read it and see what real journalism can do for the big idea of democracy.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:56 am“…unconquerable faith in the rightness of his Big Idea. Bush is convinced that history is moving in the direction of democracy…”
David Brooks and President Bush obviously missed that wheezing sound amid the chaos in Gaza, the carnage in Baghdad and the conflict in Lebanon. That was the final gasps of the Bush Doctrine in its death throes. Just two years after the President and his neo-conservative allies basked in the glow of their self-proclaimed moment of triumph, the Bush Doctrine of no safe havens for terrorists, American preventive war and democracy promotion is discredited, discarded - and dead.
For the details, see:
July 17th, 2007 at 11:56 am“The Death of the Bush Doctrine.”
democracy in iraq was and is a far too ambitious notion. you can’t just bestow democracy on people. they have to want it first. clearly the sectarian divisions have shown that the shiites are for the shiites, the sunnis are for the sunnis, and the kurds are for the kurds.
none of these groups wants a democracy wherein they share the power (and the oil revenue) with any of the others. iraq will split, eventually, and/or we’ll see a wider regional conflict that has the kurds fighting turkey, non-kurdish iraqis, and iran, the saudis (prominently sunni) fighting iran, israel taking the opportunity to “stabilize” palestine and perhaps lebanon (with syria a tempest in that teapot) while everyone’s distracted, and u.s. forces caught in the middle of it and in control of none of it.
iran and saudi arabia are already fighting a proxy war via iraq (yea, i’ll bet you wingnuts didn’t know that the majority of foreign intervention in iraq is coming from saudi arabia…hmm, what other group that attacked american interests was dominated by our allies the saudis? i’ll bet ace could say…)
this mess was begun at a time when saddam hussein’s secular regime was the lynchpin that kept iran in check. say what you will about him, but we had him contained and the iranians had too strong memories of the 8 year conflict they fought with him.
all we’ve done by destabilizing iraq is empower iran and put the saudis in a really bad position. saudi arabia definitely does not want a shiite-controlled iraq bordering it.
ultimately this oil grab will throw the whole region into turmoil and make us wish we were already energy independent, because oil prices are going to go through the roof.
have a nice day, and thanks, wingnuts, for your neverending support of this grand foreign policy disaster.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:56 amWhen will Brooks start having nightmares about the mysterious anal probing he recieved while on the space ship that took him to Bush’s alternative universe?
-GSD
July 17th, 2007 at 11:57 amPerhaps I’m reading more into Brooks’ column than is actually there, but taken as a whole, I suspect that his praise for Bush is more ironic than serious. As a card-carrying liberal, I’ve always enjoyed Brooks as a relatively realistic and sane conservative. As I read his column today I grew increasingly appalled. But in the last few paragraphs, I think Brooks made his real point. Tolstoy, not Bush, is Brooks’ “hero,” I suspect.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:59 amIt’s another universe alright - Bush is orbiting the planet of Denial in the Failcon system.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:02 pmthe only way i wouldn’t believe that terrorists nuking american cities was a false flag operation is if washington d.c. was one of the targets and both bush and cheney were there when it happened (and didn’t survive).
otherwise the likely targets (la, sf, ny, chi, and so forth) are all dem strongholds and not only help republicans by sowing terror and making everyone irrational, but also get rid of a lot of democrats. california, illinois and new york state would all become red states.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:03 pmBush..Character and Iraq Responsibility
– at cognitorex –
.
And there was the point in W’s remarks last night to the Press where he said, “I asked the Military (Tommy Franks) if we had enough troops to do the job, including doing the job after we had defeated Saddam and the answer was yes.”
His Father, the CIA, General Shinseki and Colin Powell told him the truth which he ignored or in the case of the General Shinseki, he fired as he rushed pell mell into the neocon nightmare.
Now he is reconstructing that he at least asked the right questions, that the debacle is not his fault. This is actually quite sad.
If he admits the truth that he, in conjunction with Cheney, Rumsfeld and many others, for reasons still not wholly understood, deliberately went against the advice of the majority of experts then he has to say, “I am to blame.”
It is a hell of a choice.
He can admit the truth that his plan and planning was incompetent and made America less safe and less respected. He can admit the truth that he, as Commander in Chief, in the end, bears the ultimate responsibility for this horrendous misadventure.
Or he can cling to a concocted excuse that once upon a time, after he had dispensed with all contrarion voices, that he did ask a General “Do we have enough troops?”
The whole world knew prior to Bush Jr.s’ elections that he had in his lifetime established no record of integrity, courage and character.
We should not expect him to display such ethical fortitude now.
It’s sad for George W.. It’s sad for his family. And it’s sad for America and all Americans.
Labels: blame, Bush, criminal incompetence, Iraq
July 17th, 2007 at 12:05 pmYeah, and Hitler had that same self-confidence right up to the moment he and Eva committed suicide, and Goebbels poisoned his own children.
He was absolutely convinced of his righteousness till the very end, in fact penning words for condemning the German people for failing him and the Reich.
Such confidence. No wonder Brooks was so impressed. Either that, or he liked the smell of George W.’s manly cologone, most worshippers of these bastards seem to be blown over easily be stuff like that.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:05 pmFor Duhbya to be energized and not utterly defeated shows that he is, in fact, living in an alternate universe and completely detached from reality.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:05 pmO.Bigfoot in O.Bigmouth
You’ve tried the “founding fathers….” tact before and several of us have posted quotes from those very founding fathers which debunk your position. Got any quotes from them which support the war mongering and monarchy building of BushCo?
July 17th, 2007 at 12:06 pmwhat a slathering load of horsesh*t!
July 17th, 2007 at 12:07 pmDavid Brooks is an idiot, wingnut
& has never written anything that remotely resembled reality.
why do people even pay attention to this cretin?
Comment by jsh1120 — July 17, 2007 @ 11:59 am
“…Brooks as a relatively realistic and sane conservative. ”
Sorry, we have got to disagree on this one. Your description of Media Putz Brroks makes no more sense to me than the Putz’s description of the current corrupt, crooked president makes sense (i.e., NONE).
July 17th, 2007 at 12:07 pmBobo Brooks attempt to lend an intellectual patina to George Bush fails miserably. Suggesting that the president reflects by analyzing “historical theory” is perhaps a double pun: He means “reflex” as in muscle movement, not intellectual inquiry. And as all pundits of Darwin’s theory know, “theory” is merely a partially informed guess with no scientific basis.
Brooks is a naked apologist hoping to fill William Safire’s hardened wingtips; sadly, his softened intellectual feet would fit snugly into Cinderella’s slippers. He remains an apprentice wordsmith who pretends that the brittle fiberglass of this president armor is really hardened steel.
In purporting to describe Mr. Bush, he suggests an intelligence that is not there, an ability to reflect that is painfully absent, and an informed self-doubt that does not exist. Mr. Brooks is a liar.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:07 pmo bigfoot,
which history would you have us read?
merely claiming knowledge of history is not, in fact, demonstrating any knowledge of history.
put up or shut up.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:10 pmMay Bush is going Green and is going to save on toilet paper by using David Brooks face.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:12 pmhard to take notes when you have your head in your ass. Unreal. What world does Brooks live in that he is so ignorant of the consequences of dubya’s actions. If I were as bad @ my job as Brook is @ his, I’d have been canned long ago.
What a jerk.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:13 pmComment by ∞Ω — July 17, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
“…Bush is going Green and is going to save on toilet paper by using David Brooks face.”
He already has. Didn’t you see the photo of the Media Putz at the beginning of this thread? Looks like the current corrupt, crooked president has been doing it for quite some time!
July 17th, 2007 at 12:16 pmoutsourced-
“as all pundits of Darwin’s theory know, “theory†is merely a partially informed guess with no scientific basis.”
no scientific basis? there is an abundance of science that goes toward proving the theories of relativity, gravity and evolution. yet they are still “theories” not because there is no science, but because science has yet to irrefutably prove these theories are exactly true.
there are a number of scientists that would take offense to your statement, and it also goes to show what a good job the intelligent design proponents have done with cognitive dissonance.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:23 pmMaybe Bush is going Green….
July 17th, 2007 at 12:24 pmSorry, folks.
His self-confidence is the most remarkable feature of his presidency.
David Brooks
Doesn’t he mean self-delusion?
July 17th, 2007 at 12:27 pmfurther theory, the definition from the american heritage dictionary:
so that’s hardly a partially informed guess with no scientific basis.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:28 pmHis remarkable self confidence is what we used to call dillusions of granduer back in the days when we had ascended from the school yard. But back on the school yard there were more colorful descriptions. “He’s so full of himself” was one. “Shithead” was more frequent. My dad used to describe his type of self-confidence thusly: “He was born on third-base and thinks he hit a triple.
My President is a douchebag.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:42 pmThursday, May 3, 2057
********************
MAN WAKES FROM 50 YEAR COMA
A Des Moines man has unexpectedly woken from a 50 year long coma today, after he’s been hidden all these years from the terrorist “Librul Murican Coalition” group, who have been trying to remove his feeding tube.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:42 pmHis first words were “Somebody has got to stop President Bush before it’s too late”, which brought rampant laughter from the hospital staff. When someone told him that President Bush was the last American President who also was responsible for saving the entire planet from Islamofascism, and that current King of the World, George W. Bush the fifth was now the planet’s supreme ruler, the man got up and lept to his death through an opened window. He didn’t die from impact, because it was a first floor window. He obviously didn’t know that it was 150 degrees fahrenheit outside and that the hospital was surrounded by boiling hot ocean water as a result of global warming.
The reference to Darwin’s theory was snark. It is a description used by proponents of Intelligent Design “Theory”, aka creationism, who try to criticize natural selection by misusing the scientific meaning of the term “theory” by substituting an inaccurate colloquial one that suggests it is just a “guess” about how things work and no more viable a one than theirs.
The reference was intended to poke fun at Brooks’ laughable assertion that George Bush is analytical, contemplative, or well-read.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:43 pmAnd as all pundits of Darwin’s theory know, ‘theory’ is merely a partially informed guess with no scientific basis.”
No. A scientific Theory, as compared to just a conventional “theory,” is one that fits all available scientific evidence and is not contradicted by any available scientific evidence. The reason it is a “Theory,” as compared to a “Law,” is that the means of conclusively proving it are simply not known (cf. Einstein’s “Theory of Relativity). Such Theories are absolutely based solidly on science.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:44 pm“And as all pundits of Darwin’s theory know, ‘theory’ is merely a partially informed guess with no scientific basis.â€
How much further off topic could a mindless troll be on this thread?
The topic is Media Putz Brooks and his “self-confident” idol, the current corrupt, crooked president.
Mindless troll, get on topic, or GET UNDER THE BRIDGE!
July 17th, 2007 at 12:52 pmBrooks just appreciated the reach around. He was surprised that Bush was considerate of his needs too.
Brooks said the Sadam mask was a little uncomfortable, it kept slipping and was hot, but Bush is a quick finisher.
It’s a wonder he remembered any quotes.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:55 pmnanlichi — you think Bush would be generous enough to provide a reach-around?
July 17th, 2007 at 1:06 pmDavid and George in bed together. EEEEEEEW!!
July 17th, 2007 at 1:14 pmDavid Brooks has been paid by the GOP and a true suck up even lying for Bush. Now when the White House crime team is gone Brooks better hope they find a job for him on Fox News like they did Novak. Oh and Tony Snow might have to use HMO for insurance.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:15 pmWhen David Brooks speaks on PBS he down plays his suck up talk about Bush as the show doesn’t allow promotions of a party just the facts.
“Far from being worn down by the past few years, Bush seems empowered.”
The drugs were just taking effect.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:19 pmI know, it surprised me too!
It must be a measure of how desperate Bush is to keep the 25%ers that he would be so considerate. The glimmer of hope for a reach around is what keeps the 25%ers on board. The trolls would probably deny that that is their motivation, but that’s a flimsy veil.
It’s the only thing that makes sense. There is not a shred of logic or reality in their sycophantic support, what else could it be?
July 17th, 2007 at 1:20 pmhe spent 109 of those 110 minutes bent over squeeling like a pig.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:34 pmTheme song for Bush and the Neocons who never met a group of muslims they didn’t want to kill.
Chain…Chain..Chain…Chaine of fools.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:46 pmIf Brooks was entranced by Bush, he has no business covering him.
Anybody who’s got their head that far up the man’s ass should recuse himself.
I was saddened to discover that poor President Bush suffers when he’s rebuffed by the familes of the dead. Boo-de-fucking-hoo-hoo.
The only ones paying a “death tax” in our country are the families of our brave fallen. You got that, Frank Luntz, you porcine maggot?
July 17th, 2007 at 1:46 pmIt is time for the sick, insane, degenerate old men who start these wars to suit up and start fighting them. You go first, Brooks, you sick twisted, insane degenerate old man. Take Cheney and Bush with you. Tote an M-16 in Baghdad, you’re so sure this will work. Get your chicken-hawk asses over there, stat.
Surely he wrote this column spark up the blogosphere. NO ONE who has two neurons touching could possibly believe that utter hubris and complete lack of empathy is equivalent to self-confidence. I would recommend therapy for the whole lot of them, except that it there are no known successful treatments for sociopathology.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:54 pmMy first reaction is why Bush can devote 110-minutes for such a trivial interview. I guess it’s a PR ploy. Don’t you think Bush has better things to do with his time?
Bush is living in la-la land. He really needs help, because he’s living in a fantasy world.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:55 pmhterrya, read the thread, read the thread, read the thread.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:56 pm‘I have the tools’
And they all come here to post comments expressing their undying support for their Dear (mis)Leader.
Tools indeed.
July 17th, 2007 at 4:20 pmDavid Brooks - Media Putz of the week for July 12, 2007. http://www.mediaputz.com
Given his recent putzy performance memorialized in this post, he may get the award for July 19, 2007, as well.
Let’s all give Media Putz David Brooks a resounding cheer:
PUTZ!!
July 17th, 2007 at 4:40 pm“…like entering a different universe.â€
It’s called Fantasy Island, David.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:33 pm“O.Bigfoot in O.Bigmouth
You’ve tried the “founding fathers….†tact before and several of us have posted quotes from those very founding fathers which debunk your position. Got any quotes from them which support the war mongering and monarchy building of BushCo?
Comment by PatrioticLiberalChristian(PLC) — July 17, 2007 @ 12:06 pm
o bigfoot,
which history would you have us read?
merely claiming knowledge of history is not, in fact, demonstrating any knowledge of history.
put up or shut up.
Comment by lonesomerobot — July 17, 2007 @ 12:10 pm”
I only have one question: Why should I be held to any higher standard than any of you? All I see here is opinion, baseless charges, and unbridled hatred for our country and our President. The problem is yours, not mine.
I have nothing to prove, because I know I am right. The documents and the writings are there for anyone to read, even the lazy. That you choose to ignore them is not my concern, for the documents and writings do exist for anyone who has half and inkling to seek them out and read. This country was founded on Christian principles, as a Christian nation, and with deference to the Almighty. It’s all there for anyone who cares to find out for themselves.
Simple as that.
Now, go educate yourselves, and come on back so we can have an intelligent conversation.
July 17th, 2007 at 5:55 pmRichard Brooks has head so far up Bush and the neo-cons ass for a long time. He’s on the News Hour on PBS all the time, spitting out the dung that he ingested. Nothing new.
July 17th, 2007 at 9:40 pmwell, we better hurry up and make ourselves amateur historians and slam the truth on their asses before their amateur historians(brooks and frum, et.al) have this fool splitting the atom, slaying dragons, running two-minute miles, filling in for Atlas, and all that insane kind of stuff they do to mythologize reagan.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:50 pmIt’s interesting the Bush called everyone under him “tools.”
He told Brooks that he “has the tools” to presumably turn around his abyssmal poll rating and stop his legacy from sinking even further.
And he could only be referring to all the Republican politicians and Republican pundits who he views as his “tools,” who will blindly obey anything that Bush commands, even if it ends up destroying the Republican Party as well as destroying our democracy.
What a pitiful, pitiful president.
July 18th, 2007 at 3:20 amBrooks has just described a person who is absolutely INSANE! Bush has no compassion for those 30,000 dead and wounded military people.
The remarks that Dumbya believes God told him to attack Iraq as a soveriegn nation, His cherry picking intelligence, Making his boast’s of “Bring em on. Mission Accomplished, Dead or Alive, etc” Show the lack of the belief we or most of us have in God. This story actually made me almost sick!
This country will only survive if Dumbya and shoot em up Cheney, are IMPEACHED!!!!!
July 18th, 2007 at 12:54 pmFrom all I have read, heard, and seen of him I believe that Bush is a psychopath. One hallmark of his affliction is the
July 18th, 2007 at 3:14 pmtenacity with which he embraces belief and confidence in the face of all external evidence to the contrary. In one sense he is not
criminal but strangely innocent: he lies and dissembles in support of his convictions without the capacity to recognize, within
himself, the lies. This seems to many to demonstrate in him a stalwart, righteous, brave, and moral conviction. I think it is
anything but, and it is easy for the uncritical to be seduced by his insouciance.
When a Republican holds the Presidency, he’s a moron. When a Democrat does, he’s a God. The power makes fools of them all!!!
July 18th, 2007 at 4:41 pmDavid Brooks has left the level of mere slimy sycophant and become a truly Evil liar of significant proportions.
David Brooks tells BIG, BIG lies to deceive the Public and enable tyranny and corruption.
He is a strong and willing enabler of Evil, and as such,
is thoroughly evil himself.
Yes–The Devil DOES wear dorky glasses!
July 18th, 2007 at 10:44 pmIn other words, the president is a narcissistic egomaniacs convinced he has been divinely ordained to act as the engine of history. He clings to these delusions even as his world crashes down around him. Despite an unbroken track record of failure, he believes it is his destiny to succeed, and will tolerate no limits on his powers as leader.
There were people who walked out of the bunker in Berlin in 1945 with similar impressions.
July 21st, 2007 at 1:13 pmApparently David Brooks has never heard medical people discuss the almost inhuman energy levels sometimes exhibited by the seriously mentally ill. Mr. Bush is a dangerous man who wouldn’t recognize reality if it spit in his eye (which it seems to be doing on a daily basis). It’s not self-confidence, you dunce, it’s madness. Too bad Lies of Our Times is no longer published. Mr. Schaap could have had a field day with this one.
July 26th, 2007 at 2:26 pmO Bigfoot again asserts that he is right because he has the documents that proves that Bush is a righteous leader, that since Bush is a Christian that he has the right to lead us into battle. Obviously, since Christians are involved and approve of their leader, the rest of us unbelievers should shut up and not criticize them. What a farce. He claims that he knows the truth, that any and all charges brought against Bush and his administration must be false, because there is no proof. O Bigfoot has his foot in his mouth, and therefore cannot see the truth. Bush is a liar and a cheat, and is so full of himself he cannot see that he is not only destroying our democracy with his false claims of executive powers and privileges but that his foreign policies have no basis in reality. Unfortunately, people like O Bigfoot worship at the feet of false gods, unlike the Christians who founded this country, and who were so wise that they wrote into our Constitution a separation of church and state so that false Christian facists could not assert that this is a Christian country without going against the spirit and words of the Constitution, thereby proving to one and all that they are traitors to the Constitution and to the democracry that has stood against people like them for over 200 years.
August 6th, 2007 at 10:57 pmI laughed; I cried. It was better than Cats!
August 8th, 2007 at 2:36 pm