Think Progress

Bush: Laura and I gave up entertaining because of the Iraq war.

During an interview yesterday with NBC News’s John Yang, President Bush offered his reason as to why he and his wife Laura haven’t been “big entertainers” at the White House over the years:

BUSH: We’ve had a lot of fun in this experience. We haven’t been a real social first couple. A lot of it had to do with the war. There were periods of the presidency where it was just inappropriate to be big entertainers But we had a lot of friends and family here in the White House and its been really a lot of fun.

Watch it:

Last May, Bush also said that he gave up golfing because of the Iraq war, in “solidarity” with U.S. troops and their families. Nevertheless, as Bush noted, his time in the White House has “been really a lot of fun.”



61 Responses to “Bush: Laura and I gave up entertaining because of the Iraq war.”

  1. Uncle Ho says:

    boo, phuckin hoo. WAR CRIMINAL!


  2. Buckie Boy says:

    Bush has ‘Friends’?

    The only entertaining he has had anything to do with has been giving Comedians some excellent material….

    ….unfortunately.


  3. sectionop92 says:

    Just like golf?

    Go to hell!!!!


  4. Zooey says:

    Bush is so full of shit.


  5. sectionop92 says:

    Just like golf?

    Just go away and go to hell already!


  6. ElBruce says:

    Woo hoo, it’s been a freakin’ carnival. A laff riot. Yeah.

    And he didn’t give up golf when he gave up golf.


  7. VerbalKint says:

    Yeah, he’s been hitting the bottle at home instead.


  8. Nevar says:

    Glad you had fun, George.

    Not so much fun for 4,209 dead and 30,852 wounded U.S. service people.
    Or for 86,000 dead Iraqis. Who can guess how many wounded.


  9. Southern Beale says:

    Wait, what was that fancy shindig with the Queen of England? You know, the one in May 2007 which, near as I can recall, occurred while the Iraq War was still in full swing?


  10. sectionop92 says:

    I guess Dumbya thought playing the game of RISK with real soldiers and people was tons of fun.

    Too bad the rest of us aren’t laughing.


  11. misshusseinmolly says:

    How many other things has he “given up” because of the war? Is this going to be his excuse for anything that might be perceived as a behavior oddity?

    If he really didn’t want to appear clueless, he’d attribute his lack of entertaining (or anything else he has some bizarre need to apologize for) by claiming he’s “giving it up” because of “the economy”. Ya gotta keep up with the BS excuse du jour, ya know…


  12. Uncle Ho says:

    Never before in the history of American conflicts, has there been someone more deserving of a fragging by GIs.


  13. Nevar says:

    It was too embarrassing to have guests over, what with Barney either wanting to bite them, or climb their legs…


  14. dbadass says:

    Did this have anything to do with George getting all weirded out everytime a guest wanted a drink?


  15. nanlichi says:

    Bush has been entertaining, like a snuff film.

    Lying to a country to start a war of choice, torture, rendition, Au Gahraib, Gitmo, Katrina, My Pet Goat, outing a CIA agent, ideology over science……… and oh yes, the Bush Recession.

    Bush should commit sepuku on the front steps of the White House on January 19th and beg for his country’s forgiveness.


  16. sectionop92 says:

    I bet the one thing G.W. didn’t give up was meat (a real sacrifice people made for his dad and other troops in WWII).

    He could falsely give up entertainment & some sports, saying he provided for the troops but didn’t, gave loyalty tests to troops just to have turkey dinner with him, etc.

    I’d say when it comes to sacrifice, maybe all Bush lost was some sleep that eventually got treated with some pills and vodka.


  17. spencers mom says:

    Just more proof that the idiot has been drinking in secret all along.

    PEACE


  18. livelongandprosper says:

    It wasn’t supposed to be like a trip to Disney World! Sheeesh


  19. Witch1 says:

    Gave up partie’s because of the war.? That would be the one’s he and cheney created for their own entertainment, right?…Jeebos what a mucking foron..Blessings


  20. Nevar says:

    It’s hard to entertain when no one shows up for the party.


  21. Juan C. says:

    What war?

    Mission was accomplished a month after the entrance to Baghdad in April 2003.


  22. sectionop92 says:

    How did Karl Rove describe the office of the president to Bush?

    “Don’t worry, it’ll be like being the owner of the Texas Rangers again. Just that most of the other owners will have funny voices and you’ll have to treat them like a non-legacy at Yale if they get out of line.”


  23. Crusty Old Bastard says:

    “President Bush offered his reason as to why he and his wife Laura haven’t been “big entertainers” at the White House over the years…”

    The only entertainers willing to take on the job were clowns and they couldn’t compete with the in-hoiuse court jester.

    The main reason is because there were no positive responses to their RSVP’s.


  24. impeachcheneythenbush says:

    Off topic, but this was just too rich to not post.

    “Lorraine Henderson, the regional director of Homeland Security, Customs, and Border Protection, was arrested Friday at her home in Salem. She was expected to appear in federal court later Friday.

    Henderson is responsible for stopping illegal aliens from entering the country through the Port of Boston.

    But according to an affidavit, for several years Henderson employed a Brazilian housekeeper who was an illegal immigrant. She also allegedly hired two other illegal immigrants, even after fellow agents warned her it was against the law.”

    http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_12/015940.php


  25. Joe Sixpack says:

    But we had a lot of friends and family here in the White House and its been really a lot of fun.

    Like Carl Rove and old Dick Cheney. I bet they were a barrel of laughs to hang out with all right. And who can’t forget the fun of having two wars run by that old friend and office clown, Donald Runsfelt. I mean, you talk about loads of fun!!!

    And I’ll always remember the fun and laughs from family members like the Bush girls, as they recovered from their drunken bashes. And who can forget the fun of having to hide brother Niel Bush’s questionable business dealings and how Neil likes to cavort with whores and prostiutes to the point that it led to his divorce in 2003? And who can forget the laughts about how brother Jeb’s wife was caught by customs agents in 1999 when she tried to smuggle jewelry into the US?

    Yeah, this administration has been a barrel of laughs all right.


  26. had enough says:

    Is Bush that stupid.. or does he think the public is stupid to believe such a comment?

    The madman moron has lost it and is probably on the sauce. I’m sure Laura is also waiting for Jan 20th where she can rid herself of the public eye and ditch the b@stard.


  27. McWars says:

    Our troops gave up their lives for your lies, stupid houseplant.


  28. Witch1 says:

    Oh I remember, he had parties with that Gannon guy, right.?..Guess you thought we didn’t notice that one bull shit bush…P.B. & J..


  29. sectionop92 says:

    had enough Says:

    Is Bush that stupid.. or does he think the public is stupid to believe such a comment?

    The man went to Yale and talks like Sean Penn from “I Am Sam”. He probably thinks he can talk down to anyone, just as long as his worshipers don’t collapse the bubble he’s encased himself in.


  30. Marie says:

    The fact is that Bush NEVER liked entertaining – he always preferred a casual get together with casual food and manners.
    We all saw him at state dinners chewing with his mouth open, talking with food in his mouth, and behaving boorishly. He is an uncultured oaf (is that redundant?). A buffoon.
    To say he gave up something he never wanted to do is like a kid saying he was giving up spinach for lent.
    He also lied when he said he gave up golf for the war — what a crock of bull from an incorrigible liar, the guy with no ethics, few morals, and puts his own comfort and selfinterests first.


  31. Perry logan says:

    I never thought they had much of a band on the first place.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WugcAuQMP1s


  32. Joe Sixpack says:

    Marie Says:
    We all saw him at state dinners chewing with his mouth open, talking with food in his mouth, and behaving boorishly. He is an uncultured oaf (is that redundant?). A buffoon.

    Thats so funny! And wouldn’t you think that Laura would have taught him a few manners after she sobered him up and got him into some clean clothes?


  33. impeachcheneythenbush says:

    It amazes me how much Bush has aged in the last 8 years. Since he’s had so much “fun” and described his time as President as “joyous” to Brian Williams, the only explanation I can come up with is the reverse of the story, “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”


  34. livelongandprosper says:

    It amazes me how much Bush has aged in the last 8 years.

    Likewise. I watched The Daily Show the other night and Jon showed clips from 2000. He sure has aged and not in a “Wow that must have been a great time” kind of way.


  35. had enough says:

    What is it about the Iraq invasion Bush is sad about?

    Certainly not the slaughter and killings as the Bush cabal showed much enthusiasm over shock and Awe… a dropping of 4000 bombs in 48 hrs. over a population of half under the age of 16… over known lies.


  36. had enough says:

    If there is any true sadness in Bush over Iraq it is because:

    He doesn’t deserve or get a legacy of being a successful war president.


  37. Leftside Annie says:

    Yeah, right, like he gave up golf.

    Uh-huh. Yeah. Ri-i-i-i-i-i-i-ght.


  38. nanlichi says:

    But, he will be remembered.

    And I hope someday to visit his library and pay him the respect he is due. Two pounds of steaming respect.


  39. jb says:

    Give up what’s left of your miserable life, you POS.


  40. Shayne says:

    They didn’t have parties because they couldn’t find other adults who would show up at 5 in the afternoon so the imbecile host could be in bed by 8 pm. What an oaf.


  41. celtic cynic says:

    Methinks they gave up entertaining because he was always drunk before the first guest arrived.


  42. Nevar says:

    I gave up believing I would ever be able to travel safely abroad because of the Iraq war.


  43. AmandaBlow says:

    War profiteering is a lot of fun for the profiteers. Just keep the have-mores happy and screw the rest. The idiot had 8 years of fun-packed adventure while families lost their loved ones in a crminal war. I truly wish this idiot and his family death!


  44. Uosdwis says:

    No, because of the combination that nobody wants to be seen with you and that you’re socially inept.


  45. SP Biloxi says:

    “Bush: Laura and I gave up entertaining because of the Iraq war.”

    The blow is really messing up the clown President’s mind. Gave up entertaining? Is golf, booze and blow are into that equation too? He is still searching for a legacy when in fact, there isn’t one that he has earned. Leadership is earned not given. And the idiot still hasn’t learned that he brought the President title: twice! What Bush put into this country and Presidency is exactly what he is exiting with out the door come January 20th: nothing.


  46. barfly says:

    Hard to imagine Bush will be very much in demand on the mashed-potatoes circuit, what with his ushering in socialized America, and all.

    What he’s going to do? Baseball commissioner’s out. Ditto, internationally-respected geo-political authority. I’m thinking an audio book, with a narrative of his days in office. The 23%’ers would suck it up like creamed-style corn.

    Or, he could always set up a stand at the front gates of the ranch: George’s Fresh-Squeezed “Taste of Freedom” Lemonaide.

    Staffed by the Secret Service, and a quick road-side stop for cheap fireworks, untaxed cigarettes, and an occasional cup-signing appearance by the forty-third president of the United States.

    Maybe they’ll let him join the local volunteer fire department. That would be more than comedy gold: comedy platinum.


  47. Marie says:

    Barfly,
    If they allow him into the local Crawford volunteer fire department, he can be in charge of brush fires, since he seems to be an expert on brush.

    BTW, did you hear that he think retired people might like to not retire to a warm climate, but to do volunteer work for HIV-AIDS — of course, that isn’t what he has in mind for himself.
    He actually said that. What a fool, an embarrassing fool.


  48. marlow says:

    Yeah, it wouldn’t be because you’re a complete F-ing A-hole who isolated the entire country and then yourself from the world with your incompetence and mendacity, and then turned the whole thing into a bunker with your treachery…


  49. dasm says:

    “But we had a lot of friends and family here in the White House and its been really a lot of fun.”

    While we kill hundreds of thousands of Iraqis & displace millions. Oh, and kill lots of American troops, then deny them aid when they come home. It’s really been a lot of fun.

    Seriously, Bush has sociopath written all over him.


  50. southrnbelle says:

    GLAD YOU’RE HAVING SUCH A GREAT TIME, YOU DESPICABLE PIECE OF GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  51. jb says:

    Why don’t you give up air, you reptile. How many are no longer breathing thanks to you and your cohorts?


  52. Musk says:

    I say we nominate W for sainthood [I know he's protestant, but I'm sure the Pope can make an exception]. Where do I go to start the paperwork?


  53. AlexLawyer says:

    Along with some of the above readers, I suspect that Jack Daniels has been a daily visitor to the White House, and keeping the myth of Jesus’ miraculous change of Bush’s heart and cure of his alcoholism going precluded inviting potential witnesses to the contrary.


  54. curious says:

    What a liar. He was photographed playing golf just a few months after he said that.

    So he gave up entertaining. That’s probably because no one would come. With all the death and misery he is responsible for he gave up entertaining. I am positive the families of all the dead Americans and those in Iraq will sleep better knowing about his BIG sacrifice.

    Let’s hear it for the commander and chimp. OOPS! I meant commander and chief. I always get those two mixed up.


  55. LibertyLover says:

    Nevertheless, as Bush noted, his time in the White House has “been really a lot of fun.”

    —… except for the rest of us.


  56. Jane E. Schneider says:

    Okay, who was the a-hole who recently said that Bush really is a good speaker, he just speaks slowly and thoughtfully because he wants to find the exact appropriate word?

    “FUN”?!


  57. sacopenapa says:

    This War Criminal should be hanged for his immoral crimes! HAGUE 2009!!! If Laura Bush want to follow him and be hanged together, it would be fine by me!


  58. impeachy keen says:

    This coming from the man who let himself be filmed pretending to look under his desk for nuc-u-lar weapons? “I know they’re here somewhere!” Yeah, that was a laff riot.

    Like he says, he and Laura didn’t entertain a lot in the sense of having social engagements, but he must’ve been having “fun” judging by some of those mysterious bruises on his face early on in his presidency (before they drunk-proofed the White House and removed all the sharp corners on furniture).

    I hope he has even more fun now that the worst eight years in the history of american presidents are over. So much fun that the fun causes him to drive into a tree, fall down a flight of stairs or stumble off of a boat and drown.


  59. osage says:

    If this utterly useless and irredeemable pretender were not the son of GHWB, the only FRIENDS he’d have would be a bartenders, hookers and a bail bondsmen.


  60. Bozo The Neoclown says:

    more like they don’t want to get all sad when they start getting the “can’t come, have to floss my teeth that night” responses from the people they invited.


  61. wmhogg says:

    Fun? What about the last eight years has been fun?

    He’s just a child. A stupid, stupid child.

    I saw a show on one of the science channels about the brain. They found that with serial killers who expressed no remorse about their crimes, they more often than not had a small amygdala, a part of the brain associated with emotions, agression, fear, and memory consolidation.

    I would like to believe that Bush is not evil, and that his lack of remorse for his crimes means that he merely has a microscopic amygdala.

    Naaahhh! He’s evil.



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