I was excited. It was the night of the prelims for the women’s Olympic gymnastics team. When I was eleven I watched the Romanian team, led by Nadia Comaneci, kick butt at the 1976 summer games. Ever since that year I have enjoyed the summer games and watched the gymnastics events faithfully. Perhaps I also secretly wished that I could have flipped and twisted and flown like those young women did. I am 5’9″… gymnastics class was a dismal failure for me.
So last night I forced my hubby to turn on the games and tried to convince my 14-year old daughter to watch with me. No luck on that front – I guess we watched as kids because the Olympics provided a break from the usual programming. Kids don’t have that problem with television boredom today with the 4,237 channels available…
Anyway, during a break in the action Bob Costas was joined by President George W. Bush for a little sit-down. Bob asked some great questions, even digging a little deeper than I would have assumed he would for a little Olympic filler bit.
As usual, our illustrious leader kept his bemused “I will pretend I am interested in what you’re saying because I don’t really care what you’re saying” smile on the whole time. But my personal opinion of the man aside, I was absolutely dumbstruck by one of his comments. Bob asked how he was handling the discussions with Russia’s Vladimir Putin about the trouble they’re encountering on the global front because of their “disproportionate” response to a bombing by Georgian forces, given the problems the United States was also dealing with. He was alluding to the fact that some countries (read: MOST countries) think we need to keep our noses out of their business, and with the housing slump, the oil prices, the rising cost of feeding a family, the lousy economy in general… how is it playing with other leaders that we should be giving out advice?
Mr. Bush, proving unequivocably that he is, indeed, completely out of touch with the reality of his constituents’ lives, said “First of all, I don’t think the United States has any problems…”
Yep, that’s right. He doesn’t think that families losing their homes is a problem. He also doesn’t think it’s a problem that major auto manufacturers are losing money because so many people have stopped buying trucks and SUVs, while at the same time his pals who run oil companies are making the highest profits IN HISTORY on their products. He doesn’t think that the fact that in March of this year only 31% of Americans thought he was doing a good job is a problem. Oh, and he also doesn’t think it’s a problem that New Orleans and other areas along this country’s gulf coast are still in ruins two years after hurricane Katrina or that communication companies that broke the law by going along with his administration’s directives are able to slide by with a stern look and a wag of the finger.
Can we please, please, PLEASE find someone to run the country who actually knows what it’s like to live as a normal citizen in this country?? Is that so much to ask? Oh, and can we require a college gpa of 3.5? That would make me happy.
Oh man – this can get me started on SO many different conversations. As a president, I’d be hella concerned about all of that, but namely, that some of my greatest achievements as a country (Ford for example) are quickly dying because people cannot afford to drive their vehicles because our idea of “gas is cheap right now” is the current $3.55/gallon?
Would that not embarrass you? as a president? I suppose, war and economy aside, we’re doing just fine… just fine.
oh, gosh… you’re sounding like an ELITIST to me! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
who’s an elitist?? Me, or the frat boy in the oval office?? I’m cornfuzed…
Families are losing their homes because they bought houses they couldn’t afford and didn’t qualify for. Sure, the mortgage companies made it easy to do, but what happened to Caveat Emptor?!? The major auto companies are losing money because they are stupid. Gas prices have been inching up for years yet the American auto makers continue to market gas guzzlers, and they’re STILL marketing them. I have seen numerous Hummer commercials lately. I don’t feel sorry for stupidity.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Bush is the best president in history, or even a good president, but he’s hardly to blame for people’s (or companies’) stupidity. Comparatively speaking, we the people have it pretty damn good.
no, no, no… I agree – I wouldn’t have taken out the loans a lot of people are crying about now. And sure, the auto makers have a hand in their own problems as well. But the point I’m making is that there are problems in the US that our president isn’t willing to admit to. He may not have created the problems (except a few, like… oh, Iraq/Afganistan) but to smugly smile at the camera and say “The United States doesn’t have any problems” is the worst kind of foolishness, because it is an insult to everyone who IS suffering – whether their suffering is self-induced or not.