Hey All:

A note from my friend Bill, who works for an organization called Public/Private Ventures, a consulting firm that is examining the feasibility of the Faith-based initiatives so favored by our President. Dubya was in town (Philly, that is) on the 4th for a specialceremony/reception regarding said initiatives. Bill had the dubious honor of meeting him and hereforth is what transpired...

Please spread the word and tell the world about the kind, compassionate conservative we have in the oval office. This should be WIDELY circulated.

The beginning :

So when the President was here on July 4, I had the opportunity to shake his hand. I wasn't sure if that was a good idea ! or not but I did it anyway, and said to him, "Mr President, I hope you only serve four years. I'm very disappointed in your work so far."

He kept smiling and shaking my hand but answered, "who cares what you think?" His face stayed photo-op perfect but his eyes gave me a look that said, if we'd been drinking in some frathouse in Texas, he'd've happily answered, "let's take it outside." A nasty little gleam. But he was (fortunately) constrained by Presidential propriety.

But that was the end of it, until I turned away and started scribbling the quote down in my notepad, so as to remember The Gift forever. When he saw me do that he got excited and craned his neck over the rubberneckers to shout at me, "who are you with? Who are you with?"

People started looking so he made a joke: "make sure you get it right." But he kept at it: "Who do you write for?" I told him I wasn't "with" anybody and pointed to one of his staff ! people, who knows me a little, and said, "ask him, he'll tell you." Then I split.

Half an hour later, my boss (who had helped organize the event we were at) came up to me and said, "did you really tell the President that he was doing a 'lousy fucking job'?" No way, I said, I was very polite, I just told him what I thought. Fortunately, he believed me. He wasn't happy with me, but he believed me.

But anyway, if you ever wondered if the Prez really was kind of a jerk, I'm here to tell you, he is, and I got The Gift to prove it. I'm thinking of making up t-shirts so we can share The Gift with everyone:

"Who cares what you think?"

- President George W. Bush, July 4, 2001

-- This 'Bout Sums It Up (priceless@tidbit.com), July 20, 2001

Answers

That's funny! I like his style.

Now if Bill were a woman and had the same comment for Clinton, I'd bet that he would have asked, "So, you want to come to my hotel later?"

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), July 20, 2001.

I agree, this guy Bill has great style, and a lot of nerve.

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), July 20, 2001.

Wonder if anyone got it on video. It would make a GREAT commercial for the Repugliscum campaign in 2004.

-- (the truth @ comes. out), July 20, 2001.

Bill, you got the gift of honesty.

-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), July 20, 2001.

A confrontational remark like Bill's is supposed to elicit an immediate, defensive response. Bill got what he wanted.

-- helen (be@fair.there), July 20, 2001.

helen,

You hit the nail right on the head. An inconsequential employee of one of the groups who was organizing an event for the President classlessly confronts the President in a receiving line. "Who cares what you think?" was a very appropriate response.

-- J (Y2J@home.comm), July 20, 2001.

Hey All:

A note from my friend Trixie, whose next door neighbor’s Daughter’s hairdresser, heard from her estranged lover’s ex-wife that Bill should not be taken seriously. The note went on to say that only the foolish would believe ANYTHING that randomly pops up on an internet forum. When ya gonna learn people? Sheesh.

-- Telinet (like@it.is), July 20, 2001.

Taking this incident as reported, Bill's remarks were inappropriate. It should have been clear to all that his presence at this function did not necessarily represent an endorsement of the President's policies.

However, if I were in the President's shoes, my reaction would have been completely different from his. I would have simply asked Bill why he was disappointed in my work. He may be a low ranking employee, but he is also a constituent, moreover, a constituent willing to be honest. A high ranking executive seldom encounters such people, and I would have welcomed the input even in that setting.

I don't think the President's alleged reaction reflects badly on him, it just puts him on a par with most other high ranking executives.

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), July 20, 2001.

This is a legitimate communique. The guy's full name has been taken off because of privacy concerns.

By the way, the really scary thing about this exchange is not Bush's rude reply (Who cares what you [average American citizen] thinks?) but how he kept saying "Who do you work for? Who are you with?"

That is the police-state mentality of Dumbya, and anyone who DARES to tell him the truth, or tell the truth about him, can fear very grave consequence.

The fellow who wrote the Bush expose "Fortunate Son" has just died ALLEGEDLY from SUICIDE, but we all know what that means.

Bush is an ugly authoritarian pretender folks, and he doesn't care a damn about you or me. This is just a little snapshot of just how ugly and ruthless this little man really is.

-- This 'Bout Sums It Up (priceless@tidbit.com), July 20, 2001.

"This is a legitimate communique"

Boy howdy! Thats good enough for me!

-- Bull (shit@de.tector), July 20, 2001.

"Who cares what you think?" was a very appropriate response.

No, "I'm sorry to hear that's how you feel" would have been a more dignified, diplomatic and appropriate presidential response. Bush's "fuck you" attitude just demonstrates how much contempt he has for the general public. After all, most of us didn't vote for him and his over-sized Texan ego is still smarting over the fact that his political party had to put in the fix to get him in office.

-- 1 (2@3.com), July 20, 2001.

tidbit,

But did the author shoot himself with his right hand even though he was left-handed?

-- J (Y2J@home.comm), July 20, 2001.

Bush's response is not appropriate at all. It is yet more evidence the man has his own agenda and could careless what the will of the people is. The correct answer would have been, "I am sorry to hear that".

Nothing new here as this has been Bush since the election. I think many on this thread are missing a very important thing here. It is fine for a GW Bush to have his own personal views and ideas on things, we all do. However, as an elected official, the highest ranking one, he is under a duty I think to at least CONSIDER the majority views of his constituency. Many would consider this pandering, it is not, it is doing his job. A job of representing ALL Americans not just the one's he picks and are a definitely minorities.

Point is, who elected this guy King? the Dictator?

Where does GW Bush get-off proposing for example, against upwards of 75% of the American people across all categories, that he wants to Pardon Three Million Illegal Alien Mexicans? or that HE wants to ram some FaithBased social service scheme down the throats of the majority of Americans who do not want this?

Where does GW Bush get off telling the world he is not going to support Kyoto? Not "we can work with it, or negoiate the details", no, he just flat-out tells the world to go to hell. He even overrules his own staff on Kyoto.

Where does GW Bush get off telling 30 Million Americans living in California, too bad about your energy mess I WILL NOT do a damn thing for you?

This Bush administration doesn't do anything but fling their agenda, the public be dammed. When loudly rejected, these folks just take the public out of the equation and press-on as if nothing had happened. They barely lose a step.

I don't know but this guy is a major loose cannon. I know many of the supporters around here will not admit as much but this guy is not flying straight.

-- (Jesus@youpeopleare.stoopid), July 21, 2001.

Just ignore the idiot J. He always comes crawling out of the woodwork to defend his hero King Dumbshit.

-- (J sucks @ Dumbya's. cock), July 21, 2001.

True or not ... it is soooo easy to picture.

-- Debra (Thisis@it.com), July 21, 2001.

The most frightening part, however, was when Laura Bush looked at him with cold eyes of pure evil and whispered "World War III."

-- (yikes@eek.scream), July 21, 2001.

"That is the police-state mentality of Dumbya, and anyone who DARES to tell him the truth, or tell the truth about him, can fear very grave consequence."

Sounds rather eerily like the last eight years with the thug Clinton in charge.

-- Let's Opt Out (and@quit_paying_our.taxes), July 21, 2001.

Clueless Bush daughter wears denim to lunch at Buckingham Palace. Couldn't someone pick up the phone, ask Harrods to send something more appropriate to wear, and have that problem solved immediately? What is this family, the Clampetts?

link

-- Branston Pickle (bp@bi.cultural), July 21, 2001.

3 cheers for a pres that doesn't use weasel-words, that doesn't govern by consent of the focus group, that doesn't "feel my pain".

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), July 21, 2001.

W keeps both feet in his mouth at all times. Why would anyone think he could come up with a politely reasoned response when caught flat-footed? Besides, someone who disliked him to that extent walked right up to him and held his hand -- this could have been a bit of a security issue if Bill had happened to be a former mental patient with a weapon.

-- helen (tough@to.be.king), July 21, 2001.

Another brilliant comment from Dumbya on the G8 Summit protests...

"Those protesters who try to shut down our talks on trade and aid don't represent the poor as far as I'm concerned,'' Bush said."

BWAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAHAAAAA!!!

"As far as he is concerned"

LOL, how does he know they aren't poor? If they are poor, don't they represent the poor?

-- (Dumbya does @ denial. again), July 21, 2001.

If they're poor who paid for them to take the time off to riot? Who paid for the non-locals to fly in?

It amazes me how some people put so much emphasis on what the President says or does. The same people who complained that too much time was spent on Clinton's dalliance with an intern are now complaining that not enough time is spent thinking about what Bush says to some bozo with a snide comment.

The Federal government should not control or affect your life nearly as much as it does, or as much as you let it or expect it to. Look local for the important things. When is the last time a President has ever done anything important? Even Kennedy's claim to fame was that he got assasinated.

-- libs are idiots (moreinterpretation@ugly.com), July 23, 2001.

Bush is as dump as a stump.

-- (foo@bar.com), August 30, 2001.