George Bush Sr says 'iron-ass' Cheney and 'arrogant' Rumsfeld damaged America

Not a fan of any Bush, well maybe mamma Bush because mom, but this article from the Guardian put a smile on my face. Bush Sr telling the world mostly what he thinks of Cheney and Rumsfeld, which is fun but his son isn't mentioned in the article so perhaps his new book will have a chapter dedicated to how disapointed he is in his son. I know I'm not gonna read it so we'll just have to wait to hear from someone that does. Anyway, on to the fun!

www.theguardian.com...

Former president claims their reaction to 9/11 attacks were too hawkish, used excessive force and damaged his son, according to biography.

Former President George HW Bush takes some unexpected swipes at Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, key members of his son’s administration, over their reaction to the 11 September attacks, in a new biography of the 41st president, Fox News reported on Wednesday.

In Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey Of George Herbert Walker Bush, author Jon Meacham quotes Bush as saying that Cheney and Rumsfeld were too hawkish and that their harsh stance damaged the reputation of the United States, the cable news network said

Well, yeah. Duh.

Speaking of Cheney, who was vice-president under President George W Bush, the senior Bush said: “I don’t know, he just became very hardline and very different from the Dick Cheney I knew and worked with,” according to the report.

Oh I agree. Check out this video where Cheney back in the 1990s talked about what a terrible idea it is for the US to invade Iraq but in 2003 decides he doesn't know what the hell he is talking about and invades anyway.

“The reaction [to 9/11], what to do about the Middle East. Just iron-ass. His seeming knuckling under to the real hard-charging guys who want to fight about everything, use force to get our way in the Middle East,” Bush told Meacham in the book to be published next Tuesday.

Of course Cheney takes "iron-ass" as a compliment. No seriously, he does.

Bush believes Cheney acted too independently of his son by creating a national security team in his own office, and may have been influenced to become more conservative by his wife and daughter, Lynne and Liz Cheney, the report cites the biography as saying.

Influenced by his wife and daughter? Yeah, I'm sure it was his immediate family that most heavily influenced him. This is George not implicating anyone else. Cheney's wife and daughter should be pissed.

On Rumsfeld, secretary of defense for most of the two terms served by his son, Bush is even more critical. He is quoted as saying: “I don’t like what he did, and I think it hurt the president,” referring to his son.

Awww, poor junior!

“I’ve never been that close to him anyway. There’s a lack of humility, a lack of seeing what the other guy thinks. He’s more kick-ass and take names, take numbers. I think he paid a price for that.

I'm pretty much agree there, although I'm still wondering what that price is. Is the price George being a dick to Dick?

“Rumsfeld was an arrogant fellow,” he was quoted as saying in the biography.

Check.

Interesting. As I recall Bush Sr recommended Cheney for VP and I always thought he was in charge. Bush jr just didn't have the intelligence to make these decisions alone. Always questioned that Jr had former CIA father then CIA VP. Setup for total CIA control.

I didn't vote for him.

So the "buck" stops with that guy and that other guy...

Politicians and diapers should be changed often, and for the same reason...

a reply to: Swills

I find it incredulous that the son of Prescott Bush, has precious room to talk. He caused great harm to the US.

Remember: whenever you point the finger at someone, three of your own fingers are pointing right back at you.

a reply to: madmac5150

Politicians and diapers should be changed often, and for the same reason...

Seems more like they're getting recycled.

Nice deflection to the fact that the CIA damaged and continues to damage America.
And sh!t for brains grandad Bush was director.
Dick "don't go quail hunting with me or I'll shoot you in the face" Cheney and Donald "what 2.3 trillion are you talkin about?" Rumsfeld are scape-I pet goats in the big scheme of things.
What a bunch of tossers they all are!

a reply to: Swills

Let's ignore that his son is also a war criminal just as much as Cheney and Rumsfeld. Harry Truman said "the buck stops here", so it does with Bush Jr. Nothing like trying to deflect any criminal activity or poor policy decisions away from his son who was the man in charge.

I still say his son's administration is one of the most corrupt in history. His administration is responsible for implementing policies that are continuingly chiseling away at our constitutional rights. Bush and his cronies still haven't been held accountable for their crimes! It sounds like the old man is trying to protect his son from any future criminal prosecution.

I won't hold my breath.

Bush Sr. is simply trying to deflect and manipulate a growing public awareness of the criminal nature of the Bush Family, from his father, himself, and his sons and nephews.

Some folks will fall for it--placing the blame on Cheney and Rummy--and some won't. I will not.

a reply to: Swills

A lot of this stuff is pretty obvious, but it is good to see someone stand up to Cheney and Rumsfield who is on their level. I think that Cheney definitely tarnished Bush Jr.s reputation while he was in office. Bush Jr. should have stood up to him and Rumsfield more. I think Bush Jr. was a bit of a puppet.