What I wonder is what old man Bush thinks of his son's ruinous administration.  I know he must have been proud of his goof-off son that he made something of himself, and I know that the Bush clan is fiercely loyal, but pere is a smart guy, and he has to know how bad a President junior is.   He can't be blind to it.  Because it is one thing if your son, whom you love, unconditionally, fucks up at say, the Kwik-E-mart, or even at something important.  But fucking up America?   I imagine it costs him some sleep, and is a source of inner agony.  

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Ugh.  Who knows WHAT they have in the Kool-Aid down in Kennebunkport?

Boneill, I think you are right.  I'm curious though if he really believes that W. truly made something of himself or if he will always be tainted because family connections got him there in the first place.  I guess not because H.W. benefited from those things himself.  

My sense is that pere does acknowledge that his son screwed up.  That is why after the 2006 elections he sent Gates to be SecDef and had Baker lead the commission to study the war.  He wanted to send his own guys in there to fix the mess.  And just for the record, I'm with Marty P. on Baker :)  But that's neither here nor there...  

Yeah, Baker is a detestable troll.  It is a sign of how awful the W admin has been that he has been rehabilitated as an elder statesmen and voice of judicious reason.  

I don't think he minds that family helped W, you are right.  The family always helps each other out- H.W. needed help as well.  Granted, he was talented and intelligent (regardless of wha tone thinks of him personally).   And there is nothing wrong with this- family should help out family.  The only reason I resisted having my dad get me a job is because I had zero interest in his business.  If the person if qualified and not rocketed to the top simply because of name I have no problem with someone helping out his or her kids.

Except:

When it is to become the President of the United States of America.  

I'm ok with H.W. having his oil friends help his son.  He made them a lot of money.  I didn't need the Bush family to foist their issues onto us.  

Am I imagining things when I remember H.W.'s intelligence being questioned on a pretty regular basis? I guess W. is just one of those people who can make anyone look smart in comparison.

Yes, that's the thing about Baker that's so annoying.  This whole "elder statesman" garbage...  Oy.  It definitely says a lot about the current admin that he would have his image so rehabilitated.  

Regarding family connections, I think that's true, too.  Nobody is acting in a vacuum  when it comes to getting a job, advancing one's career, etc.  So I think it's fair to use it to help you.  I mean, before I got my first job I would have if I could have!  We history teachers are a dime a dozen... (but enough of that)  But I agree that when it comes to be Pres. of the USA it becomes a major issue...

In a small way I feel sorry for Jeb Bush, to have an idiot older brother get first pick of everything and then to thoroughly mess it up. Granted, I am not sure Jeb really had a great desire of being President, not from electibility sake but because of concern for his drug addicted daughter and what it could have put her through. But maybe he would have gone for it anyhow. Now he is just one more example of the stupidity of primogeniture. Now, for the rest of his life, he will be the younger brother of the most idiotic President in history.

Well Jeb is the one with the brains and the one HW thought would be president. Now he has no place to go except the Carlyle Group.

"Now, for the rest of his life, he will be the younger brother of the most idiotic President in history."

Yeap because he certainly will never be able to run.

BSD

I hope he's reminded of Marcus Aurelius, who "sacrificed the happiness of millions to a fond partiality for a worthless boy."

And from Wikipedia: Dio Cassius,...describes him as 'not naturally wicked but, on the contrary, as guileless as any man that ever lived. His great simplicity, however, together with his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions'.

I'm not sure this quote entirely applies to our dear leader the cheerleader, but GHWB wasn't exactly Aurelius either.  

PS: I tried to post this from Konqueror, but the javascript didn't allow me to click SUBMIT.  (this may be konqs fault)

From Gladiator, "Commodus is not a moral man." Of course the reality was that Commodus was made a Caesar in 166 and co-emperor in 177. So no last minute murder of Richard Harris!

BSD