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Fore More Years

May 14, 2008 2:37 PM

FROM GUEST-BLOGGER RICK KLEIN, OF ABC'S THE NOTE

President Bush may have lined up a chip shot for some of his critics.

In an interview with Politico's Mike Allen, President Bush went into more detail than he has previously about his decision to give up golf, in 2003.

"I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf," the president said Tuesday. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

Surely the president offered this detail with the best of intentions, to show one small way in which he's chosen to change his behavior because of the way it might be perceived, and not to equate the loss of American lives with his loss of a game most associated with the prep-school set.

But suffice it to say that Bush critics have taken notice. Representatives of several liberal groups contacted by ABC News said they are mulling advertisements or other PR efforts highlighting the comments.

The liberal group Americans United for Change sent an e-mail to reporters Wednesday with photos of the president hunting and fishing -- and included a link to a video clip (made famous by "Fahrenheit 9/11") of the president calling on all nations "to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers" -- and then telling reporters to "watch this drive."

(That golf game, it should be noted, came before the Iraq war, when US military efforts were limited to Afghanistan.)

"It does highlight how out of touch the president is," Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for Americans United, tells ABC. "You can react to something like this with anger or ridicule -- either one works. We're leaning on the sign of ridicule."

Leave the anger to VoteVets.org, a political action committee comprised of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans.

"I would say that thousands of Americans have given up a lot more than golf for this war," Brandon Friedman, vice chairman of VoteVets.org and a reserve Army captain who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said in an interview. "For President Bush to imply that he stands in solidarity with these families because he quit a game is an insult."

Friedman said his group is exploring Web advertising and other ways to circulate the president's words on his sacrifice of his golf game -- and here's guessing his won't be the last group to use it.

"We have to spread the word. We're trying to get it out there, because it's really reprehensible," Friedman said. "This is a guy who has not yet gone to a military funeral. It just shows how inhuman he is."

Think the president would like a mulligan?

-- Rick Klein

May 14, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (14)

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So this is the big sacrifice GWB is willing to make for the cause. Golf. He's not merely the worst President in all US history. His incompetence and indifference will go down in history with Marie Antoinette's "let them eat cake" and Nero playing the lyre while Rome burned. Calls to mind his comment about his FEMA director as the City of New Orleans was destroyed by flooding: "You're doing a heck of a job, Brownie!"

This profoundly evil man must be punished for his misdeeds.

Posted by: Tom in California | May 17, 2008 9:58:35 PM

Wonder what post Obama will give his good friend Rezko? Or when the pardon will happen for Rezko? Wonder how often Michelle will have Ayers and wife over for dinner and then a stomp on the American flag in the Rose Garden coffee?
Clintons garbage has been aired for so many years it no longer stinks. Unlike tthe OBama's garbage that is a 9.9 on the stink meter.

Posted by: kim | May 15, 2008 12:37:29 PM

How odd that the only comments here are anti-democratic. One could wonder whether there's censorship going on at this "librul media" site!


Posted by: John | May 14, 2008 8:14:45 PM

Unfortunately, our country and its voters have been duped by the Democratic Party and the media. Both should have treated all the candidates with respect. This did not happen. The media and the D Party picked a racist, do nothing candidate to promote and show off. The man does not respect hard-working families; he made fun of them and their values. He is not a wise man considering his eduational background. Even a fourth grader knows there are only 50 states in our union and that every voter in the country should be able to cast a ballot for their candidate. He should be returned to his dirty, corrupt South Chicago district and stay there. The Democratic Party has lost my membership and respect for it. I will not vote for Obama, not even for skunk chaser. He is just too corrupt.

Posted by: Grammie | May 14, 2008 6:09:27 PM

Barack Obama should not be running as a Democrate. He should be
on the Marxist Party ticket.
It is a sad time in America history.

Posted by: Mary | May 14, 2008 4:42:17 PM

The question for Democrats and others concerned with the Democratic Party primary is then this — do you really want to let the worst-educated, least-knowledgeable and most bigotry-prone components of the voting pool control the direction of the party to the point of overriding the outcome in pledged delegates? Do you really want to give Hillary Clinton a pass in regards to her ignorantly racist supporters that you would never give to Obama in regards to Rev. Wright? And do you really want to say, as Hillary media proxy Paul Begala did, that a coalition that includes well-educated “eggheads” is somehow a bad thing?

Democrats used to promote education as a virtue to the point even of wanting to overspend government dollars on it at every opportunity. But now a large part of the party obstinately insists that the educated are those that should be sneered at and ignored. In short, they have embraced the anti-intellectualism long present on the far right. And none of Hillary’s supporters seem to mind.

And by the way, how do you explain Senator Obama's double-digit victories in overwhelmingly white states like Iowa (8 points over Clinton), Alaska (51 points), Colorado (34 points), Delaware (11 points), Idaho (62 points), Kansas (48 points), Minnesota (34 points), North Dakota (25 points) and Utah (18 points)?

Posted by: SMS | May 14, 2008 4:25:16 PM

Okay, first of all I admit that the more I see of Obama, the better Bush is looking to me. Or maybe it's that he's on his way out and I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But I see absolutely nothing wrong with his statement, and in fact, I understand where he's coming from. The Dems are looking for any little thing to make an issue of and are only making themselves look foolish (and desperate) with this one.

Posted by: HoosierSue | May 14, 2008 4:18:03 PM

More Democrats taking things out of context!!
First the president has met with many families of lost soldiers, it is a bad idea for the President to got to Funerals, because of all the hype that will go with it.
They send a picture out of the President playing Golf prior to the war and try to say it was after.

The Elitist Libs such as Obama are so out of touch they still think President Bush is running in 08, just like Obama think we are the nation of Islam with 57 states!!

Also when did the President go hunting? and someone states below.

this President has stood strongly by our soldiers

Posted by: spock | May 14, 2008 4:04:57 PM

Well, I will just take my money, marbles and chalk and go home! Rick, you are a spoil sport!

Posted by: justme2see | May 14, 2008 3:59:30 PM

Why was my post deleted? It was completely relevant, it was a link to an article about how Bush's knee injury forced him to give up running right about the same time he says he gave up golfing to show solidarity with the troops.


Posted by: KestrelBrighteyes | May 14, 2008 3:55:39 PM

J.R. I have plenty of common sense and all I asked was where is the decency in this world? You surely don't have any.

Posted by: Jane | May 14, 2008 3:40:07 PM

So, "they are mulling advertisements or other PR efforts highlighting the comments." The last time
Brad Woodhouse or Americans United for Change embarked on such an effort was announced earlier this year to the tune of 8.5 million dollars – this being an anti-Bush campaign only this time in his final months as a lame duck president.

This doesn’t seem like money well spent for an individual and group(s) that consider themselves to be “progressive.” 8.5 million dollars to underline a deranged view of a lame duck president that has been proselytized by the Left since 2000 and now 8 years later we are still subjected to this irrational view based on a statement made by President Bush in this most recent interview. 8.5 million dollars which could be spent to feed starving children around the globe or provide a college education for inner city youths – as an example of how these so called progressives can spend their money.

Then again, this is a case of “damned if you do, and damned if you don’t” for the President. Either way President Bush has been in this position when faced by a minority of deranged members of the so called progressive left with the luxury of spending millions of dollars on a worthless endeavor.

Posted by: Thunderbolt | May 14, 2008 3:19:39 PM

It is difficult to believe that people are as mean as they are - where is their sense of decency. The President is leaving office. Hillary Clinton will not concede that she has lost to Obama. Obams should be the next President. Clinton keeps saying it took one Clinton to clean up after the first Bush and it is going to take her to clean up after this president. Where does that come from when we all know what happened in the Oval Office when her husband was president. The poor, sad Clintons need to go.

Posted by: Jane | May 14, 2008 3:11:43 PM

This is just another reason politics are stupid. It's impossible to say anything without it coming under the microscope.

Posted by: Mike | May 14, 2008 2:52:46 PM

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