Hmm.
Now, we weren’t born yesterday. Read this at Digby’s (there’s good stuff in comments too), and factor in the Nat’l Enquirer story (also see Jane H.’s analysis here) about Bush sneaking drinks.
Honestly, no tinfoil hats: What would be the signs if the old boy were, instead of drinking, flagrantly doing coke again like a big, fat huffing Snuffleupagus? Telltale sweating, funny jaw movements, odd scrapes on the face (he has another one today)… Just watch the guy in his recent TV clips. Is that spooky? You’ve seen that look before, right?
Now, pieces in the Enquirer are, as Jane says, rigorously sourced. It might be interesting to hear that the Weekly World News, as well, sources its pieces (and is staffed by real journalists, mostly dissolute Brits who choose certain career death for the sake of a Florida lifestyle and a relatively high salary). Even the Weekly World News doesn’t just make stuff up, like the WSJ editorial page and Newsmax do, but relies either on interviews and statements from actual, real-life wackos, or adapts pieces from foreign (often Latin American) tabloids. The one thing that you can always trust in these scandal sheets, for legal reasons, is their sourcing.
That means that when the Enquirer says, “According to Bush family sources,” or whatever careful appellations they use, they mean exactly that. If you read the Enquirer piece, it’s obvious that there could only be a small number of people who could claim the knowledge that two of their sources do (“family sources” and an “insider”). How long would it take for old Karl to figure out who they were?
The grapevine sez that there are supposed to be some more pieces coming out soon about the President sneaking drinks. Here’s the question: Are the Mayberry Machiavellis doing one of their classic tricks again, planting easily-countered negative stories, in this case about whiskey-drinking, in order to inoculate against the real scandal?
“Enquiring minds want to know!”
The jaw thing, the blinking, the blackouts, He’s under a massive amount of pressure. Could he actually be cognizant of his responsibility as the actual Prez of the U.. of A.?
Holy crap, you guys aren’t joking. I had no idea about the jaw thing.
Coke is so 1980s the conservative drug of choice for the Y2.005k is OxyContin don’t you know?
He may well be under pressure and stress, but it’s certainly not because of his “responsibilites”.
He’s shown time and time again that pressure from responsibility (as you and I would feel it in the same situation) doesn’t register with him. He’s a sociopath – he doesn’t feel responsible for anything.
What would make him feel stress is criticism and blame, which is why he refuses to acknowledge mistakes. Taking even the smallest amount of blame (as he did for the Katrina debacle) must have caused him immense discomfort. He’s a fraud and a failure and deep down he knows it – and he protects himself by bullying those who might expose him.
Frankly, it’s amazing that no one has pushed him in public up to now – he can usually barely contain his anger and hostility at even the mildest challenge. I think he would have a complete meltdown if someone really went after him.
are there any videos of the jaw thing online? I don’t have a tv.
Not booze. Not coke. Just a little cold medicine. OK, so it’s been “refined” a bit, maybe even in the bathroom sink of the Lincoln Bedroom!, but hey, what’s wrong with a little decongestant?
Unless the ‘real scandal’ is cow-pox, Roves innoculation is far too little too late.
Michael Moore has clearly been eating the ponies. He’s fattter than ever.
I agree with Carl’s analysis above. I totally don’t buy the bit in the Enquirer about how the deaths of the soldiers affected him so deeply. Excuse me, but–HIM?!? That bit smells worse that week-old mackerel. Shrub cares about noone but himself. And maybe blood relatives, though if it were him-or-them, he’d turn on ’em so fast photons would be impressed.
That is not to say that he isn’t drinking/snorting/injecting, etc. Who knows–it’s definitely a possibility. Cheney’s little “elective surgery”-we’ll inly find out it’s his heart if he dies, and maybe not even then. Personally, I fantasize that the Secret Service sends some bagmen down to the most drug-riddled police districts in DC, loots the evidence room for wehatever they’ve got, and brings the “good stuff” back for ol’ Arbusto. “Awright, boys–Tina! Ah lurve Tina!”
Y’ know, I hate it when I preview a damned comment and I still manage to insert a typo. Above, obviously, “we’ll inly find out it’s his heart” should have “only” where “inly” currently resides. *sigh*
The worst is when you correct a mistake by posting another comment and make yet another mistake in the second comment. I think that’s happened to me like three times today.
A diverson from the war on drugs?
like with a war on terror
or porn.
He’s declared war on the the other two things Americans do well.
Real estate and…what’s the other thing?
Buggery.
I’ve decided that all the blinking is Gavins fault.
odd scrapes on the face (he has another one today)
I can’t say I recall this being one of the side effects of cocaine use. What, he’s so wired he’s missing his nostril with the straw and jamming it into his cheek instead?
Look up “tardive dyskinesia”. Usually a side effect of antipsychotics.
I’m going to withhold judgment on the factitude or falsiosity of the Bush-is-drunk-or-coked-up story, because there just isn’t enough info out there.
Here’s what I am afraid of, though. Gavin speculates that the drinking story may be cover for a worse one that we have yet to hear about. I don’t think so. I think it’s cover for a whole lot of shit that we already know about. Here’s the way it plays out: A Prez who has sworn off the demon rum is accused of hitting the sauce again. Easy for the public to grasp. Also easy to grasp, the White House and right-wing response(s):
1. It’s a scurrilous lie perpetrated by that fishwrap Enquirer. Only the librul media and other Bush-haters would even credit the possibility. Why do you hate America?
2. Alcoholism is a disease, and by dragging it out as a slam against Prezident George, the librul media and the other Bush-haters are stigmatizing the bazillions of honest, hard-working, God-fearing alkies that populate our great nation. Why do you hate Americans?
3. Now is not the time for ad hominem flamefests about the Prexodent’s sobriety. We got a war on, and by denigrating the C-in-C, you embolden the insurgents in Iraq and immanentize the eschaton. Why do you hate our troops?
4. Texas is currently under threat by Hurricane Rita, and a million or more people are trying like hell to get out of the way. The roads are so backed up that people are running out of gas. The Prezzimint has to focus on looking Prezziminty and resolute and helpful until all those people are safe and toasty warm. Why do you hate Texans?
Anyway, pick one to four of the above. Meanwhile, the real scandals of the administration, most of which require more than a sentence or two to explain, get shoved under the rug as the right and left square off, dukes up, over whether the Prez has had a snort or two. This administration is the acknowledged grand master of “Look! A monkey!” And this drinking thing is the perfect tool for them.
So true. Its never fair for our side. They got ot stay on the scandals.
clinton would be all “I know what personal demons are like, so I wouldn;t even comment on Pres. Bush, I think it is the politics of personal destruction. What I’d like to talk about now is the cronyism and cash and carry culture of this administration costing American taxpayers money and affecting the lives of our most unfortunate.”
Ha ha, you misspelled “inoculate.”
I was concentrating on spelling ‘snuffleupagus.’ It seemed like it should take the Latinate -phagus, as in, ‘eater (of).’
Actually, I was picking my ear with my car key and got distracted.
I think there’s a distinct possibility that a drunk and coked-up GW would be preferable to the “sober(ing)” version.
Hey, where did ya find the cool pic of Kate Moss?!
Even the Weekly World News doesn’t just make stuff up, like the WSJ editorial page and Newsmax do….
As a long-time fan of WWN, I take exception to that. The magazine’s writers are every bit as creative as the WSJ editors and a great deal more original. Take this recent interview with GW:
Weekly World News was granted a brief, exclusive interview with the president to discuss the planetary realignment. Presidential advisor Karl Rove attended the meeting.
“Those Greek names are all a pain,” Mr. Bush said. “Who’s got time to learn the difference between your moon and Uranus?”
The president tried to hide a snigger behind his hand, “Sorry. I said ‘your moon and Uranus.'”
….
The president was asked about the omission of one of his most trusted advisers, Donald Rumsfeld.
“I didn’t forget him. Since he was always hanging around me, I renamed the Moon after Rummy.”
When it was pointed out to the president that ‘moon’ is not a proper name but a description for any natural body orbiting a larger body, and that several other planets in the solar system also had moons, Mr. Bush said, “Is this guy kidding me, Karl?”
“No, sir,” Rove replied. “In fact, Uranus has 24 moons.”
As the president rocked with laughter, Weekly World News was ushered from the room.
“To heck with renaming that planet after you, Karl,” the president roared. “I’m keeping Uranus exactly the way it is!”
The facade is cracking, Bush is looking more and more haggard as the days go on. He’s frayed on the edges and tired looking, he explodes with petulant anger when even mildly challenged.
Take it from someone who likes the sauce himself, that man has all the symptoms of one long, lame duck presidency bender.
Scrapes on his face and of course the “presedential pretzel incident” (He choked on a pretzel and fell over? You’re shitting me right?), falling off his bike (he literally ran into a police officer in ireland) and his increasing incoherence at press briefings (Bianca? is Bianca there?)are signs he is either heavily medicated by the white house pysician or hitting the bottle hard.
Actually cold medicine would be even WORSE than hitting the Jim Beam, Nyquil and the lot are all a witches brew of stuff that does nothing for colds and flu, and some things that even are harmful.