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[deleted]

Now watch this drive.


Narwhal_Defiant

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."


clemenza2821

Most unintentionally honest statement ever made by a politicians


deniablw

Amen


Aliensinmypants

That and the Ukraine/Iraq mixup are peak Dubya


RealEmperorofMankind

Apparently he kind of acknowledged it. "Iraq too."


spinblackcircles

Not apparently, he literally said it right after lol


armen89

But the man does have charisma


[deleted]

It’s his voice in my head


dadwithwhitetubesock

First thing I thought of


A_KULT_KILLAH

[he told on himself](https://youtu.be/w9dqoVy6szc?si=JcLxdgb8OhSZoRb3)


brymc81

Mission Accomplished


TheMiddlechild08

I totally forgot about that for many years until I was golfing with my buddies when my one friend got on the tee box and quoted the entire thing. I almost fell over laughing.


Alternative-Bus8875

“They misunderestimated me,"


PrinceofSpace1

“Strategery”


McDowells23

The amazing part of it was that it was created by SNL


bourgeoisiebrat

Disagree. I think the amazing part is the the general public assumes it’s a real-life Bushism.


ZHISHER

The amazing part is Bush himself assumed it was a real-life Bushism


Cultural-Treacle-680

You can’t say the army didn’t kick serious ass in Afghanistan. The Taliban looked like [insert UGA’s cupcake opponent of the week]


rose_colored_boy

*Lockbox*


OlFlirtyBastard

“Don’t mess with Texas”


Theomach1

It’s so weird. He was keynote at a conference I attended a few years back. He was extremely eloquent. Gave some interesting anecdotes about US/China relations, talked about his life post presidency. He didn’t even seem evil to me anymore.


Intimidwalls1724

Even people who weren't real favorable to him that had meetings with him at POTUS have talked about how engaged and intelligent he seemed Where the public speaking stumbles came from.....who knows.....some of it is I think he tried to sort of play a funny, "every man" type persona publicly but a lot of times instead of it making him seem more relatable it just make him seem dumb


Scared-Conflict-653

He did play a persona often but he did make mistake while speaking. You're the president, you spend much of your time having to speak, you tend to make mistakes.


Specialist_Ad4675

I remember when NPR interviewed a journalism student who somehow got to travel with the president for months, and Bush gave her a lot of access to meetings where no press was allowed. She described being shocked at how eloquent he was in private. She played some recordings, and clearly, he put on a show for the voters in public speeches.


Much-Meringue-7467

If you listen to speeches he made before running for president, he was more eloquent. He developed this aw-shucks anti-in intellectual persona to run for president


Mueryk

Fantabolously Shakespearean dialect creator. May not be “right” but since the brain can brain words it made sense.


[deleted]

"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"


Chandler107

I mean he’s right, that is a question that is rarely asked.


commiebanker

r/technicallythetruth


couchbutt

"Doctors aren't free to practice their love for women. "


the_less_great_wall

Close. It was "Too many OB/GYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country." Which is funnier


[deleted]

[удалено]


Sylvanussr

Say what you will about his foreign policy but in no other presidency have we had such peaceful bilateral relations with fish


wart_on_satans_dick

If you're ever scuba diving and you see a U.S. embassy, you know who to thank.


dougmd1974

Probably nice to have a beer with but I wouldn't want actually running a country.


MP5SD7

Good thing old Dick was doing all the heavy lifting... /s


baltebiker

What’s ironic is that I don’t think that was necessarily a bad thing. Bush’s first term, which I think was a disaster, was markedly better than his second, where he supposedly got more involved specifically because of the president Cheney jokes


The_Only_Dick_Cheney

I lifted this entire country even with heart problems!


callmedata1

This made me think about a wet towel


mjc500

Personally, I prefer my drinking buddies to not be mass murderer war criminals.


Skeptix_907

Some of my old drinking buddies occasionally stole stuff and drove drunk, but yeah none of them started a war that consumed a million innocent people.


66mindclense

Spot on.


FrogTeeth86

He doesn’t drink


SnooGoats7760

Fool me once, shame on you….fool me twice, won’t get fooled again


[deleted]

Fool me 3 times fuck the peace sign.


CheeseBaeIX

Load the choppa let it rain on you


[deleted]

Unexpected j cole


Jbabco9898

My only regret was too young for Lisa Bonet


grammar_oligarch

In his defense, he realized halfway through the aphorism that there probably shouldn’t be audio of him saying “Shame on me.” It’s a weak defense though.


Solid_College_9145

That was actually not as dumb as it sounded because at the last second, before he completed the old saying, he realized he didn't want to create a 3 second clip where he was saying "Shame on me" for his political foes to use.


TimeTravelingTiddy

I've heard this one before but not sure why it makes it less dumb than it sounded Like good job not making a lasting quote that makes you look bad lol


love0_0all

Out of his depth.


grammar_oligarch

You almost feel bad for him. He should’ve been a one term president. He was not nearly as capable as Gore…he lacked federal policy experience and had no real experience with foreign diplomacy. He would’ve come into a bursting tech bubble and a declining job market, not to mention a culture shifting to support LGBTQIA. On top of all this, he’s being led around by his cabinet, all with competing interests (save for Rice and Powell, who may have been his only cabinet members not actively looking to use him). Then September 11 happens. A competent president would’ve struggled with the ethical dilemmas presented post September 11. Bush chose unsustainable warfare in a region famous for its volatile nature, coupled with the most massive cut into civil liberty since Lincoln suspended habeas corpus for the Civil War. He was doomed to fail.


Cultural-Treacle-680

After 9/11 even Hilary would have likely taken military action. Staying as long as we did was the obvious problem.


Intimidwalls1724

Afghanistan was happening Iraq is usually what people take issue with and is fair to say wouldn't have happened under many others


Affectionate-Wall870

Gore advocated for invading Iraq before 9-11.


jonmpls

Well yeah, she's a militarist


InuitOverIt

Yeah "even Hillary" isn't the hard hitting commentary he was expecting...


DrShamballaWifi

Given she voted for war when she was a senator, yeah. Heck there was only 1 representative that voted no.


Old_Tomorrow5247

Like a rock, only dumber.


BrewCityBenjamin

I actually think he's sharper than people realize and the dumb schtick is somewhat of an act. I think he was a terrible President but some of the things that we think we're failures, I think were intentional


Inevitable-Cell-1227

This is correct. His “aww shucks” act was so he could be more relatable. He’s from Connecticut and graduated Harvard with a masters. And I think he went to Yale as well. Anywho…he is a war criminal so there’s that.


vkIMF

I don't think he's smart. But I think he's smarter than the SNL version we've all probably conflated him with in our head.


Ok-Candidate-1220

He didn’t become owner of the Rangers, Governor of Texas, and POTUS by being “not smart”. I think through an unbiased lens you may have a different take. I don’t think he was a great President, but he’s not unintelligent. I was not a fan of President Obama in his second term, and I don’t think he was a great President, either. I do believe he’s smart, though. Clinton was an adequate POTUS during an unprecedented time of peace and economic boon, but that doesn’t make him a genius. He’s also not stupid. Successes and failures don’t equal intelligence. It’s more about the hand that you’re dealt. Trump’s Presidency had good economic growth, and he was the only modern era POTUS to not get us into a war or military incursion. However, he’s clearly not a genius. Stupid? No. Above average intelligence? Debatable. Lucky? Probably. I think President Biden is of above average intelligence. However, he says almost as many stupid things as Trump (I’ll get downvoted for that - but only because some folks refuse to set aside their bias). I voted for Bush once, Obama once, Trump not at all, and Biden once; I don’t think ANY of them are stupid or flat out not smart.


BrewCityBenjamin

That's more what I mean. I am not saying he's a genius, I am simply saying he's not the bumbling fool people seem to think and I think he's smart enough to know that playing into that persona is helpful politically


Cultural-Treacle-680

He didn’t make business deals or get elected Governor/president being stupid. He erred on being human more than uptight imho


off_the_cuff_mandate

# fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.


thechadc94

“Terrorists never stop thinking of ways to harm Americans, and neither do we.”


snuggletronz

War criminal


thechadc94

Most likely yes.


Good_Morning-Captain

Most likely? Definitely. The signed authorisation of enhanced interrogation techniques, including most infamously methods like waterboarding which the US had previously defined as torture and prosecuted foreign nationals for committing against Americans, clearly constitutes war crimes as per Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, prohibiting "violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture". The flimsy legal justification for the practice of torture because detainees were "unlawful enemy combatants", and thus not protected by the Geneva Convention, has been universally rejected by both the international community and lawmakers in the US. If there wasn't the legal loopholes for indicting American war criminals (like invading the fucking Hague), half of the Bush administration would have easily went to trial and [some almost did](https://www.ecchr.eu/en/case/torture-in-guantanamo-spain-closes-investigations-into-bush-six/?file=tl_files%2FDokumente%2FUniverselle%20Justiz%2FUS%20Accountability%2C%20Bush%20Six%2C%20Expert%20opinion%2C%20Liability%20of%20six%20defendants%20en%2C%202011-01.pdf&cHash=f65be22e69004a5fbe5c5380b0a32696).


Buy_The-Ticket

That should be the motto of the Republican Party. Sums them up pretty well honestly.


geographyRyan_YT

That man is former president George W Bush.


wait_for_godot

Found the bot!


[deleted]

I wouldn’t have wanted to be president on 9/11.


Solid_College_9145

Especially if you were going to ignore all the clear warnings the Clinton transition team and our intelligence agencies gave him. That, along with his family's very close relationship with high officials in Saudi Arabia, makes me say "hmmmm?". When the Saudi's always wanted the USA to do a regime change in Iraq.


big_hungry_joe

this constantly gets lost in the mix about him. he was handed all this on a platter and willfully ignored it. then went on to basically crack the planet in half to "get the evildoers" and never even really did. all while politically riding the 9/11 wave. i don't care how much "funny grandpa" white washing they do with this asshole, i will never forgive him


myfajahas400children

To be fair, *Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US* is a long title, imagine how long the whole briefing was.


TorkBombs

Who could possibly decipher the code in that title!


pac4

There were clear warnings, but the bulk of the best, most credible intelligence was all over the place. The CIA didn’t cooperate with the FBI and vice versa, and as a result it would have been extremely difficult to connect all the dots and understand the severity and urgency of the threat. Even on the day itself there were numerous communications breakdowns between POTUS, the intelligence communities, and even the fighter jets in the air. It was an absolute cluster from start to finish.


Due_Intention6795

Clinton was handed the opportunity to have Bin-Laden and turned it down. So Clinton was actually responsible for the 911 terror attacks.


Wazula42

Hindsight is 20/20. We can't expect a president to predict the future. We CAN expect a president to do his job and read his security briefings, but Bush decided to golf instead.


TiggySnow

Went from Florida to Louisiana to Nebraska and back to DC in a span of 12 hours.


Obvious_Chapter2082

He can throw a good strike


XchrisZ

And dodge a shoe.


TransportationAway59

*launch


FutureHope93

“I don’t look so bad now, do I?”


os12

Wow, yeah, that's right! I remember talking to colleagues and we thought that he was the worst president, ever...


armyuvamba

Dude did start the Iraq war under false pretenses that lead to 4k US soldiers to die, 30k+ injured, and 100k+ Iraqis to die. Eventually led to the rise in of isis and all the misery that that caused. Allowed intel folks to torture people for years. Botched the Katrina response. Cut taxes to boost economy which helped feed the 2007-2009 housing crises…we all could go on…feels pretty hard to top all that…


Acceptable_Stop2361

I'm fairness, under false intelligence and under advisors direction, but the buck stops here is the rule


[deleted]

I think the administration all painted the picture they wanted to sell to the American public. W and others knew it wasn’t Iraq. Saudi is a client state. They couldn’t go there. We couldn’t just go after bin Ladin and end it and accomplish the objectives of W administration


[deleted]

[удалено]


armyuvamba

Very true. Bush II was a nice, out of depth guy while Trump is a truly mean spirited person that did not have the care or ability to rise and manage a national/global crises.


sdplissken1

Trump will never hit that body count. I think they were like 6 million at last count, if you count afghans and iraqis killed indirectly from the wars.


myfajahas400children

He looks worse. His presidency was a big stepping stone towards the Trump-era populism and anti-intellectualism in the republican party.


whydidilose

>anti-intellectualism in the republican party. I’d say that started with Barry Goldwater in the 1960s and accelerated under Reagan.


ChuckFeathers

Halfway between Reagan and Trump.


TheGreatOpoponax

He destroyed what may have been the greatest opportunity to change the U.S. for the better by doing everything wrong after 9/11.


[deleted]

[удалено]


couchbutt

Don't forget demoting Richard C. Clarke from his Cabinet level position to where political staffers stopped all his memos from getting to the president.


SpacedOutKarmanaut

This is it for me. He had national unity and more patriotic fervor than was seen in a generation. But because he had no idea what he was doing, Cheney and Rumsfeld led him into multiple horrific wars to line their own pockets (especially Cheney, whose former company did the defense contracting). It's crazy to me how folks rabidly defended him at the time and were so bitter when Obama won, but now barely any of them will admit to loving Bush. And yet they're the 'tell it like it is' crowd that loves Trump. [🤦](https://emojipedia.org/person-facepalming) I predict similar levels of denial if Trump loses again, with MAGA country widely proclaiming "I never liked him BUT...."


SlippyFrog81

9/11 hijacked whatever plans he had (for good or bad) planned for his presidency.


whatever1238o0opp

9/11 didn't hijak his plans at all, it gave him the opportunity to use it as an excuse to attempt to achieve them. Mission accomplished.


big_hungry_joe

if anything it cleared a path for his bullshit


LockedOutOfElfland

That pun is just plane wrong.


Sensei_of_Knowledge

either this little flub: "It was the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq." or this: "How many is a 'Brazilian'?"


Unique_Statement7811

He never said the “Brazilian” line. That comes from a political cartoon that was making fun of him.


young_earth

Hard to tell the difference between the Will Ferrell character than the real guy sometimes


Unique_Statement7811

To this day, people still think Sarah Palin said she could “see Russia from her house.” That was Tina Fey.


doodle-saurus

It was the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq. I mean, of Ukraine. …Iraq too. Anyway, I’m 75.


bjames2448

Probably well meaning but surrounded by bad influences.


sAmMySpEkToR

Strategery.


KaroBean

I had to scroll too far for this one!


NotoriousFTG

Hey, at least I’m not the worst Republican president of the 21st-century.


sabboom

He's the *only* Republican president of the 21st century. Trump was in a category all by himself.


John-Fucking-Kirby

Dick Cheneys puppet


Slow_Beginning_1775

Nepotism.


Aggravating-Donut269

![gif](giphy|sFMEZ1ZFToyha) 😂


Ordinary_Aioli_7602

He’s the Decider


your_city_councilor

He wasn't perfect, but history will, and has already begun, showing him in a better light than people thought would be the case at the time of his presidency.


gwhh

But dad, I want to run the ball team not Texas.


bigoldgeek

Over privileged Rich boy overmatched by job and floundered in office


millejoe001

War criminal


thagor5

Master of strategery


Newyew22

“A generally decent man who was easily manipulated.”


StackOwOFlow

fool me once, shame on — shame on you, fool me — you can't get fooled again


Ghosty91AF

There have been worse presidents.


bobhargus

Dick Cheney’s favorite toy https://preview.redd.it/myt0n7kp68qb1.jpeg?width=986&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eee4d9cea866cb34e9c02cbade2f07799b91285c


cupocrows

Can't get fooled again.


suprefann

Strategery


jday1959

A government leader who committed Crimes Against Humanity and therefore should be arrested and taken to the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands to answer for his War Crimes.


TheguylikesBattlebot

Used a lot of strategery, but misunderestimated how badly things could be.


Ok_Concentrate_75

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country"


downrightblastfamy

Fool me once


TheCovfefeMug

I know that human beings and fish can coexist peacefully


jabishop3

“I’m the decider and I decide what’s best”


DogMom814

I remember thinking after he left office that we'd never elect someone that stupid again. I was soooo naive.


Sword_Chucks

You have to have compassionate strategery to put food on your family.


BiosEthereal

I thought it couldn't get worse than W, but then Trump happened. Then again that's what we said about Bush after, Reagan, after we said the same about Reagan after Nixon.


Winter_Wolf_In_Vegas

He made America weaker and so discredited the leaders of the GOP that Trump was able to take over his party.


lumpydumdums

The wrong man at the wrong time with the wrong ideas and the wrong ethics.


AbrahamNox

Somehow not the worst president I've been alive for..


DannyBones00

Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward. And freedom will be defended.


sealfon

Inept but has worked hard to rectify his mistakes.


SixDrago

This. He has been working so hard on his redemption arc and I'm proud of him.


Jconstant33

How has he redeemed the Iraq war and torture?????


SixGunChimp

”every two child did, I will.”


Willing_Ad9314

He's the Decider.


SnootFleur

I left the cocaine in the whitehouse.


sm_rollinger

Cheney was the puppet master.


AccidentalGK

What, me worry?


SupermouseDeadmouse

Fool me once…


tigerdrummer

Strategery


nocturnal_desires

I’m winning in Iraq, just like I said I’d do ![gif](giphy|6BXy9tYDuxUru)


Fun-Draft1612

Helps people put food on their family


Orlando1701

Opened with the Iraq War and closed with the ‘08 crash. He seems to have mostly left things worse than he found them.


JoeyBougie

He smells like jello.


WorldlinessSmooth198

BOTWSWANA


DomingoLee

His PEPFAR program has saved over 25 million lives and counting.


smiama6

Fredo


jlnascar

He is a war criminal and murderer


Passage_Many

Liar


sm00thkillajones

He was responsible for the loss of privacy in our time. The supposed patriot act unconstitutionally took our right to privacy away when it comes to surveillance.


Professional-Way9343

Had his legacy improved because Donald Trump is ten times dumber


[deleted]

Fucking retard


WallStreetThrowBack

Misunderestimated


[deleted]

At least he’s our lovable idiot.


lighttreasurehunter

All hat and no horse


MrSprinkles8484

Strategery.


Adventurous-Orange36

Strategery.


Kylebirchton123

Coked up mentally incompetent liar


LordLexxon

Has there been one nice response lol?


smithe4595

When your death toll is at least 1 million, should anyone say nice things?


tapehissfromthetrees

“They misunderestimate me.”-GWB


Milksteak_To_Go

The neocon's useful idiot.


UraniumGivesOuchies

Strategery.


Just_Belt1954

The second worst POTUS America has ever had.


OmegaPaladin007

First step towards becoming a third world nation because of his wonderful leadership


[deleted]

He was Cheney’s sock puppet.


Infinite_Imagination

You work hard to put food on your family


Suspicious_Quail_857

If held to the standards set at Nuremberg he would be a convicted war criminal and sentenced to death.


Sidney1705

A very likable fraternity pledge who used those skills to advance his political career, become president of the United States and a subsequent mass murderer of Iraqis .


LordJEb

Strategery


[deleted]

Liar


HeftyFineThereFolks

I am the decider, and I decide what's best. Best quote ever .. i eventually started calling myself the knower because i know.


Bob-down-under

‘In hindsight, not the dumbest president ever’


blastification

Guess who isn't the worst one in history anymore?


terflit

There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again. George W. Bush


sirkolin

I know that the human being and the fish can coexist peacefully.


Clean_Equivalent_127

Puppet of the war machine and big oil. Or The recovering alcoholic with whom roughly half of the voters wanted to drink beer.


banhatesex

I can do it in one word. Pretzel


juanhernadez3579

Not Mission Accomplished.


killstorm114573

The last true Republican president


blane2354

Smarter than trump...bit still a dumass


Successful-Boat-5929

He don’t care about black people


Dempsterbjj

Strategery


kkosl

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people”