What a charming President we have:
For the first time, Bush revealed a personal way in which he has tried to acknowledge the sacrifice of soldiers and their families: He has given up golf.“I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” he said. “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.”
Bush said he made that decision after the August 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which killed Sergio Vieira de Mello, the top U.N. official in Iraq and the organization's high commissioner for human rights.
“I remember when de Mello, who was at the U.N., got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man's life,” he said. “I was playing golf -- I think I was in central Texas -- and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, 'It's just not worth it anymore to do.'”
Politics
Comments
At least he is consistent in his patriotism... he gave up golf during Vietnam as well.
Posted by: Tony | May 13, 2008 8:33 PM
And I'm sure he gave up chocolate for Lent. This is a man who believes in sacrifice.
Posted by: Zeno | May 13, 2008 8:46 PM
If someone gives up their only begotten son, it's only fair that Bush give up something that has given him a modicum of hope and pleasure as well.
Posted by: shortie | May 13, 2008 10:06 PM
He's a great one for heroic self-sacrifice, our Decider:
The above report was printed in 2003. I haven't had the stomach to monitor the details of the life of Boy George to ascertain the length and strength of this commitment.
Posted by: Pierce R. Butler | May 13, 2008 10:47 PM
Just spent 10 minutes on Google looking for recent photos of 43 playing golf. Nothing conclusive yet, but I can see the day. Too bad we can't be sure of his motivation - if genuine, the idea itself is at least thoughtful.
Posted by: cl | May 13, 2008 10:57 PM
Question: Did W ever really like playing golf? Did he give it up as a sacrifice ... or because he wasn't really into it?
Posted by: Gerry L | May 13, 2008 11:31 PM
Actually, it was about that time that Dubya took up bicycling as a more vigorous form of exercise. He purchased a $3000 Trek Rage from Revolution cycles in Georgetown, which he rides, accompanied by Secret Service agents, over at the USAG facility in Beltsville, Md. and also at his ranch in Texas.
Posted by: SLC | May 14, 2008 7:12 AM
There was a clip on TV in which after his remarks on current affairs, delivered while holding a golf club, he said, "now watch this", and then used the club to hit the ball, very jolly and pleased with himself. I don't know the date, but I'm pretty sure it was more recent than the 2003 bombing.
Posted by: stillwaggon | May 14, 2008 7:37 AM
aSk Blogcu... En Güncel Blog..
Posted by: Tabuhan | May 14, 2008 11:38 AM
If you read the New Yorker article about the UN bombing in Iraq and how de Mello died a slow agonizing death in the rubble, it can be traced back to a riff between de Mello and a top US general that lead to reduced US security of the UN building at the time of the bombing, and a slow, half-assed rescue response by the Marines. De Mello was blackballed, backstabbed, and left to die.
Posted by: caynazzo | May 14, 2008 1:12 PM
While Keith Olberman may not have the audience of O'Reilly or Flush Windblow, it does my heart good to watch someone with a large public reach, hold this administration accountable and tell the truth to the American people
This country needs to be wrestled away from the dishonest, destructive self-serving agenda of the Hard Right and the Evangelical Christians and returned to real Americans.
Posted by: Steverino | May 15, 2008 12:22 PM
de Mello dies in August, Bush seen playing golf in October of that same year. So it certainly wasn't as instantaneous as Bush is now trying to imply. Also, Bush injured a calf muscle and gave up running at the same time.
Posted by: Bayesian Bouffant, FCD | May 15, 2008 4:24 PM
En GünceL Teknoloji ve Bilim Haberleri Sitesi... Mutlaka Girmelisiniz..
En GünceL Teknoloji ve Bilim Haberleri Sitesi... Mutlaka Girmelisiniz..
En GünceL Teknoloji ve Bilim Haberleri Sitesi... Mutlaka Girmelisiniz..
Posted by: aSk Blogcu | May 19, 2008 4:50 PM
I've never played a game of golf, ever. It's been a long, hard life of sacrifice, let me tell ya.
Posted by: beagledad | May 23, 2008 1:08 PM