George W. Bush: He didn’t screw up on purpose

June 15, 2007

Salon’s Tim Grieve was listening to White House Counselor Dan Bartlett, who recently announced his departure, reflect on his experiences in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Bartlett’s perspective was so amazing, I initially thought he was kidding.

“The good thing about this president — and I think this is the reason why he was reelected — is that, when he’s finished here, and at the same time I’m finished here in a couple of weeks, I can look in the mirror and say, ‘I think we did what was best. I think we looked at all the issues. We tried our best to do the right thing for the country.’

“And I think the president will have the same mind-set when he returns to Texas at the end of his presidency. And at the end of the day, that’s all you can expect. You may not always agree with him. But I think he’s demonstrated that he’s doing something — the things that he is doing, however bold or aggressive or wrongheaded that some people think they are, he’s doing what he thinks is best for this country.” (emphasis added)

In other words, Bartlett is praising the president for not intentionally undermining the United States government. (Indeed, Bush won a second term, Bartlett said, because he “tried” to do the right thing. This will no doubt help separate him from those other presidents who tried to do the wrong thing.)

It’s good to know. Even when it seems as if Bush might be some kind of Manchurian President, deliberately weakening the country, Bartlett wants us all to know that Bush is “doing something” and he thinks his decisions are what’s “best for this country.”

Talk about your soft bigotry of low expectations….

Well, I guess that should put Bush above Nixon.

Nixon actually didn’t try to do what was best for the country.

  • It’s been that way since he was running in 2000. When Bush didn’t piss on himself during the first debate it was treated as if he had actually won the debate. It goes towards this White House’s world view: if you believe in something enough, the belief itself is enough to make it so. Its the Tinkerbell presidency.

  • Heh

    (Indeed, Bush won a second term, Bartlett said, because he “tried” to do the right thing. This will no doubt help separate him from those other presidents who tried to do the wrong thing.)

    CB? You’ll never get rid of me with sublime snark like that.

  • I’ve often wondered how the people of the United States can be so forgiving of the President. If this bozo had been in charge of any kind of for-profit business they would have run him out on a rail a long time ago.

    My boyfriend who posts here as “gg” has told me before when I’ve brought this up that his take on this phenomenon is that people tend to be more forgiving of public officials if they think that they are “trying to do the right thing”.

    Not that it is right, but for whatever reason, people seem to have a different set of standards for public office.

  • Gee, that is a relief…

    And to think sometimes I imagine Bush as a kind of Dr. Evil wannabe…pinkie raised to his lips, musing which hapless country he’ll blow up today or, at the very least de-stabilize, just for the fun of it…

  • Some Conservatives believe in breaking laws and lying to get what they want and some don’t. One man’s acceptance is another man’s abomination.

    I must say, the GOP has done an absolutely awesome job of despoiling our country. The amount of hubris that propels the expansion of executive power is truly breathtaking.

  • Road… to somewhere… paved…what…with good something or other.

    Now they’re pulling Kantian sophistry? Assholes.

  • No, he didn’t screw up on purpose.

    Oh—everything he did was on purpose, that’s for certain; it’s just that he didn’t intend for his evil plans to establish the Global Fascist Caliphate of Rovianism to go so, well—wrong.

    And as for Kantian sophistry? I used to smack down Kant-esque grad-candidates for breakfast. It was fun then—and it’s just as fun now….

  • This is like that old skit on SNL.

    Great Moments In White Trash History!
    Yes, he trashed the US Consitution.
    No, he never did finish that war in Iraq.
    But he was good people.

  • In other words, Bartlett is praising the president for not intentionally undermining the United States government.

    Whoa. I read it exactly the opposite: everything that’s happened has been inentional. Maybe he didn’t achieve the outcomes he’d hoped for, but he did set out in a purposeful direction, because it’s “what he thinks is best for this country.”

  • Yeah, I read it the same way as Grumpy, @12, did. Shrub worked with a purpose. Including ignoring the population’s wishes, because “daddy knows best”. Thgings turned to s***t all the same? Tough luck; can’t make omelets etc…

    BTW, while I can manage to forgive a 5yr old when he/she says “I didn’t mean to break it”, I have a different attitude when it comes to someone who’d old enough so that people can expect rational behaviour (like: knowing the relationship between cause and effect). So, even if the Chimperor did mean well, it’s still no excuse…

  • I kinda agree with Grumpy and libra, except that I think W worked with a purpose, intentionally screwing things up. I think this was/is the plan. Examples: destroying as much of our social support structure as possible by intentionally placing unqualified cronies in leadership roles at FEMA, the Justice Dept., the Dept. of Health, Ed. & Welfare, etc., etc. — and telling them to have a good time while they were at it (“Spend all the money you want!”); getting us bogged down in the Middle East, because the idea is to stay there anyway.

    Bush smiles and acts like a bumbling idiot because he doesn’t want us to figure out that he’s a whole lot smarter and a lot more vindictive than he lets on.

    This is not incompetency, people! This is criminality.

  • “In other words, Bartlett is praising the president for not intentionally undermining the United States government. (Indeed, Bush won a second term, Bartlett said, because he “tried” to do the right thing. ”

    My favorite philosopher, Charles Schulz, once wrote a Peanuts strip in which Charlie Brown buys a new blanket for Linus just at the moment Linus has finally beaten the addiction. Later, Chuck visits Lucy for a session and says, “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

    Lucy replies, “Charlie Brown, no greater damage has been wrought throughout history than by people who thought they were doing the right thing. Five cents please.”

  • Too good to pass up:

    Over on TPM you ended this post saying: “I can just imagine the 2009 headlines: “George W. Bush: He failed, but it wasn’t on purpose.””

    I’d like to add the Goodling twist to it:

    “George W. Bush: He failed, but he didn’t mean to”.

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