Bush Quips That he May Stay in Power

[RoccoR5955]

Source: Wired

At a press briefing this morning that touched on issues like the White House's extrajudicial wiretapping program and torture policies, the president was asked a question about Vladimir Putin's plan to hold on to power when his term as Russian president runs out.

Reporter: Mr. President, following up on Vladimir Putin for a moment, he said recently that next year, when he has to step down according to the constitution, as the president, he may become prime minister; in effect keeping power and dashing any hopes for a genuine democratic transition there ...

Bush: I've been planning that myself.


Read more: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/10/bush-quip-might.html

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The article goes on to say that the OLC and Justice Department are not in on this, but didn't he say, back in '02, "This would be a lot easier if this was a dictatorship, especially if I was the dictator."

Didn't they put through that executive order whereby he can declare martial law for any "emergency" as he sees fit?

Some may see this as a joke, but I don't know. The way things are going with Bushco, Inc. these days, they seem to be backed into a corner, and ready to strike any time now.

[Waya]

1. Wouldn't put it past that louse to try it.....................

[KansDem]

2. Well? Who's going to stand up to him?

The cough...cough...Congress?
The cough...cough...Supreme Court?
The cough...cough...media?

When he tries to pull the Il Duce bullshit, who's going to stop him?

[neverforget]

3. reid and pelosi will send a sternly worded letter to Bush.

[formercia]

6. and then give the fascist salute....

:sarcasm:

[Blashyrkh]

41. Like Hans Brix

"If you do not let us inspect your palaces Mr Il we will be very angry with you, and we will send you a letter telling you how angry we are."

[phantom power]

4. It doesn't make me laugh.

[LakeSamish706]

5. And the bigger problem here is that as I see it the Democrats are content...

to sit and let the Clock run down.... But, what happens if the clock doesn't run down like there plan calls for? If he decides to either declare Martial law (for whatever reason) or just stay, who is going to remove him and his ilk?

[Golden Raisin]

8. And now he's got Blackwater to back him up too.

[monktonman]

13. Some say this is why they wont impeach.

Afraid he'll bomb Iran and call off the elections.

[sakabatou]

7. Kowaii yo (Scary!)

[Xipe Totec]

9. As if he ever was nt

[PerceptionManagement]

10. Chimpy is going to be a penis to the bitter, bitter end.

And in a final F*** Y**, chimpy is going to declare emergency powers and fill the concentration camps being created right now by Halliburton. That's truly why he doesn't give a shit about his crappy approval ratings. He is the first US dictator.

[bdamomma]

11. and cheney is the force that is propelling him

cheney believes all power should go to one man, and fuck the Congress, Cheney needs to be impeached, he is not NOT untouchable.

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. It's easier being a DICKtator, right george?

:argh:

[liberalhistorian]

14. I believe the actual clinical word for it

is "Freudian slip." I do not believe the word "quip" is the correct one here.

[spanone]

15. the most unfunny thing i've heard in seven years

[The Count]

16. Like he quipped about dictatorship? So, we don't have to worry then....

[yellowcanine]

17. He may think that is funny, I don't given his willingness to trash the Constitution.

[Zandor]

18. It's a joke

Get a grip.

[gratuitous]

19. Well, it wasn't funny at all

So that's a point in favor of the "joke" theory.

[againes654]

20. Now you are defending bush????

You have really lost it.

[Zandor]

21. I'm defending sanity n/t

[againes654]

23. Yeah, ok, if you say so

Sanity, Zandor, ha ha ha :rofl:

[Zandor]

24. You think Bush is alluding to seizing power after his second term

or making a joke?

[againes654]

25. Nothing that lying rat bastard does surprises me

I would NEVER EVER defend ANYTHING he said. I can understand your defense of Clinton and even Pelosi, but bush???? I don't give a shit if he was joking or not, that shit is not funny at all. If anyone is capable of it, bush/cheney are.

[Deja Q]

30. If I may intercede, flat humor is a universal commodity.

Nobody has a monopoly on it.

And as a shrink once said, "Sometimes a cake is just a cake."

Now maybe we're wrong and there is a big ooh-boo-gooey crap-our-pants scary conspiracy going on. (uh, not...)

And if there really was (again: uh, not...), how come every DUer who thinks there is one merely whines about it, as if spouting Jiffy Pop brand tinfoil popcorn commentary is going to make it all go away? I've posted one or two from time to time and people kick me back into reality, of which I'm thankful for.

In short, there's as much a conspiracy theory afoot just like that other one about how I wear a size 48DDD bra at the zoo. BTW: I'm a bloke and my boobs aren't that huge, nor would they fit in even an A cup either, and zoos smell worse than cigarette smoke...

[Zandor]

34. You're defending Bush??? !!!111oneoneone

:sarcasm:

[Zandor]

35. You're peeing your pants over nothing

He's done plenty enough wrong, you don't have to look for monsters under the bed.

[MnFats]

39. people might be inclined to look at as a joke if only they hadn't seen...

...one ruinous, vindictive, beligerent, ignorant outrageous act every goddamn day for the last seven years....given context, his quip seems downright ominout.

see you at the convention!

[Blashyrkh]

42. I think it was a moment of rare honesty.

Similar to the "joke" about his base being the "haves and the have-mores". The "joke" of "looking" for WMD. Similar to his "joke" about the ease of governing in a dictatorship, to which the punchline was the Military Commissions Act 2006.

He "jokes" about a lot of things that, just-a by accident, happen to take place.

But you're not here to consider that are you?

[Deja Q]

29. A variable commodity, I must say.

BTW: I agree with you entirely. Especially when the OP contains the omission of one word from the phrase; the phrase of which posted in its entirety in another post on GD. :D

And, as I'd said earlier, all that land in S. America he bought. Didn't everyone, at the time, huff and puff about him not wanting to leave and live down there when his term ends? (I ought to look up those threads as incontrovertible proof...)

[AntiFascist]

26. I'm sure the "joke" relates to the MIHOP theory of 9-11...

the conspiracy theory being that the administration will try to stage another terrorist event, closing down the elections, enabling martial law, and Bush stays in power.

Suppose 9-11 was instead LIHOP'd where rogue foreign powers staged 9-11 so that the administration could take advantage of it? Now suppose another event is staged around election time just to see what the administration will do to take advantage this time? Plausible deniability on behalf of the administration, but the joke is not so funny any more.

[Zandor]

36. Are you serious? n/t

[AntiFascist]

43. They continue to warn that a nuclear weapon will be exploded in the US...

it's not a question of if but when. The only question is, will this likely happen right before the election?

[Zandor]

44. So Bush is planning to explode a nuclear weapon

in this country to help Republicans in the next election?

[AntiFascist]

45. You obviously don't understand....

"LIHOP" implies that Bush isn't planning anything, it just means that through his incompetence he can "let it happen on purpose." There have been a few bold and stupid Republicans who have gone so far as to say that another domestic terror event is "needed" in order to unite Americans behind Bush. The head of the Republican party in Arkansas comes to mind.

[Xenotime]

33. hardly

[AndyTiedye]

22. Nobody is Laughing

:scared:

[Zandor]

37. So Bush is planning it secretly and jokes about it publicly? n/t

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Deja Q]

28. "I've been planning for that myself" was the full quote...

Context or not, he's planning for his life after his term ends. Didn't he buy some land in South America or something to go live on? (or did some DUer post a news article about his land purchase that contains more poop than Big Bird's nest?)

So which is the truth? Using a statement potentially out of context, or will he stay here and grow kumquats and aphids on his newly bought land?

[SDuderstadt]

31. If you read the WHOLE quote....

Just to start with, I doubt if anyone despises George Bush more than I do. And, yes, it is unsettling that he would joke about something like this, even in the slightest. But, as usual, people are being misserved by someone clipping the quote and leaving out important information. However, this is what Bush actually said:



As for Putin’s plans to remain as prime minister:

"I've been planning that myself,'' Bush joked.


“I have no idea what he’s going to do,’’ Bush said in a more serious vein. “I asked him when I saw him in Australia… I tried to get it out of him. He was wily. He wouldn’t tip his hand… I’ll tip mine. I’m going to work hard to the finish. I’m going to sprint to the finish line, and then you’ll find me in Crawford.’’


As you can see, he actually followed up with his plans to finish and then retire (God, let's hope so) in Crawford.


Moral of the story: Always look for the original source of a quote yourself and make sure you get the WHOLE quote, not just what someone wants you to hear. Clipping quotes so that they seem to mean something else is sloppy and intellectually dishonest. Unfortunately, you see it done all the time by RWers and the GOP and, even more unfortunately, some people supposedly on OUR side (MIHOPER's come to mind).

[BlackVelvet04]

32. Thank you.....

I'm getting tired of misleading thread titles and cherry picked "quotes".

[Zandor]

38. You know how to ruin a good panic

:rofl:

[JerseygirlCT]

40. Yeah, I'm not laughing, either. nt