Times UK: Full Circle - Crawford Turns Its Back On Lame-Duck President Bush

[Hissyspit]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4996092.ece

October 23, 2008
Full circle: Crawford turns its back on lame-duck President Bush

Mr Bush's fall from favour is apparent in other ways in his adopted home town

On a sunny Texan morning four good ol'boys in baseball caps and Stetsons are playing dominoes in a back room of the Masonic Lodge, an old brick edifice in the two blocks of ramshackle buildings that constitute downtown Crawford.

As they slap down their tiles they talk of President Bush, whose 1,583-acre (641-hectare) ranch lies seven miles out of town. “He ain't much of a President,” drawls Bill Holmes. “He's as good as any,” retorts Joel Weber.

“He's bin loaded down every time he's tried to do somethin' good,” argues Marvin Luedeker.

“I know the war was tough and it ain't over yet, but as far as terrorists go we ain't had any attacks over here,” Raymond Whitney concludes.

In this tiny community of 705 deeply conservative, teetotal, God-fearing souls, Mr Bush has considerably more support than he has in the country at large, as his eight-year presidency enters its twilight days. Polls suggest that he is the most unpopular president of modern times. He is almost openly repudiated by John McCain, the Republican nominee to succeed him. Republican congressional candidates invite him to private fundraisers, but certainly not to campaign rallies.

Mr Bush's fall from favour is apparent in other ways in his adopted home town on the edge of Texas hill country where he used to burnish his image by chopping wood and cutting brush. Now the lamest of lame duck presidents, he is far from the draw he was.

- snip -

Whenever Mr Bush was in residence (he has visited 75 times since taking office) helicopters would circle overhead, the town would fill with journalists, and gawkers' vehicles stretched bumper to bumper all the way out to his ranch on Chapel Prairie Road even though it is entirely hidden by trees.

Protesters came too. Thousands of Falun Gong activists demonstrated against China's then President Jiang Zemin. Ten thousand demonstrators supported Cindy Sheehan, a bereaved mother, in her stand against the Iraq war. On one occasion Greenpeace supporters scaled Crawford's water tower to hang a “Bush the Toxic Texan” banner.

Today, by contrast, there is scarcely a tourist - let alone a protester - to be seen and Main Street, with its single blinking traffic light, is largely deserted except for the odd truck and occasional goods train rumbling down the railroad line that splits the town in two.

Of the seven gift shops that sold “Western White House” mugs, T-shirts, fridge magnets and golf balls, three have gone bust, only two still open regularly and one has a sale on, while the cardboard cut-outs of Mr Bush have been largely relegated to backrooms.

Half of Main Street's buildings are now locked up and vacant.

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[BrklynLiberal]

1. They have followed prez shit-for-brains down the rabbit hole..

[tblue]

2. Whenever someone says, "as terrorists go we ain't had any attacks over here" since 9/11,

tell them they are WRONG. The anthrax attacks happened. Those were bioterrorist attacks. And the cases have not been solved to the satisfaction of at least one victim, Senator Patrick Leahy. This is but one example of how Bush has NOT kept America safe.

[Mariana]

4. They forgot this terrorist attack, in Texas, in 2007.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/26/clinic.bomb/index.html

Good grief, the guy who did it was sentenced to 40 years in Federal prison just about a year ago. I guess terrorists who aren't Ay-rabs don't count.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[TankLV]

3. Half of Main Street's buildings are now locked up and vacant.

as it should be...

now waiting for the other half to do likewise...

too bad when you dance with the devil...

I will not be shedding a single tear for them - and in fact, I can't help but SMILE at this bit of good news...for the REST of the WORLD...

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. "there's something wrong with his brain"

“A man who cuts cedar in 100 degrees in the summertime in Texas - there's something wrong with his brain,” says Mr Lynch. “It's for the cameras only.”

[SpiralHawk]

6. Commander AWOL has had 75 freaking vacations at the pig farm!!!

No wonder America's economy, environment, military, and reputation are all the crapper.

The AWOL republicon jerk has played with his freaking putter through 8 freaking years... squandering the Clinton budget surplus, failing us on 9/11 and with Katrina, eroding our Constitutional rights, and in general acting like a low-class doofus.