My life has been oh-so-dull without George W. Bush around. I’ve stopped cursing every time I turn on the TV. When I occasionally lapse into Bush-isms, I’m increasingly greeted with blank stares. Oh, George, it’s like we never knew you at all. Were you just a bad dream?
But tonight on the news…I saw him. He had surfaced in Haiti of all places, and a video camera caught him shaking the hand of an earthquake survivor and appearing … yes, definitely appearing … to wipe his hand afterwards on Bill Clinton’s shirt.
Take a look at the footage…
href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DtwkTS9mq8
What do you think? Did he wipe or didn’t he?
Suddenly, it’s like George W. has never been gone at all. The hand wipe is all over the news and so are rumours that Bush apparently makes a habit of this.
He reportedly wiped his glasses on the shirt of David Letterman’s assistant during the 2000 campaign. According to the New York Times review of Barack Obama’s book The Audacity of Hope, Obama “recalls a meet-and-greet encounter at the White House with George W. Bush, who warmly shook his hand, then ‘turned to an aide nearby, who squirted a big dollop of hand sanitizer in the president’s hand.’ (‘Good stuff,’ he quotes the president as saying, as he offered his guest some. ‘Keeps you from getting colds.’)”
It was strange seeing George W. again. Kind of like a bad flashback. Remember back when he said, “I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we’re really talking about peace.” Or…wait…remember when he said, “”You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.”
The Bush bungle in Haiti even tops Vice-President Joe Biden’s gaffe when he apparently turned to President Obama after the announcement of the successful passage of Health Care reform and said, “This is a big f-ing deal.”
Yes, dammit, it is. And George W. should be very happy about the passage of this bill because when he gets back home from Haiti more Americans will have paid healthcare to deal with all of those germs he’s trying to wipe off.
But seriously.
Photo Credits
George Bush on the Ranch, White House Photo, by Eric Draper
Feature Photo, Creative Commons, Wikimedia
Unbelievable! Wonder what Bill thought of that gesture. Good ole Dubya, always good for a laugh ( in a scary kind of way).
Good point, Cathy… I wonder what Bill thought too. I’m going to try and find out. See what fun Bush inspires!
Definitely a wipe.
I don’t know. As George Dubya would say, “They misunderestimated me.” Poor George. I miss him too. He made me feel so superior.
Must be either amusing or confusing for Canadians and others to have watched this health care process in the US. The reform bill sucks for the most part, as far as this uninsured, but too “wealthy” with his paltry teacher’s salary to get any significant help guy is concerned. And yes, Bush definitely did a wipe there. Fear of germs? Fear of black folks? Some of both?
I really wonder what Haitians think about having people like Bush and Clinton running around their country. I honestly don’t know what to think myself.
Thanks for your comment, Nathan. I think many of us Canadians just cannot understand why so a healthcare bill raised so much fear. Our healthcare system is not perfect but it has a tremendous source of comfort to me to know we have that safety net.
As for Clinton, I think he’s become George W’s towel bar!