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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Unabashed Silliness

Unabashed Silliness

by John Cole|  September 10, 200510:04 am| 105 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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John Aravosis, reacting to this CNN story about Al Gore financing a plane flight from a New Orleans airfield:

Al Gore personally saved 270 people in New Orleans

All it took was one guy saying God damn it, I’m getting the planes and saving these people.

Where the bloody hell was George Bush when everyone else was trying, and succeeding, in saving these people? College students were able to get there quicker than Bush (true story). The man is a pitiful excuse for a human being, let alone a president.

George Bush: A failed presidency. The worst president ever.

It reads like an Al Franken SNL skit, that Americablog does. Al Gore is good enough, and smart enough, and doggoneit, he cares enough to ‘save’ those people.

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Reader Interactions

105Comments

  1. 1.

    jobiuspublius

    September 10, 2005 at 10:16 am

    I don’t get it.

  2. 2.

    jobiuspublius

    September 10, 2005 at 10:17 am

    Oh! This is another play pen. OK.

    DOWN WITH WORST POTUS EVER!!!!

  3. 3.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 10:31 am

    I’m not in the mood to be manipulated today, but thanks anyway.

  4. 4.

    Geek, Esq.

    September 10, 2005 at 10:39 am

    I’m still waiting for the first conservative website to retract the abuse they heaped on Sean Penn earlier this week.

  5. 5.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 10:42 am

    This is yet another cheap, shameless Democratic effort to politicize the tragedy. This is a time for the nation to come together, not a time for this loser to come out of mothballs and try to embarrass the president by “saving” hundreds of people. Shouldn’t he be busy growing a beard and screaming that Bush is a Nazi? I’ll bet he had Michael Moore film the whole “resuce” operation.

    Well, I hope Al Gore knows that this is not the time to play the credit game. There will be plenty of time to decide whether or not he deserves credit for this when the partisan commission releases its finding in 2011.

    Until then, I hope he has a great time doing yoga with Jane Fonda and Michael Isikoff.

    Why does Al Gore hate America?

  6. 6.

    John Cole

    September 10, 2005 at 10:43 am

    What was funny about Sean Penn, Geek, was not that he was out there trying to help. That, in and of itself, was admirable.

    What was funny was that he brought an entourage to include a personal photographer AND that he didn’t understand to plug the boat. And being mocked by bystanders was amusing, too.

  7. 7.

    Bob

    September 10, 2005 at 10:43 am

    The kid Ayoob went 0 for 10 last Saturday. Troubling, but we’ve got the best college quarterback coach in Jeff Tedford. Let’s see how Cal does up in the Pacific Northwest today.

    Oh, I’m sorry, we’re talking about something else.

  8. 8.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 10:44 am

    I’m still waiting for the first conservative website to retract the abuse they heaped on Sean Penn earlier this week.

    Ol’ Baghdad Sean. What a fraud. Libruls like Sean need to learn that you don’t help disaster victims by going around in a boat and pulling them out of the water, you help disaster victims by standing by the president.

  9. 9.

    Blue Neponset

    September 10, 2005 at 10:47 am

    John,

    Did you decide to ‘go the way of Rush Limbaugh’? I haven’t seen your response to the comments posted under your Just Curious comments.

  10. 10.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 10:53 am

    you don’t help disaster victims by going around in a boat and pulling them out of the water, you help disaster victims by standing by the president.

    I just wanted to put a block quote box around that and repost it.

    Wish I’d written it.

  11. 11.

    John Cole

    September 10, 2005 at 10:54 am

    Blue- There are 340 comments. I am not going through and readng them.

  12. 12.

    Pb

    September 10, 2005 at 10:57 am

    It reads like an Al Franken SNL skit

    Except, of course, for the fact that Al Gore really was responsible for saving 270 people. He didn’t want any credit for it, either–go figure.

    Of course, there were other American citizens who also managed to personally save hundreds of people. Al Gore was just one of them. George W. Bush just wasn’t.

    But in Bush’s defense, he had other priorities. He had to get on with his life.

  13. 13.

    jobiuspublius

    September 10, 2005 at 10:59 am

    Where the hell was Gore when Worst POTUS Ever flew over NO? Where the hell was Gore when Worst POTUS Ever was in NO leading a team of 50 firemen? Gore didn’t even have the decency to fly the plane himself. That copy cat. Look at him photo-oping in the CNN article. Everybody else on the tarmac turned their back on him. Even the evacuee. That granny’s got spunk. Gore, what a whippersnapper! When will he learn. He lost. The SCOTUS said so. Dood, YOUR NOT PRESIDENT!!

  14. 14.

    John Cole

    September 10, 2005 at 11:02 am

    Except, of course, for the fact that Al Gore really was responsible for saving 270 people. He didn’t want any credit for it, either—go figure.

    Of course, there were other American citizens who also managed to personally save hundreds of people. Al Gore was just one of them. George W. Bush just wasn’t.

    But in Bush’s defense, he had other priorities. He had to get on with his life.

    You people have lost your god damned minds. I don’t care how much you hate Bush, there is no way for you to make statements that ‘Bush did nothing’ without looking like an absurd fool yourself.

  15. 15.

    capelza

    September 10, 2005 at 11:05 am

    I see this post as John Cole reacting to Americablog more than Gore.

    I’m still waiting for Ted Nugent to leap from that helicopter, though. :p

  16. 16.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 11:06 am

    If Al Gore is so good with airplanes, then why wasn’t he able to stop 9/11? Come on, you libruls say everyone knew it was coming. If Al Gore knew it was coming, then why didn’t he station some fighter airplanes near NYC and the Pentagon? It’s because he wanted it to happen, because he hates America.

  17. 17.

    jobiuspublius

    September 10, 2005 at 11:08 am

    I fail to see how vacationing, playing guitar, cutting cake, and lecturing on Pearl Harbor is doing nothing. Some people have never gotten anything done in their entire lives and have no respect for the vacation industry, the importance of supporting it at all costs, the cake cutting industry, the lectureing and Prearl Harbor industry, or any industry whatsoever. Bloggers! Cut your finger nails and get a job!

  18. 18.

    jobiuspublius

    September 10, 2005 at 11:08 am

    Oh, I forgot the guitar playing industry. Sorry, I will atone.

  19. 19.

    Blue Neponset

    September 10, 2005 at 11:10 am

    John,

    I am trying to figure out why I am so pissed about that Just Curious post of yours and I think it is the same reason I was pissed when I decided not to post at Redstate.org anymore; I realized that something I enjoyed being a part of was not what I thought it was.

    Ever since that ‘just curious’ story I have had to ask myself why you are commenting on sometihng. I didn’t do that a week ago and it has taken the fun out of this blog for me.

    I think the true problem is that I am more thin skinned and niave than even you are and I expect too much from bloggers.

    Anywho, vive Le Patriots!! cya later.

    (I feel like I am doing an intervention)

  20. 20.

    DJ Any Reason

    September 10, 2005 at 11:11 am

    I don’t care how much you hate Bush, there is no way for you to make statements that ‘Bush did nothing’ without looking like an absurd fool yourself.

    You know, I did a search for ‘Bush did nothing’ in this thread. It came up one time.

    Just sayin’…

  21. 21.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 11:11 am

    When does the “You Didn’t Save Me, Al” bus tour start?

  22. 22.

    BumperStickerist

    September 10, 2005 at 11:13 am

    Here are the Full Details from Greg Simon, President of FasterCures.

    Greg characterizes his effort as a ‘tipping point’.

    Greg also questions why the contact at FEMA hadn’t heard of ‘The Great Migration of African Americans’ to Chicago circa 1927 through the Depression.

    There is the question whether Gore’s effort, noble as it was, ‘saved’ anybody. Those people were at an airfield getting medical care. For example, one landing slot filled by a transport could have delivered equipment for a field hospital. The doctors could have stayed at the site and treated more than 75+ patients, et cetera.

    For example, what effect did the disruption to field operations caused by Gore’s mission have for everybody that wasn’t getting in on those planes?

    There’s also the general problem with private organziations getting involved in large logistical operations.

    If Gore’s flights becomes the Left’s version of Perot’s ‘On Wings of Eagles’, a private citizen cutting through the red tape to get things done and save people, then fine. But I wouldn’t want Perot organizing the rescue of US citizens – do you want Gore doing the same thing?

  23. 23.

    BumperStickerist

    September 10, 2005 at 11:16 am

    The Left here shows signs of the Ripple Effect, John.

    They’ve been drinking too much of it.

  24. 24.

    John Cole

    September 10, 2005 at 11:18 am

    Blue:

    Ever since that ‘just curious’ story I have had to ask myself why you are commenting on sometihng. I didn’t do that a week ago and it has taken the fun out of this blog for me.

    I thought it was pretty clear. I was making fun of John’s reaction.

    Good for Al Gore. He funded a plane flight for a bunch of peole out of an airfield in New Orleans. Bravo!

    Now look at Aravosis’ comments again and tell me it is not worthy of mockery.

  25. 25.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 11:20 am

    there is no way for you to make statements that ‘Bush did nothing’

    Your series of articles in which you scour the Internets and come back with examples of the outstanding performance of the president and his team before, during and after Katrina is eagerly anticipated.

    No doubt this scholarly compendium will serve as a reference work for future disaster planning. Governments and students will, in the future, treat the collection as a sort of disaster preparedness bible, I reckon.

  26. 26.

    jobiuspublius

    September 10, 2005 at 11:26 am

    BumperStickerist Says:
    …

    There’s also the general problem with private organziations getting involved in large logistical operations.

    …

    Dam Godless communist, Privatization is sacred!! Business craps bigger ones that you!

    If Gore’s flights becomes the Left’s version of Perot’s ‘On Wings of Eagles’, a private citizen cutting through the red tape to get things done and save people, then fine. But I wouldn’t want Perot organizing the rescue of US citizens – do you want Gore doing the same thing?

    Only Jesus can do it. JESUS SAVE ME!!

  27. 27.

    croatoan

    September 10, 2005 at 11:27 am

    Bush’s 50 firemen were used as props to make the president appear like he was doing something:

    Many of the firefighters, assembled from Utah and throughout the United States by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, thought they were going to be deployed as emergency workers.

    Instead, they have learned they are going to be community-relations officers for FEMA, shuffled throughout the Gulf Coast region to disseminate fliers and a phone number: 1-800-621-FEMA.
    …
    “There are all of these guys with all of this training and we’re sending them out to hand out a phone number,” an Oregon firefighter said. “They [the hurricane victims] are screaming for help and this day [of FEMA training] was a waste.”
    …
    But as specific orders began arriving to the firefighters in Atlanta, a team of 50 Monday morning quickly was ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew’s first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas.

  28. 28.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 11:28 am

    There’s also the general problem with private organziations getting involved in large logistical operations.

    Those Democrats, with their love of private organizations. When will they learn that big government is the only solution to problems like these.

  29. 29.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 11:29 am

    The crew’s first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas.

    Government’s first responsibility, always, is to protect citizens itself.

    Obviously we need some review of our grade school civics lessons around here.

  30. 30.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 11:31 am

    The crew’s first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas.

    Sean Penn had a photographer with him, why weren’t you complaining about that? It’s like you have one standard for Sean Penn and another much higher one for the president. You keep moving the goal posts.

  31. 31.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 11:33 am

    It’s like you have one standard for Sean Penn and another much higher one for the president.

    What was Penn even doing there? Did Governor Blanco even ask for his help?

  32. 32.

    Blue Neponset

    September 10, 2005 at 11:36 am

    Now look at Aravosis’ comments again and tell me it is not worthy of mockery.

    I regularly visit Americablog and I can say with some certainty that John Aravosis has thought that Bush is a ‘pitiful excuse for a human being’ for a good long time now. Pointing to one of his many, many Bush bashing comments and ridiculing it is more about ridiculing John Aravosis than it is about ridiculing this one particular comment, IMO.

    The short answer is I don’t see what this post adds to the discussion. In 10 minutes I could find something equally abrasive and stupid on Powerline and it would only prove that the guys at Powerline are very partisan Righties.

    I’ve got some non-blog commitments to attend to so I won’t be around to respond, but thanks for your response. Enjoy your Saturday.

  33. 33.

    CaseyL

    September 10, 2005 at 11:38 am

    But I wouldn’t want Perot organizing the rescue of US citizens – do you want Gore doing the same thing?

    You mean, if Gore was POTUS instead of Bush?

    I would give an important internal organ to have had Gore in the White House the last 5 years, instead of Bush.

  34. 34.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 11:40 am

    What was Penn even doing there?

    Three tons of food went bad after their delivery was delayed by Sean Penn’s entourage.

    And Sean Penn didn’t interrput his vacation until Friday? And did know he has almost no experience in disaster management? Unless you include the publicity tour he did for Shanghai Surprise.

  35. 35.

    Pb

    September 10, 2005 at 11:45 am

    You people have lost your god damned minds.

    Et tu, Cole?

    there is no way for you to make statements that ‘Bush did nothing’ without looking like an absurd fool yourself.

    I said no such thing. So who’s the ‘absurd fool’, again?

  36. 36.

    jobiuspublius

    September 10, 2005 at 11:49 am

    CaseyL Says:
    …I would give an important internal organ to have had Gore in the White House the last 5 years, instead of Bush.

    I would give an external organ. After all, I can always get it back.

  37. 37.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 11:50 am

    Three tons of food went bad after their delivery was delayed by Sean Penn’s entourage.

    You know, that is really a cheap shot. Those people are mostly underprivileged …. surely they would not insist on perfectly fresh food? Let’s not let perfect be the enemy of the good.

  38. 38.

    tBone

    September 10, 2005 at 11:51 am

    And did know he has almost no experience in disaster management? Unless you include the publicity tour he did for Shanghai Surprise.

    Excellent, excellent line, DougJ.

  39. 39.

    John Cole

    September 10, 2005 at 11:51 am

    Of course, there were other American citizens who also managed to personally save hundreds of people. Al Gore was just one of them. George W. Bush just wasn’t.

    But in Bush’s defense, he had other priorities. He had to get on with his life.

    PB’s greatest hits.

  40. 40.

    Pb

    September 10, 2005 at 11:59 am

    I’m glad you like it. And I stand by it all, Cole. I can back it all up, too, unlike your blatant mischaracterizations.

  41. 41.

    kchiker

    September 10, 2005 at 12:01 pm

    Hey John–

    You’ve mentioned that the rabid nature of the left’s Bush hatred is maintaining your Republican leniencies.

    Of H. Clinton, Al Gore, John Edwards, Mark Warner, Evan Bayh, and Joe Biden…are there any in that pool that you would vote for over McCain, Allen, Frist, or Rudy?

    To your credit, you focus on both left and right wing nuttery. But you say less about your opinions of the more mainstream pols and I’d be interested to know what you’re thinking about 2008.

  42. 42.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 12:07 pm

    Okay, look, I give Sean Penn and Al Gore credit for at least getting involved. But where were the other members of the loony left? Where was Jane Fonda, Al Franken, Max Cleland? If those kids were able to drive their Hyundai in and rescue seven people, then at least Jane Fond could have flown into Baton Rouge, Houston, or whatever the nearest airport was, driven to New Orleans in a rented Prius, faked a press pass to get by security, and driven around and helped a few people? And Max Cleland: how hard is to attach a side-car to that wheel chair and wheel yourself around rescuing people?

    I’m not saying any of that would have been easy. But leadership means taking initiative. The kind of initiative George Bush showed when he started blaming the whole thing on local officials.

  43. 43.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 12:11 pm

    Snark, snark against the dying of the light.

    DougJ out.

  44. 44.

    John Cole

    September 10, 2005 at 12:20 pm

    You’ve mentioned that the rabid nature of the left’s Bush hatred is maintaining your Republican leniencies.

    Of H. Clinton, Al Gore, John Edwards, Mark Warner, Evan Bayh, and Joe Biden…are there any in that pool that you would vote for over McCain, Allen, Frist, or Rudy?

    I wouldn’t vote for Frist or Allen. I have real problems with McCain for McCain/Feingold and his other behaviors involving the FEC.

    I don’t know enough about Mark Warner, but I have been pushing Evan Bayh for about three years now.

  45. 45.

    jobiuspublius

    September 10, 2005 at 12:21 pm

    I think it’s still not to late for Hollywood to save Katrina’s victims. Can’t they just play FEMA and get it right? The bar has been lowered, no? Where’s john Wayne when you need him? Green Baret my ass! Drunk!

  46. 46.

    Zifnab

    September 10, 2005 at 12:24 pm

    I don’t get it. Is the response here, “How dare Al Gore help people in New Orleans?” or “How dare Al Gore appear in public? Ex-Presidental Candidates aren’t allowed to do that.” or “How dare Al Gore do nice things, since he’s a Democrat and Dems doing nice things would politicize the issue?” Perhaps its “How dare Gore get positive media attention!”

    While I’m sure the Federal, State, and Local governments are helping more than just 270 people on an airstrip, I can’t help but remember that the first talking points coming from the majority party consisted of, “Why didn’t those stupid people leave NO?” and “Why bother rebuilding the city? It was a stupid idea for a city anyway.” There was no compassionate conservativatism here. No compassion, just conservatism. Al Gore showed compassion and I think that just gets alot of people’s goats.

  47. 47.

    tBone

    September 10, 2005 at 12:29 pm

    And Max Cleland: how hard is to attach a side-car to that wheel chair and wheel yourself around rescuing people?

    You’ve got to stop. Seriously. My keyboard is ruined.

  48. 48.

    rkrider

    September 10, 2005 at 12:44 pm

    You people have lost your god damned minds. I don’t care how much you hate Bush, there is no way for you to make statements that ‘Bush did nothing’ without looking like an absurd fool yourself.

    He did worse than nothing, he appointed political hacks to DHS and FEMA that don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground. And I’m still trying to figure out how reporters could get to the Superdome and Convention Center but Bush couldn’t be bothered to pick up the phone and get them some food and water. It not like he didn’t know, the whole frickin’ world was watching. Other priorities, I guess.

  49. 49.

    Don Surber

    September 10, 2005 at 1:07 pm

    Interesting that the LA Times reports that environmentalists stopped the levee improvements in 1977. Al Gore saved 270, but environmentalists killed xxx.
    Say, how’s that oil well on his daddy’s farm working? Still getting those royalty checks from Getty?

  50. 50.

    BumperStickerist

    September 10, 2005 at 1:16 pm

    And I’m still trying to figure out how reporters could get to the Superdome and Convention Center but Bush couldn’t be bothered to pick up the phone and get them some food and water

    The Louisiana authorities prevented food and water from reaching the Superdome or the Convention Center.

    I have no explanation for President Bush following the Constitution with regard to deliniation between State and Federal powers. It might be that Bush is a chimp.

    Also, the claim that Gore through his efforts ‘saved’ 270 lives is, given the facts of the situation as laid out by a first hand account of the person most favorable to the event, hyperbole.

  51. 51.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 1:16 pm

    I wouldn’t vote for Frist or Allen. I have real problems with McCain for McCain/Feingold and his other behaviors involving the FEC.

    I don’t know enough about Mark Warner, but I have been pushing Evan Bayh for about three years now.

    Damn, I hate it when I have to agree with John.

  52. 52.

    kchiker

    September 10, 2005 at 1:25 pm

    Damn, I hate it when I have to agree with John.

    My apologies to all. We now return you to your regularly scheduled snark.

  53. 53.

    W.B. Reeves

    September 10, 2005 at 1:33 pm

    What was funny about Sean Penn, Geek, was not that he was out there trying to help. That, in and of itself, was admirable.

    What was funny was that he brought an entourage to include a personal photographer AND that he didn’t understand to plug the boat. And being mocked by bystanders was amusing, too.

    Uh, so a private citizen who takes it upon himself to rescue flood victims is worthy of ridicule because he does so with all the skill and competence of an untrained amateur? Oh yeah, he had an “entourage” with a “personal photographer”. Besides, he’s from Hollywood, right?

    I seem to recall someone else trooping to photo-ops in the disaster zone with his own entourage but he didn’t pull anyone out of the water. Of course he wasn’t from Hollywood or a member of the Liberal tribe either.

    You excuse this kind of petty partisanship but have the gall to accuse others of politizing a tragedy? Sorry to pile on John but really.

  54. 54.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 1:42 pm

    The Louisiana authorities prevented food and water from reaching the Superdome or the Convention Center.

    Let’s not play the blame game now.

    As long as we’re playing, though, I heard that Sean Penn’s film truck stood directly in the way of a huge shipment of MREs, water, and $2000 ATM cards that Michael Brown was trying to deliver to the Super Dome.

    Of course, the shipment probably could have made it around the truck if it had been carried in a truck instead of being carried by some Arabian Horses that Brownie’s friends donated to the relief effort.

  55. 55.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 1:45 pm

    To be fair, no one could have anticipated that Michael Brown’s arabian horses would be useless in the water.

  56. 56.

    CaseyL

    September 10, 2005 at 2:52 pm

    Too bad Brown wasn’t President of a Clydesdale Horse Association.

  57. 57.

    Big E

    September 10, 2005 at 2:55 pm

    the only real answer is to have Coulter, Rush, Hannity, Savage and the good christians at Westboro Baptist take control of the relief efforts… I’m feelin’ the love just thinkin’ ’bout it.

  58. 58.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 2:55 pm

    At last, I’ve found one or more of the numerous DougJs.

    Now this:

    I have no explanation for President Bush following the Constitution with regard to deliniation between State and Federal powers.

    This morning on that notorious lefty mouthpiece NPR, I heard a couple of broadcasts in which former (Clinton-era) lefty FEMA officials ranted about the legal authority the President ACTUALLY HAS to act in an emergency like, say a flooded city, when the locals are overwhelmed. And the notoriously unreliable toadying lefty New York times has this today:

    Pentagon, White House and Justice officials debated for two days whether the president should seize control of the relief mission from Governor Blanco. But they worried about the political fallout of stepping on the state’s authority, according to the officials involved in the discussions. In the end, they rejected the idea and instead decided to try to speed the arrival of National Guard forces, including many trained as military police.

    This certainly can’t be true, since Pentagon, White House and Justice officials would never debate not following the Constitution.
    [End angry sarcasm]

    Dear God, is there no way to put this canard to rest? The short answer is “No, because the hands-over-eyes-and-ears crowd will always insist that the Constitution says that the President is powerless to bring national resources to bear in a catastrophe.”

  59. 59.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 3:03 pm

    Pentagon, White House and Justice officials debated for two days whether the president should be prevented from eating the baby. But they worried about the political fallout of stepping on the president’s authority, according to the officials involved in the discussions.

  60. 60.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 3:03 pm

    Funny that they didn’t have this same concern about overiding state courts in the case of Terri Schiavo.

  61. 61.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 3:03 pm

    I don’t care how much you love Bush, there is no way for you to make statements like

    I don’t care how much you hate Bush, there is no way for you to make statements that ‘Bush did nothing’ without looking like an absurd fool yourself.

    without looking like a complete [choose one or more: idiot | moron | looney].

  62. 62.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 3:07 pm

    Funny that they didn’t have this same concern about overiding state courts in the case of Terri Schiavo

    You left out “and the election of 2000”. Wait, that was not Pentagon, White House and Justice officials. It was another branch of government that didn’t worry about overriding state courts. My bad.

  63. 63.

    goonie bird

    September 10, 2005 at 3:13 pm

    Gee did he do it in his balloon kept up by hos own HOT AIR?

  64. 64.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 3:15 pm

    Heard on WhadYa Know?

    {Paraphrase]

    Bush doesn’t want any finger pointing. He’s afraid of poking himself in the eye.

  65. 65.

    Ted Barlow

    September 10, 2005 at 3:24 pm

    I’m sure that you didn’t mean anything by it, John. But it seems to me, and probably to a lot of other people, that Al Gore spent a lot of his own money to save some people, and it isn’t obvious why you would put the word “save” in scare quotes. It makes it unnecessarily hard to see the point that you’re trying to make.

    If your point is that Al Gore didn’t really save anyone, then you might want to make that clearer, and maybe explain why you think that.

  66. 66.

    Gary Farber

    September 10, 2005 at 3:27 pm

    John, what exactly would it take to get you to say something nice about Al Gore?

    Saving lives, in the general sense, clearly doesn’t do it, any more than engaging in the Congressional initiative to create what you’re writing on. So what does it take?

  67. 67.

    Boronx

    September 10, 2005 at 3:30 pm

    We’ve seen this before. Administration lawyers quibbled for *weeks* about torture conventions and other red tape while practically the entire nation of Iraq clamored for a glowstick up the ass.

  68. 68.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 3:32 pm

    Administration lawyers quibbled for weeks about torture conventions and other red tape

    Thank God they finally cut through the red tape and started torturing people. That was leadership.

  69. 69.

    John Cole

    September 10, 2005 at 3:39 pm

    Gary, Ted- The real reaction was to the absurdity from Americablog. Having said that, what Al did was an admirable thing to do.

  70. 70.

    jg

    September 10, 2005 at 3:44 pm

    there is no way for you to make statements that ‘Bush did nothing’ without looking like an absurd fool yourself.

    Yeah but you look perfectly rational defending his ‘efforts’.

    Keep it up. The other rightie blogs might start to like you again.

  71. 71.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 3:55 pm

    jg –
    If you haven’t seen my post at September 10th, 2005 at 3:03 pm, you might want to read it.

    I am now going to pretend that John Cole doesn’t exist. Or that he is being held hostage and an evil double is posting the nonsense that’s been appearing under his name.

  72. 72.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 4:53 pm

    More on baby eating.

  73. 73.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 5:05 pm

    More on baby eating.

    Didn’t care much for the woman-suit thing, but the Defend/Reaction stuff is brilliant. Some of the comments are pretty good, too. My fave is

    You have actually lost your mind with rage and hate. Come back to planet Earth boy. You’re speaking of an American president not Stalin or Hitler.

    I’m not entirely sure about the accuracy of the last sentence. It’s attributed to one “Tim”, but I think it’s really one of DougJ’s alter egos.

  74. 74.

    Andrei

    September 10, 2005 at 5:32 pm

    “Gary, Ted- The real reaction was to the absurdity from Americablog. Having said that, what Al did was an admirable thing to do.”

    Then maybe next time you should be careful when you say things like:

    “It reads like an Al Franken SNL skit, that Americablog does. Al Gore is good enough, and smart enough, and doggoneit, he cares enough to ‘save’ those people.”

    You are attempting to make fun of Amerciablog (even though calling it an Al Franken SNL skit can only be considered a jab by those who think like you do), but the topic and example snark uses what Al Gore did to save some people, so the remark comes off either as callous or inappropriate considering what Al Gore actually did do in this instance.

    Kinda like the guilt by association effect.

  75. 75.

    John Cole

    September 10, 2005 at 5:41 pm

    And you know what. My plan is working. Look where all the catcalls and bullshit in the comments section are- in this thread. Go check out the other threads above this, where people are actually discussing things.

  76. 76.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 5:46 pm

    Don’t brag too much about the other threads or I’ll have to go in there and ruin them too. I’m sticking to these two to be nice.

  77. 77.

    HH

    September 10, 2005 at 5:59 pm

    Look for Bob Somerby, who has been exemplary in criticizing the rhetorical excess and shamelessness of his own side to remark on this soon… he won’t let an “Al Gore is great” opportunity go by.

    I’d just like to note the abuse (see the NYT) heaped upon, say, Geraldo Rivera for doing the same.

  78. 78.

    HH

    September 10, 2005 at 6:03 pm

    Franken and his Air America buddies would have raised money to save the victims then used it to finance their network. Then it would be blamed on Republicans.

  79. 79.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 6:04 pm

    Franken and his Air America buddies would have raised money to save the victims then used it to finance their network. Then it would be blamed on Republicans.

    That’s clever, HH.

  80. 80.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 6:30 pm

    Go check out the other threads above this, where people are actually discussing things.

    Well, again I get suckered in. I did go and check them out.

    I found …. basically, nothing such as you described.

    Let’s review:

    Mardis Gras – nothing yet.

    Alternative fuels – 28 comments, including about as much information as I could get about the subject from 5 minutes of Googling.

    RNAi – 12 comments, basically nothing.

    Death Toll – The usual BJL (BalloonJuice left) v BJR (~right) stuff; TallDave’s daily appearance and self-pimp

    Dominos – 8 responses, nothing

    Laying on Snark – 19 responses, a couple interesting comments, scs suggests houseboats for New Orleans.

    ——/

    It’s my opinion that if I apply 120 vac directly to my head, I might wake up from the stupor I just put myself into doing that work for you.

    I’ll be back.

  81. 81.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 6:38 pm

    bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzztttOHJESUSpssssssssss

  82. 82.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 6:38 pm

    Okay, I’m back.

  83. 83.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 6:45 pm

    Alternative fuels – 28 comments, including about as much information as I could get about the subject from 5 minutes of Googling.

    And of course providing less than six minutes worth of information is a bad thing. Maybe you could post the proper amount of serious discussion and information for every thread so I could know whether to be facetious or serious.

    Y’know, ppGaz, I like a lot of your posts, but every twice in awhile you oversnark.

  84. 84.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 6:48 pm

    Y’know, ppGaz, I like a lot of your posts

    Okay, just read those.

    Thanks!

  85. 85.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 6:50 pm

    Maybe you could post the proper amount of seri

    Not my job. I just make comments.

    You might try contacting FEMA, I understand that Brownie is between assignments right now.

  86. 86.

    Jim Caputo

    September 10, 2005 at 7:00 pm

    What was funny about Sean Penn, Geek, was not that he was out there trying to help. That, in and of itself, was admirable.

    What was funny was that he brought an entourage to include a personal photographer AND that he didn’t understand to plug the boat. And being mocked by bystanders was amusing, too.

    I don’t understand why it’s funny though. The guy was trying to save lives. He was doing what a citizen with his financial resources could do that the majority of us can’t do. To mock anyone who’s sacrificing his time and money to save lives is pretty disgusting.

    And you mention the “personal photographer”…. Who took that picture of Bush looking down from Air Force One with the lighting so perfect as he flew over the carnage? You know…the one that looked so similar to the 9/11 picture that they sold to contributors. You think it was Condi (the shoe-shopping fuckwad)with a throwaway? Or do you think maybe the White House brought a photographer along to give Bush’s syncophants a Kodak moment?

    Cole, the horseshit you spew is just amazing sometimes.

  87. 87.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 7:00 pm

    I just make com

    Got it. A just-don’t-do-it kinda guy.

    As for Brownie, he’d be perfect for the job. I understand that his résumé says that he invented the Internet.

  88. 88.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 7:05 pm

    As for Brownie, he’d be perfect for the job. I understand that his résumé says that he invented the Internet.

    No, I thought he said he invented the hair net.

    Oh well, minor detail.

    Besides, it’s Internets, as I’m sure you know, as of October of last year.

  89. 89.

    ppGaz

    September 10, 2005 at 7:10 pm

    And of course providing less than six minutes worth of information is a bad thing.

    My bad, I meant “six minutes” but said “five” because the time just flew by, it was so much fun.

  90. 90.

    Jim Caputo

    September 10, 2005 at 7:13 pm

    I don’t care how much you hate Bush, there is no way for you to make statements that ‘Bush did nothing’ without looking like an absurd fool yourself.

    How about this then… “He did nothing ON TIME”

    When the hurricane hit, Bush was having a conversation with Chertoff. But about what? ABOUT IMMIGRATION, NOT THE HURRICANE.

    Two and a half hours after the water starting flowing over the levees, where was Bush? He was HAVING BIRTHDAY CAKE WITH JOHN McCAIN.

    Three hours after the water starting flowing over the levees, where was Bush? He was GIVING A SPEECH ABOUT THE MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT.

    The following morning, 27 hours after the waters started flowing over the levees, where was Bush? In California SPEECHIFYING ABOUT IRAQ.

    That same day, 30 hours after the waters started flowing over the levees, where was Bush? He was PLAYING AIR GUITAR WITH SOME COUNTRY SINGER.

    Then Bush went home to Crawford for one more night of vacation.

    Cole, you’re clearly one of that ever-dwindling 38% that are still deluding themselves that this guy is a good president. And if that’s true, you know what that makes you? A “Dear Leader” syncophant.

    So go fuck yourself, Cole. Go fuck yourself.

  91. 91.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 7:37 pm

    Sadly for us smartass technowhizzes,

    usage has become so common that many people are not aware of the source of the term, and often use “internets” interchangably with “internet”, and has in many cases lost all implication of eCluelessness.

    Giving Bush his due, apparently he is one heckuva trend setter.

  92. 92.

    BumperStickerist

    September 10, 2005 at 8:12 pm

    Jim,

    Given your evident craving for On-The-Spot leadership rather than looking at, you know, the realities involved – things like size of a hurricane, the rate it was moving, time until ground winds got below forty mph so that trucks could move, the role of the local and state government in immediate response, disaster prep, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and cetera … the only ‘Dear Leader’ sychophant around here is you.

    You’re just looking for a “Dear Leader” to latch on to.

  93. 93.

    jg

    September 10, 2005 at 8:14 pm

    During my service in the United States Congress I took the initiative in creating the Internet.

  94. 94.

    CaseyL

    September 10, 2005 at 9:20 pm

    Hey, jg:

    [Gore] sponsored the 1988 National High-Performance Computer Act (which established a national computing plan and helped link universities and libraries via a shared network) and cosponsored the Information Infrastructure and Technology Act of 1992 (which opened the Internet to commercial traffic).

    Gore never claimed to have invented the technology the Web uses. But prior to the Acts mentioned above, the ‘Net was the province of the military and academia. Gore made public, commercial use of the Internet possible.

  95. 95.

    Narvy

    September 10, 2005 at 9:50 pm

    Gore never claimed…

    Doesn’t count. When a meme erupts from some ignorant fool’s chest and skitters off into the spaceship Blogosphere, it can’t be stopped from destroying the person on whom it’s sights are set.

    Which really sidesteps the rather unfortunate wording of Gore’s statement. It clearly does not mean what the meme says, but the people who propagate the meme do not read or think clearly and are incapable of discerning clarity when it bites them in the ass.

  96. 96.

    tBone

    September 10, 2005 at 10:20 pm

    I don’t understand why it’s funny though. The guy was trying to save lives.

    Sean Penn trying to help Katrina victims – admirable.

    Sean Penn forgetting to plug his boat – funny.

    The one doesn’t negate the other.

  97. 97.

    DougJ

    September 10, 2005 at 10:40 pm

    Remember, it’s internets plural not singular. Al Gore only claimed to have invented one of them. And for all we know, he may have. There’s so many, who can keep track.

  98. 98.

    Narvy

    September 11, 2005 at 12:38 am

    Oh God, I can’t believe I typed “it’s” for the posessive. My reputation is shot. Or it would be if I had one.

  99. 99.

    DougJ

    September 11, 2005 at 12:45 am

    Ppgaz, looking back I see that you beat me to the internets is plural joke. Good work.

  100. 100.

    CaseyL

    September 11, 2005 at 1:07 am

    I know, Narvy. And batting ’em all back is an impossible, thankless task. Still, one does what one can.

    The deliberately-misinformed and -misinforming craptastic ‘wingers have had things all their way for 10 years now.

    If the tide is turning, it’s turning years too late. But I’ll rub their faces in their shit every chance I get.

  101. 101.

    Pb

    September 11, 2005 at 2:54 am

    I’ll call your Gore misquote and raise you an actual Bush quote:

    “He is so confident about his abilities he claimed he invented the Internet. But if he was so smart, how come all the Internet addresses start with ‘W.’? Not only one ‘W,’ but three ‘W’s.” — George ‘W.’ Bush

  102. 102.

    Jim Caputo

    September 11, 2005 at 7:55 am

    BumperStickerist Says:
    Jim,
    Given your evident craving for On-The-Spot leadership rather than looking at, you know, the realities involved – things like size of a hurricane, the rate it was moving, time until ground winds got below forty mph so that trucks could move, the role of the local and state government in immediate response, disaster prep, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and cetera … the only ‘Dear Leader’ sychophant around here is you.
    You’re just looking for a “Dear Leader” to latch on to.

    Bumperstickerist…a mouth-breather firmly entrenched in the bottom 38%.

    Go fuck yourself, bumberstickerist. Go fuck yourself!

  103. 103.

    Longshot

    September 11, 2005 at 2:40 pm

    Jesus Christ, Cole – what’s it gonna *take* for you to finally see what a disaster Bush & company have been for this country?

    Leaving Bush completely out of the picture, let’s tally up Gore’s action in the area against Cheney’s –

    Hmmm, Gore rescues 270 people. That’s about one person per $10,000 value of the mansion Cheney was in the middle of thinking of buying while this shit was going down.

    Cheney, OTOH, went down there with “800 pounds of water”, which sounds GREAT until you realize that one gallon of water weighs EIGHT pounds. In other words, he went down with 100 GALLONS of water. That’s exactly twice the amount of water I took to a donation center in my Ford Focus.

    No wonder a physician in Gulfport told him to go fuck himself.

    I keep thinking you’re finally going to realize just what kind of callous, self-entitled just plain damn FOOLS are calling the shots here, John. And you keep disappointing me.

  104. 104.

    Longshot

    September 11, 2005 at 3:03 pm

    Let me put that water in a little more perspective, lest anyone think I’m poo-pooing the importance of clean water just ’cause it’s Cheney:

    1) 100 gallons of water wouldn’t even set a private citizen back a C-note at Sam’s Club or Costco.

    2) Air Force 2 can only carry Cheney & his ppl and 800 pounds of cargo?

    3) I may be highballing the figure here based on what’s needed in a Texas summer, but based on that I know a human needs about 2 quarts of water, just for drinking. Not for washing their bodies or their clothes or boiling to sterilize stuff. Just for drinking. A gallon is 4 quarts. That’s enough for 200 people to have sufficient drinking water for ONE DAY. In other words, Gore RESCUED more people than Cheney’s payload quenched the thirst of for ONE DAY.

    4) Let’s say AF2 really couldn’t carry either something more useful or more stuff. Ever been to Tucson, AZ? The skies are beautiful, bright blue, and NEVER EMPTY. Aircraft mothball fleets are there, training aircraft are there, etc. Many of the craft are perfectly servicable, as evinced by the number of C-130’s and Chinook helicopters seen in their skies daily. Only place I’ve ever seen 4 Chinooks flying in formation at once (I may be liberal but I’m still Texan enough to have gotten a six-foot erection seeing *that*, lemme tellya). Bet those C-130’s & Chinooks mighta come in handy bringing in 800 PALLETS of bottled water. But, but, he’s only a vice-president! Yeah, isn’t he just that.

    5) Okay, so he flies in 800 pounds of water and unloads it. Does he turn around and load up 800 pounds of evacuee? I don’t even have to look it up to know the answer to that question. By all means, feel free to look it up yourself. If I’m wrong and he actually *did* load up 800 pounds of evacuee on his way out, you can take every comment I’ve ever made in your blog, print it out, mail it to me and I’ll have my wife take pictures while I eat it and send you the pictures. I’m *that* positive he didn’t.

  105. 105.

    Jack Roy

    September 12, 2005 at 2:19 pm

    “Of course, there were other American citizens who also managed to personally save hundreds of people. Al Gore was just one of them. George W. Bush just wasn’t.”

    Wait…. You’re telling me this whole dust-up is because Cole didn’t read the word “personally”? The whole “How dare you say Bush did nothing!” is all because Gore had to do it himself?

    Sheesh. Touch-ee.

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