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You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / Bleg / Speaking of incoherent speaking

Speaking of incoherent speaking

by Tim F|  October 31, 20118:49 pm| 65 Comments

This post is in: Bleg, Fucked-up-edness, Seriously

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ABL wrote something below that reminded me of a seemingly forgotten nugget from those sepia-toned years way back in Bush junior’s first term. Did anyone else watch shrub’s live address after the New York blackout in 2003? Completely. Shitfaced. I mean beet-red, unable to frame a sentence in common English, needs help to and from the podium booze-clobbered. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; the guy was hosting a private fundraiser at the time and maybe that’s what it takes to reel in the big bucks. But definitely not the best approach when your main point is to reassure a frightened public that someone vertical capable is running the country.

If anyone has a clip of the full address to upload to YouTube or something, that would be awesome. The networks all spliced their rebroadcasts into a series of five second snippets because, honest to god, the last thing Americans needed at the time was to know that the President is face down on tile gurgling vomit when that three AM phone call comes.

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Reader Interactions

65Comments

  1. 1.

    phil

    October 31, 2011 at 8:56 pm

    posts like this keep me coming back to BJ, thanks Tim! (and I looked for the video, no luck here)

  2. 2.

    Cat Lady

    October 31, 2011 at 9:00 pm

    Well, why not? He had everyone else drinking.

  3. 3.

    magurakurin

    October 31, 2011 at 9:01 pm

    And how about the pretzel incident? or the story about how the Secret Services agents found him face down in prayer? or the time he tried to go out the fake doors? or his numerous times away from public view because of “stomach problems?”

    I was a little shocked that ABL said something about getting a look at GWB’s “pre-wagon” days? Does she really believe Bush actually stopped drinking? Is there really anyone who believes Bush wasn’t drinking through his entire term? If so, I’m guessing they never spent much time around an alcoholic. There is no way in hell George W. Bush ever stopped drinking.

  4. 4.

    Martin

    October 31, 2011 at 9:03 pm

    Did anyone else watch shrub’s live address after the New York blackout in 2003?

    Dunno. I was hammered almost continuously from 2001 to 2009. If not booze, then an actual, honest-to-god 16oz hammer.

  5. 5.

    Loyal Soldier of the Balloon Juice Army

    October 31, 2011 at 9:05 pm

    Is this it? It looks more like sweaty, considering it was August, but maybe drunk too. Screw it, lets just say drunk.

    http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9106943

  6. 6.

    Greg VA

    October 31, 2011 at 9:06 pm

    Bush spoke on behalf of Jerry Kilgore at the Richmond Virginia airport in 2005. I said at the time that he seemed drunk, and apparently I wasn’t the only one:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h00mdslCS6s&feature=related

  7. 7.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 9:08 pm

    Personally I’m hoping Obama gets good and ripped now and then. Adds perspective. And if anyone deserves an occasional party in their head it’s him.
    Doesn’t work for Republicans, though. Nixon was said to be a secret drunk and it appears to have made him mean.

  8. 8.

    Linda Featheringill

    October 31, 2011 at 9:08 pm

    You mean he was even less coherent than usual?

  9. 9.

    Beauzeaux

    October 31, 2011 at 9:10 pm

    I remember seeing him wasted at the Olympics. I don’t care about that — what I hated was how he repeatedly said
    “I quit drinking in 1986 and haven’t had a drop since then.”
    I believed it at first but I kept seeing him stumbling drunk too many times.

  10. 10.

    Villago Delenda Est

    October 31, 2011 at 9:15 pm

    @Beauzeaux:

    If the asshole told me on a sunny day that the sky was blue, I’d have to go confirm it for myself.

    He’s from a long line of pathological lying sacks of shit, dating back beyond his great grandfather.

  11. 11.

    jo6pac

    October 31, 2011 at 9:15 pm

    What he was still drinking well I’m shocked and I wonder what the cocaine bill was billed to? Taxpayers paying for drugs and booze the corp. way.

  12. 12.

    Argive

    October 31, 2011 at 9:17 pm

    @RossInDetroit:

    Nixon got so hammered once that he couldn’t take part in the US response to the Yom Kippur War.

  13. 13.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 9:20 pm

    @Argive:

    All his aides knew that past a certain point in the evening he was completely irrational. Just blasted out of his gourd. That must have been an uncomfortable situation to be in.

  14. 14.

    Lysana

    October 31, 2011 at 9:21 pm

    Meanwhile, Obama’s a light social drinker and quit smoking, but the RWers can’t stop with the pic of a younger Obama with a lit cigarette in his mouth.

    I swear, the mascot of the Republican Party should be a film projector.

  15. 15.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 9:24 pm

    @Lysana:

    The White House has its own beer, which I think is cool.

  16. 16.

    JGabriel

    October 31, 2011 at 9:25 pm

    @Linda Featheringill:

    You mean he was even less coherent than usual?

    Bush? About the same level of coherence as usual when drunk, just less confident and more halting.

    Perry, on the other hand, appears to be a giddy drunk.

    .

  17. 17.

    Marginalized for stating documented facts

    October 31, 2011 at 9:28 pm

    So now we have an eloquent highly articulate superbly well-spoken president…who implements the same policies as Dubya.

    And the difference is…?

  18. 18.

    JGabriel

    October 31, 2011 at 9:30 pm

    @Lysana:

    I swear, the mascot of the Republican Party should be a film projector.

    The wet suits are sad to be discarded and forgotten so quickly.

    .

  19. 19.

    Keith

    October 31, 2011 at 9:31 pm

    This is the only one I remember.

  20. 20.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 31, 2011 at 9:32 pm

    @Marginalized for stating documented facts: You are right. There is absolutely no policy difference on any issue between Bush and Obama. Hell, I’ll go further – Obama is worse than Bush; he sold us out. Christ, mate, try to stay anchored in reality. Good lord.

  21. 21.

    Califlander

    October 31, 2011 at 9:33 pm

    @ Marginalized

    And the difference is…?

    Let’s ask bin Laden. He’ll know.

  22. 22.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 9:45 pm

    I may be drinking tonight myself. Mrs inD has made another cake with a Secret Ingredient. The last one had tomato soup in it. The one before had coffee grounds. Sigh…
    Adventurous baking is for the experienced. Novices should just follow the recipes until they know what they’re doing.
    This one smells like pumpkin. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking. Gonna check the vegetable drawer before I dig in.

  23. 23.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 31, 2011 at 9:50 pm

    @RossInDetroit: I had a nice cup of hot chocolate laced liberally with brandy. I think I shall soon go read in bed.

  24. 24.

    dmsilev

    October 31, 2011 at 9:50 pm

    @RossInDetroit: Don’t lose hope. I have a wonderful recipe for a pumpkin fudge cake, and a couple of others that use cooked yams as a flour substitute (baking desserts that are Passover-compliant imposes some interesting constraints…).

  25. 25.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 9:56 pm

    @dmsilev:

    It turns out she doctored a spice cake mix with pumpkin pie filling and ‘spices’. This could be OK. If I don’t come back, Omnes gets my snark ration.
    Wait, is sumac a spice or an herb?

  26. 26.

    kdaug

    October 31, 2011 at 9:59 pm

    @RossInDetroit:

    Heard ground hemlock is pretty tasty. Or was that something else?

    Dunno. Spices are hard.

  27. 27.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 31, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    @RossInDetroit: Is it ground or in leafy form?

  28. 28.

    dmsilev

    October 31, 2011 at 10:01 pm

    @RossInDetroit: A spice, I think. Or a fairly famous soprano, but I think she’d be an unlikely ingredient.

  29. 29.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 31, 2011 at 10:02 pm

    @dmsilev: More unlikely than tomato soup? Women have been in cakes before.

  30. 30.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 10:03 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Ground seeds used in Lebanese salads in small quantities. The container is on the counter and there’s no taboule in sight.
    Dinner around here is like defusing a bomb.

  31. 31.

    JBerardi

    October 31, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    @Marginalized for stating documented facts:

    And the difference is…?

    Uhhh… one major land war in Iraq?

  32. 32.

    Southern Beale

    October 31, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    Mother Jones posted this 8 minute segment of the address, unbroken. Really weird shit starts around 2:20 or so .

  33. 33.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 31, 2011 at 10:06 pm

    @RossInDetroit: In that case, I would say spice.

  34. 34.

    Canuckistani Tom

    October 31, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    The 2003 Blackout was kind of fun. We drank all the beer and ate all the ice cream before they got warm, BBQ’d dinner, talked to the neighbours, watched the stars come out.

  35. 35.

    stickler

    October 31, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    @RossInDetroit: Ross —

    Nixon was more than a “secret drunk.” He was a pretty heavy drinker even before Watergate, and once that got going he was apparently downing 6-12 martinis a night. At one point the Secretary of Defense had to warn NORAD not to accept any Presidential orders regarding use of nukes, unless they’d been countersigned by someone else (someone sober, that is). In 1973 the British Prime Minister called but Nixon was too sloppy to take the call, or was passed out, I can’t remember which. Nixon is said to have had Kissinger kneel down in the Oval Office with him to pray to Jesus for a way out of the whole crisis. Kissinger, being Jewish, might have found that a bit awkward.

  36. 36.

    Svensker

    October 31, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    More unlikely than tomato soup? Women have been in cakes before.

    Actually, tomato soup cake was a huge fad in the 1930s and picked up some fans again in the 60s and 70s. I’m not a fan — it has a weird sort of meaty taste that bugs me.

  37. 37.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 10:15 pm

    @Svensker:

    Maybe it would have been OK if I was expecting it. I like cake and I like tomato soup. But after the Coffee Grounds Incident with the last baking experiment I was not in a mood for surprises.

  38. 38.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 31, 2011 at 10:15 pm

    @Svensker: I still say women in cakes is more common and, probably, more welcome.

  39. 39.

    Svensker

    October 31, 2011 at 10:19 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I still say women in cakes is more common and, probably, more welcome.

    Personally I would not welcome a woman in my cake. Extra frosting, yes. Females, no.

  40. 40.

    Suffern ACE

    October 31, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    @Svensker: Tomato soup cake is one of those recipes that turn out better using less expensive tomato soup. But I’ve only made tomato soup muffins.

  41. 41.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 31, 2011 at 10:21 pm

    @Svensker: Is it the meatiness?

  42. 42.

    Jenny

    October 31, 2011 at 10:21 pm

    Bush was falling-down-drunk at the Beijing Olympics and had to be helped out with a half dozen secret service agents.

    http://gawker.com/5035885/bush-looking-drunk-at-the-olympics

    http://rackjite.com/graphics/bushdrunk.jpg

  43. 43.

    Svensker

    October 31, 2011 at 10:23 pm

    .@Suffern ACE:

    Tomato soup cake is one of those recipes that turn out better using less expensive tomato soup

    Really? Hmmmm, interesting. Store brand works better than Campbells? But I’ll never know, unless you invite me over to taste your version. My one attempt at tomato soup cake was enough for me.

  44. 44.

    Svensker

    October 31, 2011 at 10:25 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Is it the meatiness?

    Of the women or the tomato soup?

    Meatiness in women doesn’t bother me, since I’m not interested in them, thin or thick. The soup in the cake, yes, I didn’t like the meaty taste.

  45. 45.

    Yutsano

    October 31, 2011 at 10:25 pm

    Sumac is a spice, very popular in Middle Eastern cooking. As long as she didn’t get it from the backyard.

  46. 46.

    Omnes Omnibus

    October 31, 2011 at 10:26 pm

    @Svensker: Never mind.

  47. 47.

    Jess

    October 31, 2011 at 10:26 pm

    @Califlander: Nice. You made my evening!

  48. 48.

    Suffern ACE

    October 31, 2011 at 10:27 pm

    @Svensker: I think the key is avoid thinking that it is going to be a savory dish. It’s supposed to taste like spice cake, so the fewer herbs in the soup to begin with, the better. The concept is like zuccini cake…zuccini tastes great with butter, garlic and oregano; zucchini cake not so much.

  49. 49.

    Svensker

    October 31, 2011 at 10:27 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    :)

    Good thing I’m going off to slumberland now, I think.

  50. 50.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 10:29 pm

    The tomato soup cake was made with Campbells and did have a distinctly acid and vegetal character that was not at all cakelike. This pumpkin one is pretty good despite the novice cook’s heavy hand with the allspice. We may make a baker of her yet. Assuming I survive.

  51. 51.

    Svensker

    October 31, 2011 at 10:30 pm

    @Suffern ACE:

    Yeah, you’re right. But I’ve made zucchini cake and carrot cake, which all taste fine. The tomato soup cake was promoted by Campbells as a “clever” cake, “your friends won’t be able to guess the mystery ingredient!” Joy of Cooking titled theirs Mystery Cake. But they all called for condensed cream of tomato soup, all of which have a taste that I don’t think goes in a spice cake. Perhaps I’m more sensitive to the meaty taste of tomatoes than some folks, though. A lot of people really liked tomato soup cake for many years, so who knows?

    ETA: But now, I really am going to bed. Have a spooktacular evening, all!

  52. 52.

    Teddy Salad

    October 31, 2011 at 10:34 pm

    Craig Ferguson used to have a pretty funny running bit about a “rumor” that Bush was “drinking again.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m51Fm8Jf5MY&feature=related

  53. 53.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 10:35 pm

    Speaking of historical cakes, a friend gave me a pineapple upside down cake the other day for doing her a favor. Made the old fashioned way with real butter and brown sugar.
    It was so damn good I wanted to pound the table and holler.

  54. 54.

    Steeplejack

    October 31, 2011 at 10:35 pm

    @Yutsano:

    Happy belated birthday to you!

    And to General Stuck (last Wednesday).

  55. 55.

    ABL

    October 31, 2011 at 10:44 pm

    @magurakurin: i really don’t recall shrub being drunk but then again, i can’t remember what i had for breakfast this morning, so no surprise there!

  56. 56.

    Jamers Rierson

    October 31, 2011 at 10:58 pm

    Drunk Bush

    http://youtu.be/izPXSxy9Xr4

  57. 57.

    Larkspur

    October 31, 2011 at 11:02 pm

    @RossInDetroit: I wish I had somebody baking alternative cakes for me. Or somebody coming by with a from-scratch pineapple upside-down cake? Oof. Yum. However, if someone wants to make one of those Ritz Mock Apple Pies for me, I will stop wishing for baked goods and resume drinking.

    Please note: this is a real comment, even though it contains a pie reference.

  58. 58.

    RossInDetroit

    October 31, 2011 at 11:20 pm

    @Larkspur:

    The pumpkin spice cake is a trifle dense. It could pass as a baked pudding. Very tasty, though. I think she just took a spice cake mix and added a can of pumpkin pie filling plus ginger and nutmeg.

  59. 59.

    hackenbush

    October 31, 2011 at 11:44 pm

    Direct link to ABC footage:

    http://video-cdn.abcnews.com/abc_archive_SPBA8745A.mp4

  60. 60.

    JenJen

    November 1, 2011 at 2:28 am

    @hackenbush: Holy wow!!

  61. 61.

    captnkurt

    November 1, 2011 at 6:50 am

    Was he at the same party as Mr. Goldblum, by any chance?

  62. 62.

    Barry

    November 1, 2011 at 6:56 am

    @Loyal Soldier of the Balloon Juice Army: “Is this it? It looks more like sweaty, considering it was August, but maybe drunk too. Screw it, lets just say drunk.”

    I looked at the first minute – I wanted to say that he was interrupted in actually clearing brush in Texas in August, and was wiped out from the heat.

    Except that he’s wearing a nice shirt, and nobody clear brush in Texas in August who doesn’t have to.

  63. 63.

    Lee

    November 1, 2011 at 9:14 am

    There was a piece of footage I’ve been looking for hopefully others can find it (or remember the incident).

    It was after 9/11. It might have been the shoe bomber. Bush was on TV in an ill fitting suit (IIRC brown suit) and could not put together a coherent sentence. It was 10x worse than that ABC footage. It was bad. It was the first time I really hoped and thought that someone other than Bush was in charge at the White Houser

  64. 64.

    RandyH

    November 1, 2011 at 9:59 am

    I think this impromptu press conference may be the one you are looking for. But I’ve seen better footage of Bush appearing to be drunk. Someone else @Greg VA mentioned the Kilgore campaign event at an airport. That one is memorable for me, even all these years later.

  65. 65.

    Lee

    November 1, 2011 at 10:40 am

    @RandyH: Yep pretty sure that was it.

    I remember his hair being a bit more disheveled, but I might be confusing two different press conferences.

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