04/06/2006
Citizen Scolds the President
Things went off topic at a Bush speech today in Charlotte, North Carolina when a man named Harry Taylor got up and gave Bush a piece of his mind:
"I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration. And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself...
...What I wanted to say to you is that I — in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and – and I would hope — I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I’m saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about."
Head over to Think Progress for the full exchange.
And check out those faces on the women seated next to Mr. Taylor. Priceless.
Posted 4:34 PM EST by Andy Towle in Current Affairs | Permalink
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I'm impressed by the fact that he was allowed to say his piece and walk out of the theater a free man, after what happened to Cindy Sheehan, but honestly the President's response was better than it usually is, and I respect that. Now if only he'd LISTEN.
Posted by: Thor | Apr 6, 2006 4:43:32 PM
Funny that Bush hates being interrupted because he so easily loses his train of thought but he had no problem interrupting this American citizen with a diversionary joke, showing that he never had any intention of taking his concerns seriously. He made a good relevant point and Bush responded with his typical tired "Imone do what fer I should tuh the merrrican people."
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Apr 6, 2006 4:59:00 PM
Not to mention, this on a day when court papers revealed that both Bush & Cheney approved leaks of information for political gain. Not sure why he's making jokes.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Apr 6, 2006 5:02:26 PM
And look how this far-right "journalist" describes the speaker. He's a "heckler" but she has never mentioned that the scripted and prepared comments at all of Bush's screened-audience photo ops are "shills." Like some of the trolls here.
Bush Spars With Heckler Over Surveillance
By NEDRA PICKLER, AP
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 6) - President Bush, told by a critic he should be ashamed of his policies, defended the government's secret eavesdropping program Thursday and said he would not apologize for listening in on the phone and e-mail conversations of Americans talking to people with suspected al-Qaida links.
Posted by: Brian nyc | Apr 6, 2006 5:10:57 PM
I am sure all the Bush lovers on this site will blast in about the lack of respect shown the president, how dare he challenge the president like that, what a great leader the president is, the man is just a Bush basher from the far left blah, blah, blah.
What a brave man not to back down in the face of the booing, the Bush sneer and the mocking. A great was American in the audience today.
Posted by: Donald | Apr 6, 2006 5:29:01 PM
American was not was American.
Posted by: Donald | Apr 6, 2006 5:35:34 PM
Very nice. He could have given more detail, however.
Posted by: Damien Tilden | Apr 6, 2006 5:40:52 PM
I love your blog! Honest to God it keeps me sane throughout the day!
David Goulart
P.S. Bush sucks!
Posted by: David Goulart | Apr 6, 2006 6:14:43 PM
Thank you for posting this Andy. I saw the video on CNN earlier. This man is not only astute, but brave. Bush being the jackass that he is thought it was all a big joke and dismissed him as though he was third class trash. If the citizens of this nation do not stand up to government soon, we are going to find ourselves living in a police state. Most people do not realize what is just around the corner. Big brother is currently data mining information on citizens at a level that is unfathomable to the average person. And corporate America is far ahead of the government in this regard.
Posted by: Johnny Lane | Apr 6, 2006 6:46:35 PM
Woe unto you, Harry Taylor, sayeth the Lord God.
I will smite your balls until they they turn blue. I will shrink your dick to the size of your pinkie. I will banish you forever to Elephantland! For I the Lord speaketh through the asshole of my anointed servant Georgieboy (who constantly exhibits constipation of the mind and diarreah of the mouth; but, hey, who's perfect?)
Posted by: Elrey | Apr 6, 2006 7:41:12 PM
Good for ol' Harry...he's got balls (insert your own joke here). Anyone who interrupts someone who's talking with a joke aims to diffuse the speaker's strength. Bush was clearly embarrassed and engaged his deflector shields. In this case, the problem with Bush is that he's all bush and doesn't have Harry's balls (okay, I inserted my own joke!). To the Bush defenders...none of you have any facts to support your defnse of the indefenseable. Bush lied and thousands more died. He's admitted on TV he's not interested in Osama, he's stated that the Constitution is just a piece of paper, he wants democracy in the Middle East but doesn't like the outcome, he claims no one could have predicted Katrina even though he knew days in advance, and he stated on TV again in New York that you need a warrant to wiretap yet he doesn't get any and keeps defending his crimes like a drunk. No one in this country is benefiting from his presidency except for the very top one percent. Stop voting against your own best interests, people!
Posted by: Roger | Apr 6, 2006 8:17:51 PM
Of course none of you LIBERALS would mention that the President allowed the man to speak, in spite of all the people in the audience who would have gladly kicked his ass out.
That's the mark a real man, and a real leader. One day, maybe a Democrat will step up to the plate and be a leader instead of a whiner. Maybe. But will anyone vote for him?
Posted by: Jay Croce | Apr 6, 2006 10:04:43 PM
He interupted him, dismissed his concerns wth jokes and stale rhetoric and you think he's an honorable leader becaue he didn't use hsi vast powers to have the guy stomped out. Nothing admirable about that.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Apr 6, 2006 10:34:28 PM
Like Pickler's not a shill...
Posted by: tom | Apr 6, 2006 11:14:01 PM
Like Pickler's not a shill...
Posted by: tom | Apr 6, 2006 11:14:26 PM
"I don't know of anyone who leaked from my administration and if anyone did I'd certainly like to know who that was." - Bush September 23, 2003.
Turns out that was all a lie. He lied to the American people. Lying to the American people while standing on your integrity is not just wrong when it's done under oath. He lied to the American people. That shows a lack of integrity, a lack of leadership and a lack of morals. Name calling and smearing any American citizen who objects to this behavior is childs play when you consider the dark stain this administration will leave on the White House.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Apr 6, 2006 11:18:56 PM
Oh, in case I didn't make it clear, it was Bush who authorized the leak so not only did he know who the leaker was, he authorized that person to leak the information and did so for partisan political purposes.
Taylor was right to speak of the shame this man has brought on our country.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Apr 6, 2006 11:21:20 PM
Ha! Real man my ass...no real man evades military service like Bush did and parades in military drag like he does...no real man would duck Cindy Sheehan for a whole month riding his itty-bitty widdle trikey on the family estate...no real man would go after Joe Wilson's wife and leak her name, like it's now proven, just to get at Wilson because he can't stand up to another man...
Can't you read, anyway? Bush has had audience-screened fake "town halls" for years and was shocked and intimidated every time anyone got through the screeners and said boo to him.
No real man would spread as much hate to make himself look better in his own eyes. Every gay man who's on the other end of the hate Bush foments is ten, no, a hundred times the man Duhhhbya will ever be.
Posted by: brian nyc | Apr 7, 2006 12:01:25 AM
With all due respect Jay, the ability to recognize the fact that the President and Vice President of the United States are working in concert to create the largest golden parachute in the history of the world, while selling out this nation in ways that will be felt for generations to come, has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative. Anyone who cannot recognize this fact is hopelessly lost. And, that group of sheep decidedly falls into a very small minority. Unfortunately, the days where we can blindly support the President simply because he holds the highest office in the land are gone.
Posted by: Johnny Lane | Apr 7, 2006 12:30:34 AM
"A time comes when silence is betrayal."
"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
Posted by: VINCENT | Apr 7, 2006 2:16:28 AM
Oh, Harry. So little, so late. But well done.
Posted by: Jacko | Apr 7, 2006 6:54:07 AM
Jay, once again you've proven yourself a total idiot. Please continue to post here, and to support this President. The more you do, the easier it's going to be to get the Republican's completely out of office. And as I've said to you so many times before, Please seek some professional help immediately. I fear for those around you.
Posted by: wayne | Apr 7, 2006 8:19:04 AM
I commend the man for speaking his mind, and so eloquently. And as for Bush 'allowing him', if he didn't the 'land of the free' would be quite the opposite. I'm sick to the back teeth of Bush; I'm still reeling from the shock that the US voted him back in for another term! Astonishing...
Posted by: Howie, UK | Apr 7, 2006 10:00:05 AM
One good thing about Bush getting re-elected: you can't impeach a former president.
P.S. 35%
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Apr 7, 2006 1:28:46 PM
Love the all caps. Is referring to someone as a LIBERAL supposed to be a slur? I'm actually quite proud to be a liberal American with a progressive outlook.
Posted by: jon luddite | Apr 7, 2006 2:21:04 PM