Bush** didn't know what a neocon was until 2006

[magellan]

I was listening to Andrew Cockburn on DN! this morning. He's written a biography of Rumsfeld called “Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy”. This little nugget fell out towards the end of Amy Goodman's interview with Cockburn:

AMY GOODMAN: In 2006, you write that George W. Bush said to his father, "What's a neocon?"

ANDREW COCKBURN: That's right. One of the rare moments of sort of communication between the two. Bush said to -- they were out at Kennebunkport, and Bush Jr. says, “Can I ask you a question? What's a neocon?” And the father says, “Do you want names or a description?” The President says, “I’ll take a description.” He says, “I’ll give it to you in one word: Israel,” which is interesting on all sorts of levels, including the confirmation that our president doesn't really read the newspapers.

AMY GOODMAN: Explain what you mean when you say that. And how do you know that this conversation took place at their vacation home?

ANDREW COCKBURN: Well, I can't really say who told me, but it's someone who was -- I have absolute confidence in both in their -- that they’re telling the truth and also in their position to be aware of this conversation.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/03/07/1436239

It's just inconceivable to me that the President of the US isn't familiar with the political agenda of those he himself hired to top level positions within his own staff, and in fact is so incurious he didn't even know what a neocon was till 2006.

Bush** is the most ignorant fool ever to sit in the Oval Office. And look what it's got us.

Edit: sorry, forgot to add a link to the DN! interview, which is well worth reading/watching just for the background on Rumsfeld.

[skypilot]

1. I hope that I don't sound like...

...I'm defending him but I think he really is a puppet who doesn't really understand what he's gotten into. I remember reading a story a few years back about someone approaching Bush about another tax cut for the wealthy (I think it was Cheney) and Bush reportedly said something like, "But we just gave them a tax cut" and Cheney simply told Bush to "sticky by your principles" and Bush gave in. He does what he's told.

[magellan]

5. I hear what you're saying

...and I believe he's a puppet too: dumb enough to believe he's running things just because others fawn over and kowtow to him. But I'm sorry, I don't believe he's such a moron he hasn't got a clue what he's got himself into. If he didn't orchestrate the lying and criminal actions himself then at the very least he knows full well by now what's been done and the disastrous results, and yet he continues on the same path.

They've got a puppet all right, but he's a soul-less puppet who's very happy to play his part.

[skypilot]

8. It's probably more accurate to say...

...that he hadn't realized what he'd gotten into. You're right, he knows full well by now but I think he's too much of a sociopath to really see or care how it affects other people. Like you said, he's happy to play his part. It's a game to him.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. I have always felt that he was groomed by PNAC for the Presidency

because of his name recognition and the fact that he would be their puppet. He was willing to cooperate and let himself be manipulated by PNAC if they would let him play at being Commander in Chief and fly around in the big, pretty airplane.

[skypilot]

14. That probably just about sums it up:

Let him fly around in a big, pretty airplane and let him eat all the cheeseburgers he wants.

[Dhalgren]

2. I'm more intrigued by Bush Sr. reply.

Sr. not only knew what, but who: "You want names." But the most telling part is this: “I’ll give it to you in one word: Israel.” What does Bush Sr. mean by this? I know what almost any DUer would mean, but what does Daddy mean? And what are the implications? I find this whole exchange hard to believe...

[sakabatou]

3. ::headdesk::

This guy?:

[Lost4words]

4. I saw that on DN also, pretty damn amazing, thick as a brick he is.

8643

[dkofos]

6. I've always thought he was stupid. Now I know for sure.

And daddy bush's response was pretty telling.

[Virginia Dare]

7. His stupidity and ignorance are dumbfounding...

and further proof of his lack of curiosity regarding the events that surround him. Anyone in this country with even a slightly above average reading comprehension of the daily news would have known what a neocon was by 2006.

Who was his source? Since it was a private conversation between the two of them, presumably it would have to either be Poppy, Jr. or someone very close to them.

[Marie26]

9. He should be on "Jaywalking".

Bush didn't even know the difference between Sunnis & Shiites before the Iraq War; this shouldn't surprise us.

[BuyingThyme]

11. If it weren't against the rules, I'd discuss it.

[Javaman]

12. "our president* doesn't really read the newspapers."

I don't believe that, because he* can't read to begin with.

[applegrove]

13. That is scary. Bush doesn't have a clue. He really is a puppet in that case.

[lectrobyte]

15. Didn't he also just recently find out about Sunnis and Shias? The bubble must be very dense,

like a collapsed-star black hole dense.