Bush Cancels Great Smoky Mountains Visit

[InvisibleTouch]

(I haven't seen this here, so hopefully it's not a dupe. Big surprise on this, eh? Weather's too bad. What a convenient excuse.)

******************

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush canceled an Earth Day visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Friday because of bad weather.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the threat of hail and thunder storms was keeping the president from visiting the park, but Air Force One still was making a brief stop at an airport outside Knoxville, Tenn., so Bush could make remarks near the park on Earth Day.

Bush then planned to fly on to Texas, where he was spending the weekend at his ranch and then hosting Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Monday.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050422/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_6

[arwalden]

1. ... And He Wanted To "Spend Time With His Family" ... Eh?

:eyes:

[Career Prole]

3. LOL! Ain't it the truth! n/t

[rodeodance]

5. I read somewhere demonstrators were to give him a welcome. Geech

[chomskysright]

19. that would be US in ASHEVILLE, NC....

Rolling Thunder Review and Canary Coalition:

[chomskysright]

20. "Clear Skies" = BIG LIES; keep the Clean Air bill intact:....

see Canary Coalition: Sylva, NC (western NC along w/ asheville)

[Roland99]

10. Must have been a "scheduling conflict" with Mother Nature

[ClarkUSA]

23. More like 4.5 days is all he can do without hitting the sauce

if Laura doesn't hit him first -see all those bruised cheek pics.

[Botany]

2. God I really hate him

The same folks who bankrolled 9-11

Bush then planned to fly on to Texas, where he was spending the weekend at his ranch and then hosting Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Monday.

[rkc3]

18. Another meeting between the Crown Prince and the Clown Prince.

Subjects will probably include new oil deals and in what manner to kill those poor Americans.

[drdtroit]

4. "hosting Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia"

planning their next caper?

[rodeodance]

7. seems to me that we are paying for lots of trips to the ranch lately!!

[drdtroit]

11. Well, one gets very weary flying around the country

and LYING about social security.

[LibDemAlways]

32. Wait a minute, weren't 15 of the 19

9/11 hijackers Saudis? What the hell is the chimp doing coddling up to these evildoers? Don't they deserve to be invaded and get the shit bombed out of them? Why the double standard? If its good enough for Saddam, it ought to be good enough for Abdullah.

Think the American people might be a little upset if the media clued them in to the chimp/Saudi/Bin Ladin connection? Most are still convinced Saddam and Iraq were to blame, otherwise why would we have invaded them?

[drdtroit]

33. You dig!

[Cobalt Violet]

6. W stands for Wussy or Wimp.

[priller]

8. Got to scurry back home to Texas for his "brother"

the Crown Prince. Maybe they'll do some more strolling, hand-in-hand. Such a lovely pair. :loveya:


Oh, I'm sorry, Prince Bandar is the one he calls "Bandar Bush".

[blm]

9. Isn't Knoxville where Bush's longtime paramour lives?

Victor Ashe?

[loudsue]

13. One and the same! Is Victor home from Poland on a visit?

Don't forget Poland! Remember, bush appointed Victor Ashe as the Ambassador to Poland....i.e., his remark in the Kerry/Bush debates when he said "don't forget Poland", when talking about his coalition of the willing.

:kick:

[dArKeR]

12. I called Kerry and idiot for NOT calling on Bush to make memorized

speeches/statements. Kerry is able to memorize and talk on subjects freely. aWol is only able to barely read a telepromter or sheet text with about 2% eye contact with the crowd. Kerry made a very big mistake not making this a campaign point and he lost for it! Should have hired me for free!

So the about report should in fact say, "aWol to read a page of text prepared by some guy."

[WI_DEM]

14. he wants to host Abdullah Bush

Isn't that swell.

[DemoTex]

15. Bad weather indeed. Heavy acid rain with intermittent mercury showers.

Visibility reduced in heavy chokin' smoke. Beware of hydro-planing logging trucks.

[bertha katzenengel]

16. What a fucking disgusting insult.

What an asshole.

[CottonBear]

17. See this post for more DU commentary!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3525548

:evilgrin:

[underpants]

21. Just a misunderstanding-The mountains were supposed to signal his Popeness

:bounce:

[0rganism]

22. Even Nedra Pickler's usual GOP asskissing seems muted

I was hard pressed to find a spontaneous dig at liberals, Democrats, or minority ducklings in the article. Perhaps I'm slipping, or could it be Pickler losing out to Gannon for the cushy pressroom jobs?

"The president, who often is at odds with environmentalists, was scheduled..."

Given, "often at odds" is a bit of a color phrase, but I think it's accurate in this case. Next clause,

"Environmentalists say Bush is not being a responsible steward... relying on the market rather than regulation to curb pollution."

If anything, that may be it. While tremendously understating the environmentalist position, it could be construed as making a half-hearted attempt to brand environmentalists with the "anti-business" tag. But if that's the most Pickler can do... well, let's continue.

'"healthy forests" law ... "clear skies" proposal ... Environmentalists call those labels deliberate misnomers.'

Well, yes. I think the GOP code talkers understand that too, and if I were one perhaps I'd find it amusing. At worst, then, this statement may be painting environmentalists as humorless, or at least not receptive to Bush's humor. No, this is really pretty weak stuff by Pickler standards.

I think someone at the whitehouse forgot to send Pickler the check this month.

[ClarkUSA]

24. Nedra Pickler got paid well during the primaries/general election

So did Ron Fournier. Good analysis!

[TheFarseer]

25. I know what's really going on

he just can't stand seeing all those trees un-logged and those mountains un-strip mined. Not to mention all those hippie forest rangers piss him off.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

35. They probably wouldn't uproot enough trees for him

and they couldn't cordon off enough space to make him feel safe.

[Zynx]

26. "Smokey" Mountains indeed - the acrid type

[spinbaby]

27. He visited an Air Force base

Figures.

[LibertyLover]

29. Wanted to check

up on the Air Force's plans to bomb Great Smoky Mountain Park if * declares war on Mother Nature.

[bushisanidiot]

28. AWOL Bush is a PUSSY! He has to run & hide from the scary lighting

& thunder... just like on 9/11/01, AWOL runs and hides.

[Triana]

30. prolly afraid someone would push him off...

...the mountain. I can't IMAGINE why anyone would want to...

:evilgrin:

[SalmonChantedEvening]

31. Nothing quite like

Spending the weekend with one's extended family. Will cousin Bandar be there?

[MisterP]

34. can't have God smite you with lightning if you avoid cloudy weather!

[snacker]

36. Guess "the Earth" is trying to tell him something. n/t

[Lisa]

37. that's TWO Earth Day visits ruined by "nature" ...

I guess the man just can't take a hint!

(His big Adirondacks photo-op was snowed out a couple of years back ...)



In honor of nostamj ...

[blindpig]

38. cognitive dissidence?

Is it possible that the sheer hypocrisy of the Poster Boy for Planet Rape speaking at a National Park on Earth Day somehow occurred to him? Did he miss a fix of whatever king hell drug it is that produces that much hubris? Did he fear that Gaia would strike him dead?

Naw, he probably is just whipped from his pathetic SS scam, cause it's hard work. Needs to get back to the pig farm with a fifth of noddyhead and slip between the sheiks.

[Lisa]

39. remember the term "pathetic fallacy" from English class?

Also very fitting, in this situation -- in more ways than one!