My favorite caption for this photo.

A picture of a group of people who all voted for Hillary Clinton. pic.twitter.com/cky6f1Rk2M

— Randi Mayem Singer (@rmayemsinger) April 22, 2018

I saw this picture posted repeatedly on the internet after the funeral of Barbara Bush, but this caption was the one that made be LOL.

Mostly because we know it's true. 

Barbara Bush has died.

Courtesy of the NYT: 

Barbara Bush, the widely admired wife of one president and the fiercely loyal mother of another, died Tuesday evening at her home in Houston. She was 92.

On Sunday, the office of her husband, former President George Bush, issued a statement saying that after consulting her family and her doctors, Mrs. Bush had “decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care.” 

The Bushes had celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in January, making them the longest-married couple in presidential history. 

Mrs. Bush had been hospitalized with pneumonia in December 2013. She underwent surgery for a perforated ulcer in 2008 and had heart surgery four months later.

It is always sad when somebody dies, but at 92 you certainly cannot say that Barbara Bush did not live a long and full life.

I have a lot of very strong feelings about the Bush family, I think only Laura Bush gets somewhat of a pass.

Barbara Bush was by all accounts a very hard woman, and one who was difficult to please.

In fact impressing his mother was one of the reasons given for George W. Bush wanting to invade Iraq and finish the job that his father, in his eyes, failed to accomplish.

How is that for a legacy?

Update: Probably need to add these.

Our statement on the passing of Former First Lady Barbara Bush: pic.twitter.com/MhTVYCL9Nj

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 18, 2018

Barbara Bush was a remarkable woman. She had grit & grace, brains & beauty. She was fierce & feisty in support of her family & friends, her country & her causes. She showed us what an honest, vibrant, full life looks like. Hillary and I mourn her passing and bless her memory.

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) April 17, 2018

Warm and generous.

And then there was this:

.@FLOTUS Melania and I join the Nation in celebrating the life of Barbara Bush: pic.twitter.com/4NzyjxqAFM

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2018

Just what every First Lady hopes for when they die.

A form letter from the current occupant of the White House that does not contain a shred of humanity.

So classy.

Donald Trump to send the National Guard to the Mexican border, but nobody really knows why.

Courtesy of Time:

The Trump administration says it is working with governors to “immediately” deploy the National Guard to combat illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Wednesday that DHS and the Pentagon will be working closely with governors in the affected states. 

She says that deployment will be done as expeditiously as possible and that Guard troops could begin heading to the border as soon as Wednesday night. 

Trump announced his plan to send the military to the border during a meeting with Baltic leaders Tuesday. 

Trump has been frustrated by Congress’ refusal to fund building a wall along the length of the U.S. border as well as an increase in illegal border crossings.

Border crossings are down significantly,  which was also true during Obama's second term, so what exactly is the excuse for sending the national Guard, at a huge cost to taxpayers, to the Mexican border?

Some suggest that Trump is simply irritated that Ann Coulter is calling him out on Twitter.

But if that is true than this decision clearly did nothing to change that.

Are they going to shoot the illegals? Just standing there doesn't do a thing. We need to do what Israel does: immediate detention and removal. https://t.co/byXxDbG2po

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 4, 2018

That's right to make the Crypt Keeper's daughter happy you actually have to murder immigrants coming across the border.

There are those arguing that this is nothing new and that both George W. Bush and Barack Obama sent the National Guard to the border.

This is technically true, but the circumstances were different:

Amid a series of protests on both sides of the immigration debate, President Bush sent 6,000 National Guard troops to the southern border in 2006. The troops were deployed to aid U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents while new recruits were being trained and help with the installation of fences and vehicle barriers. They were not, however sent to directly engage in law enforcement activities.

“The United States is not going to militarize the southern border,” Bush said at the time. “Mexico is our neighbor, and our friend. We will continue to work cooperatively to improve security on both sides of the border … to confront common problems like drug trafficking and crime … and to reduce illegal immigration.”

And then during Obama's first term:  

President Barack Obama authorized 1,200 National Guard troops be sent to the Southern Border two years after Jump Start ended in 2010. According to a 2010 report from the New York Times, Obama was facing pressure from lawmakers to boost security at the southern border after a prominent rancher was allegedly killed by a smuggler. During what was known as Operation Phalanx, which lasted about a year, some 14,000 pounds of drugs were seized and 7,000 people were apprehended.

In 2011, the head of Arizona’s National Guard told the Washington Post that his soldiers primarily served as “eyes and ears” at the border. “We don’t chase anybody,” said Maj. Gen. Hugo E. Salazar.

The combined cost of those operations to the taxpayers was a whopping 1.35 billion, and the evidence suggests that neither one made a significant difference.

Bush's seemed to be a show of force to please his supporters, while Obama was more or less boxed in by the death of that rancher.

Trump's decision really appears to be more of a tantrum about not getting his wall than anything else. 

His overriding directive seems to be that if Congress will not let him waste taxpayer money building an unnecessary wall, then dammit he will waste taxpayer money sending the National Guard to the border instead.

Barack Obama's retrospective job approval rating is 63%.

Courtesy of Gallup: 

Barack Obama's legacy appears to be on the right track, as 63% of Americans in hindsight say they approve of the way he handled his job. Gallup's first measure of Obama's retrospective job approval rating places him behind only John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan among the 10 most recent presidents. Richard Nixon is rated worst today for how he handled his job, with 28% approving.

Actually whoever typed this up made a mistake as George H. Bush is also rated higher than Obama by a point, which I find unacceptable.

I am also not pleased to see Jimmy Carter so far down the list, and Reagan at the top, as I do not believe this factually represents their contributions to this country.

I will say I fully expect that Obama's rating will only rise in the years to come, and that I would not be surprised if at some point he gave Ronnie a run for his money.

Jesus, even George W. Bush is capable of understanding that the Russians hacked our election.

Courtesy of the AP: 

Former President George W. Bush said on Thursday that “there’s pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled” in the 2016 American presidential election, forcefully rebutting fellow Republican Donald Trump’s denials of Moscow trying to affect the vote. 

While never mentioning President Trump by name, Bush appeared to be pushing back on Trump’s attempts to have warmer relations with Russia, as well as his comments on immigration. 

The White House did not immediately comment on Bush’s remarks. 

“There’s pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled,” Bush said at a talk in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. “Whether they affected the outcome is another question.” 

Bush also said that “it’s problematic that a foreign nation is involved in our election system. Our democracy is only as good as people trust the results.”

Remember this guy?

I must have said every single day that he was in office that he was the dumbest son-of-a-bitch we had ever elected to lead this nation.

I truly believed that once he was out we would NEVER make a mistake of that magnitude again.

And here he is recognizing the evidence that our current commander-in-chief refuses to even acknowledge.

I would really like to say that after Trump is dragged from office that we will never be stupid enough to elect such an incompetent, unqualified, traitorous leader ever again.

But now that I understand just how critically stupid many people are in this country, that would just be a waste of my breath. 

Just another reminder that Trump's comments about bringing down black unemployment were completely full of shit.

Donald Trump has not implemented any policies thus far that really help anybody except his rich friends and of course himself.

Nor is there any real evidence that will change.

Both George Bush's admit in new book that neither of them voted for Donald Trump, and one of them even voted for Hillary.

Courtesy of Newsweek:  

Both former President Bushes had choice words for current President Donald Trump in a new book scheduled to be published later this month, with the elder Bush reportedly calling the billionaire commander-in-chief a “blowhard” and flatly stating he does not “like” him. 

Presidents George Bush and George W. Bush, the 41st and 43rd top executives respectively, spoke to author Mark K. Updegrove for the book “The Last Republicans.” It detailed the relationship between the father-and-son presidents and how they were fretful of what Trump had done to the Republican Party. 

Furthermore, both ex-presidents admitted they did not vote for Trump. The elder Bush pulled the lever for Democrat Hillary Clinton while the younger told Updegrove he voted for “none of the above.” 

“I don’t like him,” George Bush said in May 2016 according to a The New York Times on Saturday. “I don’t know much about him, but I know he’s a blowhard. And I’m not too excited about him being a leader.

I can't say I am terribly surprised by this as Trump was a complete dick to Jeb during the primaries, and that must have certainly rubbed members of his family the wrong way.

Nothing will ever make up for George W. taking this country into unnecessary wars that cost the lives of hundreds of thousand, if not millions of innocent people.

However it would have at least demonstrated some character if he would have had the guts to vote for Hillary Clinton outright, instead of allowing Trump to get even one extra vote.

Well it's pretty easy to see why Trump did not join those five former presidents at that hurricane fundraiser last night.

.@realDonaldTrump-This is what a REAL president looks like—listen to the crowd roar for @BarackObama#AMJoy #Resistpic.twitter.com/b2VBRcUNDO

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) October 22, 2017

Listen to that crowd.

That is the sound of overwhelming support.

Here is more courtesy of Politico:  

With the American flag as a backdrop and surrounded by Texas A&M University singing cadets, all five living former presidents stood on stage together in College Station, Texas, on Saturday night to kick off a benefit concert to help raise money for hurricane victims. 

President Donald Trump was not in attendance, but a video of his remarks played.

Former presidents Clinton, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all attended. 

"All of us on this stage here tonight could not be prouder of the response of Americans," Obama said. "When they see their neighbors, and their friends, when they see strangers in need, Americans step up. And as heartbreaking as the tragedies that took place here in Texas and in Florida, in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have been, but what we've also seen is the spirit of America at its best." 

In the six weeks since the campaign began, more than $31 million has been raised from some 80,000 contributors, according to David Jones, chief executive of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation.

Man, this photo. pic.twitter.com/q9TQ6iIA5G

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 22, 2017

There is at least one of these men who I actively despise, and two who are very close to the end of their time on earth. And yet I would gladly chose ANY of them over the traitorous POS currently residing in the people's house.

And did you hear that applause for Barack Obama?

That is the kind of enthusiasm we need to harness for the Democrat's next presidential candidate.

Steven Bannon tells audience of California Republicans that "There has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bush's."

Courtesy of The Guardian:  

Steve Bannon has depicted former President George W Bush as bumbling and inept, faulting him for presiding over a “destructive” presidency during his time in the White House. 

The former White House adviser delivered a retort to a speech Bush gave in New York during the week in which the 43rd president denounced bigotry in Trump-era American politics and warned that the rise of “nativism”, isolationism and conspiracy theories have clouded the nation’s true identity. 

Bannon, speaking to a capacity crowd at a California Republican party convention on Friday night, said Bush had embarrassed himself, didn’t know what he was talking about, and had no idea whether “he is coming or going, just like it was when he was president”. 

“There has not been a more destructive presidency than George Bush’s,” Bannon added, as boos could be heard in the crowd at the mention of Bush’s name.

Well here's the thing.

I USED to be in total agreement with that last statement, but that was before Bannon's bromantic partner Donald Trump took office.

I mean as of yet Trump has not started an unnecessary war that killed hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people, that's true.

Nor has he crashed the economy. Yet.

But I have high hopes that he will soon do FAR more damage than George Bush managed to do even after eight years in office.

And by "high hopes" I mean I live in abject fear of what he might do next.

Besides let's be clear, Bannon is not attacking George Bush for what he did during his presidency.

He is attacking George Bush for daring to criticize his his former boss, and White House slumber party partner.

While Donald Trump goes golfing for the 74th time since his inauguration, 5 former president's show up to raise money for hurricane relief.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Members of an exclusive club are making a rare joint appearance Saturday. 

All five living former US presidents will take part in a benefit concert in Texas to raise money for hurricane relief efforts, while President Donald Trump will appear in a taped video message to the concertgoers, the White House announced Saturday. 

Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter will attend Saturday night's event, named "Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal," at Reed Arena at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Apparently Trump is going to send a video message, but that is really all he can do right now as he is dealing with more important matters.

Per pool, Trump has arrived at Trump Nat'l Golf Club in VA.

This is his 74th day at a golf club, 94th day at a Trump property as president.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 21, 2017

Priorities.

However the men who took their jobs seriously are showing up to help their fellow Americans whose lives have been devastated by these recent disasters.

The concert won't be the first time the former presidents have joined forces. 

After Hurricane Harvey struck Texas in September, all five started the "One America Appeal" charity effort and filmed a video urging citizens to help out amid the devastating flooding. 

They have since resumed the effort in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

As Americans, we lift each other up. I’m proud to be a part of this night. Hope you’ll tune in. https://t.co/FZLWfNBLw5 https://t.co/Mv6Kg2ZwMZ

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) October 21, 2017

I am long past hoping that Trump is capable of learning on the job, but just maybe he can be shamed into actually doing his job by the example set by these men.

I mean at this point anything is worth a try. 

George W. Bush: "The Russian government has made a project of turning Americans against each other."

George W. Bush: "The Russian government has made a project of turning Americans against each other." pic.twitter.com/VvFtzKdXzA

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 19, 2017

You know only Donald Trump could actually make me wish for a return to the Bush presidency.

At least W wasn't fucking insane.

(You can watch the entire speech here. And you can find an annotated transcript here.)

While I appreciate Bush and Obama carefully criticizing the Trump administration without actually going after him by name, I really think that they need to amp it up.

IF Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and George H. Bush all came out and stated emphatically that Donald Trump is destroying this country and needs to be removed from office that might really move that process forward.

I know that former presidents are supposed to treat their successors with deference, but let's face it this is an entirely different situation.

It is time to stop playing it safe, and to REALLY start playing hardball for the sake of this country's future.

Former presidents band together to participate in concert to raise money for victims of the numerous hurricanes.

Courtesy of CNN:

All five living former US presidents will participate in a benefit concert to raise money for hurricane relief efforts in Texas later this month, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation announced today. 

Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter will appear at Reed Arena at Texas A&M University on October 21 for the "Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal" concert. 

The event will also feature rock and country musicians including ALABAMA, the Gatlin Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Sam Moore, Yolanda Adams, Cassadee Pope and Stephanie Quayle. Country music artist Lee Greenwood will emcee the event.

"The 43rd President and I, and our distinguished colleagues in this 'One America Appeal,' are very grateful to these wonderful performers -- some of them old friends, some of them new -- for giving their time and talent to help the urgent cause of hurricane recovery in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean," President George H.W. Bush said in a statement. "It's important that those affected by these devastating storms know that, even if the path to recovery feels like a road that goes on forever, we're with them for the long haul."

I have to admit when I first read this I thought they were only raising money for the folks in Texas that were victimized by the hurricanes, but a closer reading revealed that they are raising money for ALL of the hurricane victims, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Can you even believe that we are living in a time when one concert is being put on to raise money for the victims of back to back hurricanes?

And people say climate change is not real.

All I can say is that it is certainly a good thing that we have all of these ex-presidents around to provide some leadership in this area, because the idiot currently in the White House has no fucking idea what he is doing.

Presidents comforting people in their time of need.

Five former presidents band together to help raise money for Puerto Rico. Because somebody has to do something.

Courtesy of WSVN:

All five living former presidents are joining forces on a fundraising campaign to help with hurricane recovery for the U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama have launched the One America Appeal campaign, allowing donors to help with relief efforts in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. 

Organizers say a special restricted account has been established through the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation to collect and quickly distribute donations. Officials say “100 cents out of every dollar” donated will help hurricane victims.

I can only imagine what the conversations between these former presidents must be like. 

I would think there would be a lot of shaking their heads in disbelief and real concern for the future of the country.

Winning!

Look I know we give Trump shit all of the time for not being able to make good on any of his campaign promises, but you have to admit this IS pretty damn impressive.

And remember it has only been six months. Just imagine how many more title he might be able to steal from his predecessors.

Watch out William Howard Taft, you might be the next one to lose your title.

Donald Trump's propaganda network is now firmly in place.

Boris Epshteyn's pro-Trump segments on Sinclair "come as close to classic propaganda" as @DavidZurawik has ever seen https://t.co/SpobdbN4hj

— Reliable Sources (@ReliableSources) July 17, 2017

You might remember that John Oliver warned us about this earlier this month.

This is really nothing new for the Republicans, as George W. Bush did something similar when he was president.

That of course ultimately failed, but not before the Iraq War was sold to the American people and we found ourselves with No Child Left Behind which damn near destroyed our public education system.

Hopefully this time our journalists are more prepared to fight back on this, and get the ACTUAL truth out to the American people.

A whimsical moment.

So much bad news these days, a little of this is certainly a welcome respite.

POS!

I like to say that I received the MOH from @georgewbush #hestheman #repect #honor #ownit #ownthedash #throwbackfriday #hesmyhero

A post shared by Dakota Meyer (@dakotameyer0317) on May 5, 2017 at 11:33am PDT

Ungrateful POS is actually more descriptive.

President  Obama is the man who put the Medal of Honor around Dakota Meyer's unworthy neck, and this is how he thanks him.

George W. Bush was the man who started these unnecessary wars and sent thousands of American soldiers to their deaths based on a lie and an overreaction.

President Obama on the other hand worked tirelessly to bring these wars to an end and bring American fighting men and women back home to their families. The only reason he was not more successful is because the Republicans, who Meyer seems to identify with, sabotaged his efforts.

Fuck this guy!

Nancy Pelosi apologizes after accidentally referring to Donald Trump as President Bush.

.@NancyPelosi to @jonkarl: "I never thought I'd pray for the day" when George W. Bush was president again https://t.co/mc5NSfxbZx #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/BgMHuRwg5k

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 30, 2017

Courtesy of The Hill:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) during an interview early Sunday accidentally referred to President Trump as former President George W. Bush. 

After the mistake on ABC’s “This Week,” Pelosi quickly corrected herself. 

“I’m so sorry, President Bush,” Pelosi said. “I never thought I would pray for the day that you were president again.” Pelosi was discussing Democrats working with the White House when she mentioned Bush.

I totally get what Pelosi is feeling, because I feel it all of the time as well.

I started this blog to oppose George W. Bush, and I have no intention of engaging in revisionist history or minimizing my strong anger and frustration at his administration. 

However at the time I thought he was the worst president this country would EVER see.

And then November 2016 arrived and I had a whole new definition of "worst."

It is not even like comparing apples to oranges.

It is more like comparing the measles to leprosy.

George W. Bush was terrible, with a capital "T."

But Donald Trump is goddamn catastrophic.

And like that lady in the post below is saying, we have NEVER seen anything that him before, and I hope to never see anything like him again. 

Donald Trump attempts to distract from the White House Correspondents' dinner, which he is too frightened to attend, by holding another of those celebratory rallies of his.

Next Saturday night I will be holding a BIG rally in Pennsylvania. Look forward to it!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2017

Courtesy of WaPo: 

President Trump on Saturday announced plans to hold a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on April 29, marking his 100th day in office. 

The White House did not offer additional details about where the rally would take place or what Trump's focus would be, referring questions to Trump's campaign apparatus. 

The campaign listed on its website an event scheduled for that night at 7:30 p.m. in Harrisburg, Pa. The rally will coincide with the annual White House correspondents' dinner, which Trump elected not to attend in a break from tradition.

Yes Donald Trump is avoiding a gathering which traditionally features comedians poking gentle fun at the current president, by holding a rally attended by only his most fervent admirers.

Why doesn't he simply wear a t-shirt saying "I am the most insecure man on the planet" and be done with it?

I would like to point out that even President Bush sat good naturedly while the great Stephen Colbert eviscerated him in front of the entire audience attending the 2006 White House Correspondents' dinner.

And President Obama actually turned the tables on the invited comedians and almost always emerged as the most entertaining speaker of the night.

Of course that was back when we had less thin skinned presidents who actually demonstrated some courage and the ability to poke a little fun at themselves.

Personally I think I will skip both of these events and instead spend my precious TV watching time enjoying Samantha Bee's "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner" scheduled for the same night.

Wouldn't it be kind of awesome if THIS received the highest ratings of the night?