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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Politics Apropos of Midnight (or, Drinking with the President)

Posted by Christopher Frizzelle on Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 12:21 AM

Can I ask a delicate question? Is the president drinking? He has often seemed dim, yes, arrogant and dim, the deadly combination. He has always spoken haltingly and with pride, which works against him particularly because he also speaks ungrammatically, as if he is carefully choosing the wrong word/pronoun/conjugation. He has always filled the pauses in his sentences with "That, uh—" "And, uh—" "That, uh—"

But does he always seem this drunk?

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Speaking one word very softly and the next extemely loudly (like the way he says "AFRICA!" at the 0:35 point, the way he says "aggressively" at 31:58); slurring slightly, slipping, sliding through his own obviously rehearsed lines (he slips on the pronunciation of "misunderestimated" when he tries to joke, at 1:02, "Sometimes you misunderestimated me"—gah!); talking over people in the middle of answering a question he's asked them... These are all iterations of tics we've already seen, but time has only amplified them, and this is his last press conference. He has been doing this so, so long. Yet it seems like parody, on the verge of being overacted. How about when he gets suddenly mocking, hot, and accusational at 33:30, out of nowhere, like a drunk old man, and goes, "You know, it's kinda like, 'Why meeee? Why did the financial collapse have to happen on my watch? It's just—it's PATHETIC, iddinit? Self-pity?'" with the sort of angry directness alcohol coaxes out of people? (Seriously, jump to 33:30—it's stunning.) Or his weird yelling, at 39:20, about Hurricane Katrina, defending (yes!) the federal response to the storm (we plucked people off roofs! what more do you fucking want, people? there were people on their roofs and we grabbed them!). It's sort of mesmerizing to watch this as an instance of civilization, and to think, along with more than 75% of your fellow Americans: We're never going to have to watch this shit again.

Maybe he's not drunk. Maybe he's only had a shot or two. At 41:51, unprompted, he makes a reference to his not drinking—defensive much? Is it such a crazy question? Wouldn't you be drinking if you were him? Wouldn't this be the perfect time to fall off the wagon—no real pressures, no future elections to worry about, unadulterated boredom hour upon hour every day, that "great team" around you that takes care of everything, a country that's grown to despise you, a party that can't wait to see you go, and a sunny compound in Texas finally heaving into view?

Here's to you, George.

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he actually said "since I quit drinking" once... why would he bring that up?

Posted by nananana.... on January 13, 2009 at 12:47 AM

acktually... some of the more cogent responses I've ever seen from Shrub. go figure

Posted by ho' know on January 13, 2009 at 12:50 AM

He's on something, maybe alcohol, might be painkillers or anti-anxiety medication. I can't wait until he's gone. Will he fade into the scenery, or return to the media spotlight with some dramatic ups and downs?

Posted by Mrs Jarvie on January 13, 2009 at 1:08 AM

I can't fucking believe that guy has been the fucking president of the United States for the past eight years.

Posted by frank on January 13, 2009 at 1:21 AM

You're not the first one with that question: see this Counterpunch article from 2002:

http://www.counterpunch.org/wormer1011.h…

Posted by M'thew on January 13, 2009 at 1:28 AM

Unfortunately, it does appear to be the best explanation for many elements of his behavior. As much as I am against drug testing in almost all circumstances, I am slightly amazed that we don't drug test for this office, from the time they come in until the day they leave. If found positive, then follow the rules of succession until they're out of rehab. 3x and they're out.

Posted by Mike on January 13, 2009 at 2:12 AM

Bwahahaha! You've got to be kidding me! You're stooping this low to discredit the president? You must still be bitter over Algore's loss in 2000, and the exceedingly pathetic John Kerry's attempt to dislodge him in '04.

History will show President Bush to be a great, or near great president, as Michael Medved as so eloquently argued. He cut taxes, he took the war on terror to the enemy, and one week from the end of his term, we haven't been attacked.

All you leftist losers who whine about "torture" and "Gitmo" reveal how you really are treasonous traitors by opposing policies that keep America safe, and by attacking this president in a time of war, thus encouraging the enemy.

You are no better than Hanoi Jane.

Posted by Lord Basil on January 13, 2009 at 2:57 AM

I have a friend who is a drug and alcohol counselor that is quite sure that Bushie has been drinking since just after or around Katrina... some sort 'controlled' imbibing at first that has gotten looser in the last 6 months, since just before the election...
He describes all sorts of behavior that backs him up; I will see if he will put it here.

Posted by Womyn2me on January 13, 2009 at 3:03 AM

THANK YOU. I thought I was the only one who saw this! Listen to how he's calling on members of the press corps - it reminds me so much of conversations I've had when I meet tipsy acquaintances somewhere. "Oh yeah, that's your name! How are you! Ha ha ha!"

I don't know, is it possible that it's early-onset Alzheimers or something? It's definitely something...

Posted by raisedbywolves on January 13, 2009 at 3:21 AM

I watched the "thirty thousand people! don't tell me..." bit live yesterday. It was quite jarring.

Posted by The CHZA on January 13, 2009 at 4:58 AM

Ha ha #7, you crack me up.

Posted by Bush's Cocktail on January 13, 2009 at 5:08 AM

the Bush haters will have a hard time finding a reason to live after next Tues.
are you getting the shakes yet, Frizzle?

Posted by ; ) on January 13, 2009 at 5:13 AM

He was photographed drinking a pisco sour in Peru. There was speculation it was non-alchoholic, but if you take the pisco out, there's not much to a Pisco sour other than a tiny shot of lemonaid.

Posted by Kathygnome on January 13, 2009 at 6:53 AM

Georgie is a funny little monkey

Posted by Urgutha Forka on January 13, 2009 at 7:45 AM

That's a pretty tight analysis...for how long did you have to put down the hookah in order to write it?

Posted by Sim Sim Salah Bim on January 13, 2009 at 8:10 AM

this isn't a mash up is it? because this is crazy. he's on the next level of incoherence.

Posted by douglas on January 13, 2009 at 8:48 AM

To paraphrase Leo from "The West Wing," which I watched during one of those snow days we had: You think in the last hundred years there hasn't been an alcoholic in the Oval Office?

So what if he's been drinking. He probably has been. He's a fuckup and he was a fuckup before he went back to booze. He was a fuckup from day one. I don't think his blood alcohol content made that big a difference in how he ran this country. And this juvenile whispered speculation just makes you all at the Stranger look cheap and amateurish, Frizzelle. The vices of the president don't matter and never have, until they affect job performance. Bush never had any job performance to affect.

Posted by EmilyP on January 13, 2009 at 8:58 AM

he did have a pisco sour in peru earlier this year...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/25…

Posted by josh on January 13, 2009 at 9:16 AM

Starting at 32:40 Bush says that Obama is "a better speech maker" than he is.

Posted by speechifier on January 13, 2009 at 9:32 AM

He's not drunk, he's choking on pretzels.

Posted by Mr. Peanut on January 13, 2009 at 9:34 AM

I just want to know how much I have to drink to forget this fuck was ever in office.

Posted by Greg on January 13, 2009 at 9:54 AM

@21
There isn't enough

Posted by Urgutha Forka on January 13, 2009 at 10:47 AM

21 FTW - thanks for that!

and yes, he's definitely on the sauce again.

Posted by you guys are too funny on January 13, 2009 at 10:57 AM

"No better than Hanoi Jane."

What, did Dan marry a rich guy and turn all conservative?

One thing history has shown is that the Vietnam War was a bad idea made worse by poor leadership. And Iraq is going to look even stupider.

Posted by dwight moody on January 13, 2009 at 11:33 AM

Like an incurable disease, the gifts of the Bush administration are going to keep on giving and giving for years to come.

"You ain't heard nothin' yet, folks!" - Al Jolson

Posted by E on January 13, 2009 at 11:36 AM

Butcha gotta have guts to do this:

The only way out for a defeated samurai was death or ritual suicide: seppuku.

Posted by polka.com on January 13, 2009 at 12:16 PM

The whole "history will prove that he was a great president" argument is such a fucking cop out. He was a shit president who dishonored the office. The people who voted for him should suck it up and own it.

Posted by Porkchop Sandwiches! on January 13, 2009 at 12:32 PM

I'm pretty sure he's just retarded.

Posted by very bad homo on January 13, 2009 at 3:10 PM

I watched clips of this on tv and wondered the same thing. He has to be drinking again.

Posted by skye on January 13, 2009 at 8:23 PM