Can’t This Guy Stay on a Bike?
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| Image from The Londonist |
Yet again, our fearless leader fall off his bike and go boom. This is, if I am not mistaken, the third time he has taken a bike spill, not including the time he fell off of a Segway (which takes talent). This time, in England for a G8 summit, Bush collided with a police officer, who was immediately shot taken to a hospital.
As usual, the White House press office insists that Bush was going really, really fast and it had been raining. Maybe, but take that with a huge grain of salt: the last time this happened, in Texas, they also claimed it had been raining and the topsoil was loose, but when someone checked the weather, they found out that it had not rained for more than a week.
So we know they lie about the weather to make it sound more dashing and less stupid; we still have no confirmation that Bush was actually riding super fast (“pretty good speed” and “quite a clip” are the terms used). It is not unlikely that in both cases, Bush was going slowly when he crashed. One piece of contributing evidence: if you’re really booking along and you collide with someone, you usually get more than just a few scrapes and bruises. Bush’s injuries are more consistent with lower-speed falls. So the high-speed thing is possible, but not likely. The whole thing with the press office trying to make Bush seem macho when he falls off his bike is laughable and not just a little pathetic. Simply say he had another spill and don’t embellish.
“You know what really makes this embarrassing? The other day the president said the leaders in Iraq are ‘ready to take off the training wheels.’ That’s what he said, ‘take off the training wheels.’ Then he goes out and falls off his bicycle. And they wonder why the rest of the world doesn’t take us seriously.” —Jay Leno
It’s not that I love the guy or anything – quite the opposite, in fact – but I do feel some sympathy for anyone whose every little move is scrutinised in public. Don’t you?
Sorry, I’m a little beyond feeling sympathetic for the man. Partly it’s because when you seek out that kind of office, you know exactly what you’re gaining and what you’re losing; Bush is more than compensated for such scrutiny. All presidents are, and it’s part of the position: you must present a dignified front to the public. That’s part of the job, and, like so many other parts of the job, it’s one he’s doing badly. Very badly, as if he doesn’t give a damn about it. A president is supposed to be a leader, instilling confidence in the people, making them believe that he’s fully capable and respectable. If he can’t do that, then it is a failing of the man in the office. If he can’t stay on a bike, then he shouldn’t be riding one. Get a stationary bike for exercise and enjoy the outdoors some other way.
The other part of how I feel is that I do not believe the man is worthy of sympathy. This is a man who destroys people’s lives. Who lies to the country and drives it into a destructive war at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives when it is far from necessary. Who hides behind the honor of fallen soldiers and uses live ones for a PR backdrop, and then cuts their pay and their benefits and doesn’t even equip them with body or jeep armor, while giving multi-billion no-bid contracts to cronies. Who bankrupts the economy and drives us deeply into debt. Who deprives the poor of basic services while serving up corporate welfare and gigantic government handouts for the wealthy.
So, if he’s so reckless or uncoordinated that he can’t stay on his bike, I have no sympathy for him if he gets made fun of or is disrespected for it. For either of the above two reasons. And I have no problem making fun of him if it will even by the slimmest chance or margin work towards decreasing his influence to do even more damage.
But the fact that you have sympathy for the man despite your feelings speaks a great deal to how generous a person you are. I guess I’m a bit more stingy–at least when it comes to this guy.
Just a quick note…I think you mean that he crashed into an officeR (capitalized for emphasis), not an office! It’s funnier to think he could run into a building though.
Helen: thanks! Noted, and corrected.
I’m afraid I have to agree with Miko. Though I despise Bush and agree with your comments about how destructive he has been (and greatly fear for America’s future), I think indulging in shaudenfreude over moments like this only makes us look petty.
But do you disagree that a president has the responsibility of preserving the dignity of the office, and his administration looks petty for attempting to lie to make the president appear macho? I’m not saying that this is the deepest or most significant post I ever made about Bush, but there are a few points to be made here. And it is, by the way, in the category titled “The Lighter Side.” I should probably refine the categories of the blog to make them appear in the post somewhere…
ok…..I may catch some flak for this. I, too, have fallen off my bike…a nice, Raleigh R600 21-speed. Unlike Dubya, I wasn’t moving, which makes it a bit more amusing. But sometimes, it’s hard to get out of those darn clip-in pedals. Let’s give Dubya a break….at least he hasn’t broken his collar bone cross-country skiing (yet).
Oh, I have fallen off many a bike! Sober!
“… his administration looks petty for attempting to lie to make the president appear macho …”
Yes, that is a good point. His handlers have a nightmare of a job, when you think about it.
The stupidest thing I ever saw in my life was when he appeared in that “Mission Accomplished” get-up. That was downright laughable – and insulting, too, to those who actually serve in the forces.
yeh – it’s all laughable isn’t it? – I also love the jay leno quote. bush apparently said if you bike hard you sometimes fall hard. yeh – I’m sure he was off roading!
oh – btw: not that I’m a big patriot, but it was in scotland, not england. sorry….
Another oops there. I should have said “Great Britain,” just am used to thinking of the two interchangeably.
I think it is virtually impossible for any human being to be dignified at all times without grossly restricting their behavior/lifestyle. No matter how hard people try, they will always embarrass themselves, president or not. After all, George Bush (Dubya’s pappy) barfed on the Japanese PM. That’s about as undignified as it gets but he was sick and he’s human and things happen when you least expect them.
You seem to be possibly implying that Bush should perhaps give up biking since he’s embarrassed himself several times by riding one. But even presidents have to exercise and he must enjoy it. If he takes up another sport, he may do something equally undignified. What then? No exercise at all?
I’m guessing every president from George Washington to George W. Bush. has embarrassed himself on multiple occasions. The only difference is that now the press is there putting them under microscopes all the time.
My main point is that, lighter side of the news or not, your comments reflect poorly on you, not on Bush. If you want to make him look bad, stick to the stuff that matters and take the high road. It’ll reflect well on you and serve to offer your readers more relevant information and view you as a more enlightened commentator.
You know how much I despise Bush (pretty much as much as you do) but falling off his bike isn’t something that he should be criticized or made fun of for.
Well, you think that way, I don’t. It’s not as if I don’t address the more serious points on this blog, and I did put this in “The Lighter Side” category. For my money, you’re taking this post way, way too seriously.