George Bush’s head would have asploded from all the thinking.

Can you imagine if George Bush had done it?

Yes I can imagine it and it would have contained priceless soundbites for late-night comedians.

Har! Har! Har! Hardeehar Har Har!!!! I love these pieces that encourage lazy thinkers to make the easiest joke there is; G W Bush is a big old dumb ass. Inspired.

Good on Mr. Krauthammer, it was good for the country and good of him to admit it. Maybe we can actually accomplish something.

I’ve said from the beginning Obama was much too conciliatory and actually conservative in some ways, so it’s always tiresome to battle the blatant falsehoods and propaganda that is the right’s forte forever.

Trickledown hit the nail on hte head when he said that G W Bush is a big old dumb ass.” Finally, we agree on something.

Thank you Rachel. The far-lefties on the site are having real trouble these days defending policy (they don’t understand it), and attacking Republicans has become even harder and more transparent (Palin attacked because she used a word they’re unfamiliar with… please). Thank you for including something about Bush in there… they LOVE to talk about him! Oh, if only he was still around to beat on, they’re days would be so much better. But he’s not… so they flounder… and giving them a bit of red meat now and then helps them feel useful once again. Thanks for helping!

PS-

Are you sure this post was a good idea? Showing that FNC praised Obama for this event, really contradicts Colby’s statement that “…also worth noting is that negative tone of the coverage of this event…” So which was it? Is Colby right that the coverage was negative, and that’s a bad thing… or are you right, and the coverage was very positive, and that’s a bad thing?

Which one is Mediaite’s official spin… or is it simply that FNC was “wrong,” no matter what they said/say.

Krauthammer can make sense occasionally, here he is making it. Fortunately he’s not all-the-way conservative. He’s not a strict ideologue who just brainlessly follows Beck and et al.

I’m glad the republicans reached out and invited Obama to their retreat. If only the democrats had done such a thing when Bush was President, but alas, they never did.

Correction: Bush DID do it; although the venue was different. Interaction with the dems in Feb 01 at their retreat. From ABCNews, Feb 01:

=======================
This morning, Bush became the first president to attend a private policy retreat of the opposing party, mingling for half an hour with Senate Democrats as they gathered at the Library of Congress for their ritual strategy session.

‘Boy, He’s Really Good’
========================

Rove on F&F this morning talked about this; Bush did do Q&A but without the cameras because the intent was to interact, not grandstand.

“It was good for the country.” – yes IT was. IT being the attempt at healing the divide, not IT being Obama, but the collaboration between the parties.

I don’t know why it continues to be a surprise to ME, that liberals are so astounded when they see a critic compliment the person who they usually criticize, but it always is just that.

If it’s some professed Democrat doing the complimenting (as with Chris Matthews towards Pres. Bush), the accusation of “ideological poseur” comes swiftly.

If it’s an political opponent doing the complimenting, the implication is that its insincere or self-serving.

Hey, we are all just people and fellow countrymen here, folks. It really isn’t North Korea vs South Korea in the minds of most people.

TfT – Sure, Bush wanted to interact rather than grandstand…and the sun sets in the East and the moon is made of cheese.

I wonder if conservatives will now boil the treasonous Charles K. in oil.

No, Ted, Republicans will generally see this as the equivalent of a party favor.

But enough about us… so you now have more respect for Krauthammer, huh?…

Ted: Why would conservatives boil Charles K? Because he said (but he did not gush, as the author claims) that it was a good exchange? It was. And the fact that the republicans invited Obama to attend and he accepted was good for the country. Obama came, spoke, and now it is up to him to change the tone. Will he? Only time will tell if he maintains his empty suitedness (words just words) or if he accepts republican proposals and tells Harry and Nancy to cease and decist with the demonizing.

Krauthammer has not only politely reached out to the president and sincerely complimented him, but he’s also encouraged making a tradition out of something that could give the president some cover while giving the minority party a yearly platform.

TfT, what Republicans have offered the president is the encourage to triangulate and offered it on a 24K gold platter.

I’m not sure how he can take it and I don’t see how he can’t.

Cecelia – Respect? What has that got to do with it? I said I agree with what he said; conservatives generally will not and TfT, that’s why the comment about boiling in oil.

That Krauthammer endorsed McCain in 08′ showed me that Charles not a complete blind ideologue. Good for Pres. Obama and opposition party to “mix” it up. Thought it was useful and benefitial for both Pres. Obama and Republicans in this case.

Time will determine if will translate towards good for the us, the country.

Curious for a little inside Mediaite baseball though. Did Rachel Sklar know that Pres. Bush did meet with Democratic party in 01′ when she wrote – “Wow. Can you imagine if George Bush had done it?*”

or, did Rachel not know?

Ted,

‘Boiling in oil’ and “traitorous” is stating dynamics that go way beyond not “agreeing” with someone.

The implication of that is a total loss of respect by his ideological allies. Conversely, since it was your formulation, it makes sense to ask you if you had gained any respect for the man.

Until the president signals that he’s willing take such an invitation out of the realm of soundbite, into some form of triangulation, it won’t do him much good.

Have you ever tried to *confront* your boss? The GOP was at a disadvantage in the fact that they had to maintain a certain amount of respect, since Obama is the POTUS. I found them very reluctant to call him out when he argued their facts. I think the idea was good, but I think it was a difficult situation with family members in the audience, the media camera and the fact that he is their boss. He got to argue with them, they…not so much.

Price says Obama and his aides have said Republicans have ‘no ideas’ on health care – and he was right. Obama denied it. But we all know that it’s true.

Obama also tried to bs his way out of the c-span broken promise.

I think they need to do this with Pelosi and Reid. I also think Obama should have been much harsher on his own party for their attacks on Republicans and *racist teabaggers*. I’m sorry, but the ugliness and racist charges started with the Obama campaign and supporters over two years ago, and it hs just gotten worse.

Things can’t mend if one side doesn’t own up to their part in the destruction, but just continue to not be truthful, or attack.

But, like Krauthammer, I think it was a positive exercise, and a beginning. And it was nice to see Obama actually speaking without his teleprompter. he should do it more often.

sarainitaly, I think the GOP politely listened to the lecture because:

1. Since he was the guest, it would look boorish if they had not.

2. Since they now have the pull of the election in Massachusetts, Republicans are in the process of offering the president a chance to get something accomplished.

no doubt – i am reacting more to the claims on the left that Obama *schooled the GOP* etc.

He’s their boss, he was their guest…. they didn’t force points when he was flat out wrong. So, it was unfair advantage to that extent.

This is another point from the meeting that went unchallenged-

“For example, we said from the start that it was going to be important for us to be consistent in saying to people if you can have your — if you want to keep the health insurance you got, you can keep it, that you’re not going to have anybody getting in between you and your doctor in your decision making. And I think that some of the provisions that got snuck in might have violated that pledge. ~Obama ”

This was one of the core debates on health care throughout last year: Would President Obama and the Democrats’ legislation allow government to come between citizens and their choice of doctors and insurers? Obama promised it wouldn’t. Republicans said it would, and this was one of the aspects of the legislation that led them to characterize it as a government takeover of health care – the same characterization that Obama chastized the GOP for today.

So it’s a bit of shock to find out now – from the President himself, no less – that one or both of the bills that passed Congress late last year (the House passed its version in late November, the Senate on Christmas Eve Day) contained language that would have violated this pledge.

http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com/2010/01/29/obamas-stunning-admission/

sarainitaly, good info!

And yeah, if there’s a rule of conduct when you’re a host, there’s also one when you’re a guest. I thought the president’s manner with Republicans was condescending and posturing too.

Cecelia said this:
” ‘Boiling in oil’ and “traitorous” is stating dynamics that go way beyond not “agreeing” with someone.

The implication of that is a total loss of respect by his ideological allies. Conversely, since it was your formulation, it makes sense to ask you if you had gained any respect for the man.”

Okay Cecelia, if you say so…CHECK PLEASE!!

Will whoever tied Ted up and forced him to read and to respond to my post, please back away from him with the squirt gun.

There’s that irony business again that you seem to step right into. Thanks for the chuckle.

It’s not irony that anyone around you steps in, Ted.

You drop more crap than buffalo.