America All Bushed Out

Former President George H.W. Bush says that the American people may be experiencing "Bush fatigue," or at least that's what he said on Larry King Live.

Video:
Larry King Interview on CNN

CNN Political Ticker:
Bush Sr.: 'Bush fatigue' may be setting in

These comments were a response to Mitt Romney stating his admiration of Jeb Bush, saying that if his last name weren't Bush, Jeb would be the front-runner in the GOP primary. Bush 41 agrees and reveals that this is why Jeb is staying out of the '08 Republican presidential nomination race, but that "he's got a future" in politics. Hopefully that future is relegated to a position as a talking head on Fox News.

Finally, Bush 41 realizes that the country has the same thing that the left has had since Bush v. Gore was decided in 2000. We are sick and tired of Bush's failed policies, we are weary of W's ill-informed and out-of-touch rhetoric, and we are working to set things right.

It is in the same Bush fatigue vein that I have trouble supporting Hillary Clinton. I don't want to look back in 2024 and realize that the past 5 presidents were Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton, and Bush, with Chelsea as the '24 Democratic front-runner. That's why I am, at this point in time, a Barack Obama supporter. Quite frankly, it's too early to tell on either side of the aisle on who the nominee would be. Even Bush 41 doesn't have a favorite on either side.

I have no dog in that hunt, but three good men are leading and there are some others too. Anyway I can't talk bad about the Democrats. It's very, very early, but it's comfortable to be on the sidelines.

In this recent rash of political parties pushing up their primaries almost into this year, I too feel good on the sidelines, just watching events unfold. It opens up the possibility for a Bill Clinton-esque dark horse candidate that will lead the Dems to victory in '08. Yeah yeah, it's a long shot, but I still have my fingers crossed.

~ Deep Blue

John Edwards' Expensive Haircut

Sigh...

AP via The Boston Globe: Edwards' Haircuts Cost a Pretty Penny

Looking pretty is costing John Edwards' presidential campaign a lot of pennies. The Democrat's campaign committee picked up the tab for two haircuts at $400 each by celebrity stylist Joseph Torrenueva of Beverly Hills, Calif., according to a financial report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

FEC records show Edwards also availed himself of $250 in services from a trendy salon and spa in Dubuque, Iowa, and $225 in services from the Pink Sapphire in Manchester, N.H., which is described on its Web site as "a unique boutique for the mind, body and face" that caters mostly to women.

A spokeswoman for Edwards' campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

What pisses me off the most about this is that it goes against Edwards' small-town common man image. A small-town common man would get his hair cut at SuperCuts or a local haircut place, not a "hair salon." Way to connect to Middle America, John.

This story is tailor-made for the right-wing. They'll say, "He pays $1275 for 4 haircuts, just like he has that expensive house in North Carolina." Also notice what the first two words of the article are: Looking pretty. Is this author channeling Ann Coulter or something? She sure sounds like she's playing into the "John Edwards is a girlie-man" conservative stereotype.

The right-wing blogs should be picking up on this now, because the story only broke on the AP an hour or so ago. It'll be interesting to hear what they have to say. I better head over to Free Republic.

I (and other progressives like myself) want a Democratic common man (or woman) to lead the way, but many of these Democrats are not it. Hillary Clinton is always schmoozing with Hollywood, and now John Edwards has joined the fray with his celebrity stylist haircuts. I like Edwards' policies, but this incident shows that he's not focusing on that image enough. I also like Barack Obama because it sounds like he is connecting with us common folk. While he raised $24 million, just under Hillary's $25 mil, the FEC records showed that he received money from twice as many donors as Hillary, and more than Hillary and Edwards combined.

And Edwards wonders why he's trailing in the polls and donations. Oh well, at least he reported them, right?

I really want a Democrat to win (surprise surprise), and so I want to help them win. Four haircuts totaling $1275 is not the way to go.

~ Deep Blue

Elizabeth Edwards' Cancer Returns

John Edwards announced that his wife's cancer has returned, but that he will not be suspending his 2008 presidential campaign bid after discussing it with Elizabeth (source).

The cancer was found in a cracked rib over the past few days. This isn't Elizabeth's first bout with cancer, receiving treatment for breast cancer in 2004 during the Kerry Campaign.

Not to be hindered by this latest setback, Edwards says that he will still run. "You can go cower in the corner and hide or you can go out there and stand up for what you believe in," he said. "We have no intentions of cowering in the corner" (same source as above).

Good for him. The decision to continue to run for president is a family decision, and it reinforces the great family values that this country stands for. I wish that more people in both parties would be more like him, although I've noticed that more of those people come from the left. I really wish the best for the two of them and their family.

That being said, I can't wait to hear what the right-wingers are gonna say about him. Will Ann "Succubus" Coulter say Edwards is a "faggot" for not stepping down? What will Rush say? What will Manders say?

I think I'm gonna have to go into Right-Wing Radio World and find out. (Why do I always feel so dirty when I say that?)

~ Deep Blue

Edit: Rush Limbaugh is hinting on his radio show at 9:52 AM PDT that the Edwards campaign will be testing the waters to see if there's a "bump" from this story, almost insinuating that Edwards revealed it to help his campaign as opposed to showing actual concern. His response to people calling him callous? "That's politics." No, Rush, that's sickening.

Further Edit: The Freepers are out in force echoing Rush about Edwards exploiting his wife's illness (link). There are a couple that sympathize, and some even say that Edwards was being very genuine, but most decide to make one-lines calling him every name under the sun for having the audacity to continue running (a joint decision between John and Elizabeth, remember) in the face of this terrible announcement. Thank you, sick predictable right-wingers, for proving my point. This is the reason while I will never become a conservative.

Furtherer Edit: Apparently I wasn't the only one on the left who caught Rush Limbaugh's comment about Edwards using his wife's illness as a boost to his campaign. Not only was this talked about on Air America by Stacy Taylor (filling in for Randi Rhodes) for the first two hours of his show, but also MSNBC's Countdown's Keith Olbermann named El Rushbo the Worst Person in the World for the stunt. Of course Rush won't apologize. After all, "that's politics."

Watch the clip here.