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[Rainy]

Former President George W. Bush said Monday that the media is “indispensable to democracy,” a break from the position of his fellow Republican, President Donald Trump, who has called the press “the enemy of the American people.”

“I consider the media to be indispensable to democracy. That we need the media to hold people like me to account,” Bush told Matt Lauer, anchor of NBC’s “Today” show. “I mean, power can be very addictive and it can be corrosive and it's important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere.”

“One of the things I spent a lot time doing was trying to convince a person like Vladimir Putin, for example, to accept the notion of an independent press,” Bush said. “And it's kind of hard to, you know, tell others to have an independent, free press when we're not willing to have one ourselves.”

Despite his unwillingness to support Trump at the ballot box, Bush said Trump should be given a chance to act on his stated desire to bring the country together. The former president said his Republican successor faces a tougher media environment than he ever did.

“I think you have to take the man for his word that he wants to unify the country, and we’ll see whether he’s able to do so,” Bush said. “It's hard to unify the country with the news media being so split up. When I was president, you know, you mattered a lot more because there was like three of you and now there's all kinds of information being bombarded out and people can say things anonymously. It's just a different world.

Source

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Ok great. How about calling out Trump directly since it's so important?

"The media is super vital to democracy but lets give the guy attacking at every moments notice a chance...."

 

[andythinkpad]

LOL is this W's redemption arc? I can't tell.

 

[WedgeX]

Never thought I'd see the day that George W. Bush would lecture another President...and be right.

 

[djplaeskool]

Been barely a month and even W. is getting shots in.

 

[Breads]

Who knows what he would have gotten away with had it not been for Jon Stewart.

 

[Htown]

Never thought I'd see the day that George W. Bush would lecture another President...and be right.

He may have been a bad President, but he at least acted like a President, and not... whatever the fuck Trump is doing.

 

[Mr.Shrugglesツ]

CERN is lying to us about timelines.

 

[Wilsongt]

I hope the Bushs continue to throw shade at Trump.

At least the Bushs who actually did something.
jeb is too much of a loser to throw decent shade.

 

[Mohonky]

When Bush is the sound of reason, you know you dun fucked up

 

[GregLombardi]

I was a young, naive 20 year old boy when I thought George W. was the worst we could do as a country.

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

Trump has lowered the bar so damn much that now even W is making sense. Who's next, Cheney?

 

[Stiflers Mom]

Haha. All what was already said above..

That timeline where even W is telling you how it is...

 

[Kyzer]

Ok great. How about calling out Trump directly since it's so important?

"The media is super vital to democracy but lets give the guy attacking at every moments notice a chance...."

You want him to attack Trump, its not going to happen

 

[funkystudent]

LOL is this W's redemption arc? I can't tell.

Trump is probably the best thing to happen to W's legacy.


Dude wont be the go to president to hate for this generation.

 

[ginger ninja]

That will do pig, that will do..

Edit: I actually have been saying this since before Trump that W isn't as bad as it seemed during the 2000's. For the most part he was naive, got served with the worst adversities of our nation since Pearl harbor and was surrounded by hawks and fuckfaces of all kinds.

 

[Rebel Leader]

CERN is lying to us about timelines.

I knew it!!!

 

[Mammoth Jones]

You want him to attack Trump, its not going to happen

Oh I know it's not going to happen. Which is why I find his statement to be a hollow platitude.

You have someone actively attacking our democracy. These "patriots" should put their nation before their party.

 

[Poor GRIMES]

The Bushes must be so thankful Trump came in their lives

 

[Dierce]

Is this doublespeak? Defend the free press but also give the mother fucker attacking the press a chance?

 

[Sephzilla]

If you aren't going to directly go after Trump, Mr Bush, it feels like this rings a little bit hollow.

 

[Lord Frieza]

The Bushes must be so thankful Trump came in their lives

I highly doubt Jeb is

 

[moltonasty]

TFW Dubya becomes a hero. What a world..

 

[Forerunner]

It's pretty bad when this guy is lecturing you.

 

[Breads]

Never thought I'd see the day that George W. Bush would lecture another President...and be right.

I'm still holding out for what president Cheney has to say.

 

[Pyrokai]

Trump is probably the best thing to happen to W's legacy.


Dude wont be the go to president to hate for this generation.

All this talk about legacy as if we'll somehow be okay in the future and realize what we did looking back. With a state-run media looking seemingly more likely, propoganda abound, and education on the downfall, I can't help but think we'll never know. I dunno. I'm depressed as fuck.

 

[Jorok Goldblade]

Bush was a C student doing a job meant for valedictorians. Not an idiot, just not up to the level the job requires. Trump is a legitimate moron.

 

[djplaeskool]

CERN is lying to us about timelines.

Somewhere in a secret underground bunker in western Switzerland...

 

[Wilsongt]

That will do pig, that will do..

Edit: I actually have been saying this since before Trump that W isn't as bad as it seemed during the 2000's. For the most part we was naive, served with the worst adversities of our nation since Pearl harbor and was surrounded by hawks and fuckfaces of all kinds.

Republicans were still bad, but not nearly as psychotic then as they are now.

A black man in the white house really turned the dial on this country back 100 years in terms of intelligence and empathy among its citizens.

 

[Herr Schwarz]

LOL is this W's redemption arc? I can't tell.

If hell indeed does exist there will be a special place for Georgie boy and his ilk. That's where he'll find his redemption arc.

Georgie boy was one of the first to embrace policy on fake news. Turned out those nukes in Iraq, was about as fake news as it can get.

And what's the death toll? Thanks President Bush, one of the first big time curators of fake news.

There's not much difference Trump is also basing his decisions based on bullshit too.

 

[Oersted]

We are in a timeline where 1. Bush is right and 2. acknowledgement of one of the most basic democratic principles is an attack at the US President

 

[Brinbe]

I'd take Bush a billion times over a fucking loser like Donald. Not Dick though.

 

[Garlador]

... *sigh* I do.

 

[Steel]

... *sigh* I do.

... I do, too.

 

[Sephzilla]

... *sigh* I do.

... I do, too.

... Fuck, me too. W wasn't a good president but the country didn't feel like it was on the path to a civil war when he was running things

 

[I H8 Memes]

W, Rove, Cheney, fox news and it's ilk, all responsible for Trump. And every one of them too big a coward to admit it.

 

[FyreWulff]

Go all the way, Bush. You can't even run for President again, and neither should your brother.

Sadly, I'm expecting him to show up at the RNC for Trump's re-election run.

 

[Laevateinn]

CERN is lying to us about timelines.

If you fucked up that badly, wouldn't you?

 

[Alanood]

Whatever. I hope this guy burns in hell.

 

[CopperPuppy]

LOL is this W's redemption arc? I can't tell.

No.

 

[majik13]

Trump has lowered the bar so damn much that now even W is making sense. Who's next, Cheney?

Pretty sure that already happened with Cheney.

 

[nrvalleytime]

Whatever. I hope this guy burns in hell.

Good grief, y'all. That kind of hate is really unhealthy.

 

[Dierce]

Sadly, I'm expecting him to show up at the RNC for Trump's re-election run.

I am 100% certain of this.

 

[Garlador]

Go all the way, Bush. You can't even run for President again, and neither should your brother.

Sadly, I'm expecting him to show up at the RNC for Trump's re-election run.

Say what you will about the Bush family, but I think every last one of them didn't even vote for Trump last election. They were vocal in their criticism and condemnation of him from start to finish and none of them gave him an endorsement.

... 'Cept for Billy Bush.

 

[Ms.Galaxy]

... *sigh* I do.

Same. He was a bad president but at least he was not completely insane.

 

[Herr Schwarz]

Pretty sure that already happened with Cheney.

Most folks generally acquire a new found sense of wisdom, unfortunately after they erroneously let hundreds of soldiers die based on nothing and god knows how many thousands of civilians.

Trump hasn't even come close to being a catastrophe like George Bush yet. Not even close. Give him time though.

 

[Apathy]

Trump has lowered the bar so damn much that now even W is making sense. Who's next, Cheney?

Cheney said that travel ban on Muslims was unconstitutional

 

[Charcoal]

*Air Horn*

 

[Toxi]

.

 

[chbrevolution]

I hate that I live in a world where Bush isn't my least favorite president in my lifetime. I always thought that was the bottom and we could only climb up. I miss the Bush era Republicans, a statement my teenage self wouldn't believe I would ever make. Trump is the best thing to happen to Bushes legacy.