George Bush, Man of Principle

Tucker Carlson had guests Bill Press and Dennis Prager on the Oct. 30 edition of his MSNBC show.

CARLSON: Right, because they knew that he‘s for illegal immigration, too. It is a conspiracy. Bill Clinton, speaking of history, he turned 60 in August, that was a couple months ago, but the celebration of himself continues right through a Rolling Stones concert in New York City last night. For a mere $500,000, Clinton supporters were offered the chance to eat, play golf and go to the Stones concert with Bill and Hillary.

When the response was lukewarm, and it was, the Clintons scaled back, offering a reception and concert for $12,500. This is one of those stories, Dennis Prager, that is nauseating on so many levels, from the grotesque amounts of money involved, to the endless self-celebration that is the Bill Clinton industry.

This is, by the way, his third birthday party that he has thrown for himself in public. I‘m not even sure what to make of this, other than a lot of this Clinton nostalgia is misplaced. If this guy were still president, we‘d hate him more than we hate Bush. That‘s my prediction.

PRAGER: Well, I‘ll tell you, I‘m not good at attacking the individual. I‘m better at attacking policies, as it happens. But I think it‘s fair to say—

CARLSON: Oh, but dig in on this one.

PRAGER: OK. Bill Clinton loves to be loved. Bill Clinton really—you see, Bill Clinton is very different from George W. Bush. Forget policies right now, forget that. George W. Bush does not care whether he is loved or not. There is an inner-directed voice in him. This is the right thing to do. If I‘m hated, I‘m hated. If I‘m loved, I‘m loved.

Bill Clinton governed in order to be loved. That‘s very different in terms of a leader. And I think that‘s fair to say. He‘s not a bad man. Clinton, I was never part of the hate-Clinton pack. I was ambivalent, at best, about the impeachment. I was not happy about that, believe it or not. I never came out for the impeachment, but he‘s not admirable as a leader. He‘s not a leader. He wants to be loved.

(CROSSTALK)

PRESS: Get over it.

(CROSSTALK)

CARLSON: Get over it? Five hundred thousand dollars? What about the poor, Bill? what about AIDs in Africa? Come on man.

PRESS: Tucker look—wow, wait, first of all, let‘s get one thing straight; the reason Bill Clinton can have a birthday party that lasts six months is because that many people love him. And sure he wants to be loved. So do I. That many people love him and he has that many friends. The reason George . Bush can‘t is because nobody cares about George W.

Bush.

CARLSON: Get some therapy! Come on.

PRESS: But let me tell you, Tucker, I know you feel sorry for Bill Clinton. Get over it, OK? Bill Clinton could get re-elected tomorrow, if he were running. Hillary is going to win with 75 percent of the vote in New York. She raised $50 million for his campaign. They‘re doing OK, tucker. Don‘t worry about them, OK? Please.

CARLSON: It does raise important and troubling questions about democracy, doesn‘t it? It does for me.

PRESS: God bless America.

I love deconstructing the partisan idiocy of Dennis Prager. PRAGER: "Well, I‘ll tell you, I‘m not good at attacking the individual." Whenever you hear this preamble from Prager, get ready for just such a partisan attack as he launched on Clinton on Carlson's show. What a puffed-up, fatuous, hypocritical phony!

George Bush. Now there's a leader among men. Before yesterday's election: "Rummy, you're doin' a heckuva job."

Today, after being rebuked by the election results, Bush lops off Rummy's head.