WHO’S MISSING HERE? “President Barack Obama joined his two predecessors at the White House on Saturday to kick off a relief drive for earthquake-stricken Haiti.”
His two predecessors? Where’s #39? Is somebody at the White House trying to avoid unfortunate comparisons?
But wait, this isn’t an isolated incident:
The Cook County Democratic party sent out a direct mail piece this week touting endorsed candidates centered on the theme that “throughout history, Democrats have led us to prosperity.”
Pictured is the roll of Democratic presidents of the past seven decades in chronological order, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton and favorite son president Barack Obama.
Oops. Where’s Jimmy Carter?
Still “history’s greatest monster,” I guess . . . .
UPDATE: A couple of readers note that Bush 41 wasn’t there, either. I kinda put that down to not wanting to be outnumbered by Bushes, but good point. Actually either he (because of his tsunami work with Bill) or Carter (general third-world do-gooder) would have made more sense than W. An alternative theory, from a couple of other readers, is that the Haiti relief effort is going badly and Obama wanted W. in the picture to protect him from criticism. That seems a stretch to me.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Beldar writes:
I’m sure you realize that Bush-41 — born June 12, 1924 — is 85 years old, even though he’s still pretty spry and active for an 85-year-old. He’s a duty-driven old warhorse whose long service to his country looks more remarkable with every passing year, but can we finally permit him to let some other, younger men (including his son) answer the bugle call?
And I would have thought you would know, and have remembered, that Bush-43 has done more actual good in the Third World than the last several presidents put together while he was actually IN the White House, in part through HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment work in Africa, but even more dramatically (if less sexily) through fighting malaria with simple mosquito nets and pest eradication programs in Africa and elsewhere. I seem to recall reading about that on InstaPundit, but perhaps I’m mistaken, so if you want me to run down some links, lemme know and I’ll fire up the old Google engine.
Yeah, sure, Dubya’s never gotten the public recognition for that work that he and the United States deserve, and indeed half the American public thinks he’s a sharp-fanged Grinch who screened video of starving Iraqi babies at night while he and Laura (often joined by the Cheneys) laughed and dined on caviar and champagne. But that’s horseshit, of course, and I hate to see you perpetuate, even gently or by omission, the false stereotypes that the so-called “reality-based community” cling to so bitterly.
(Of course, it’s only fair that Bush-43 be involved in the relief efforts, since he’s 100% responsible for the man-made global warming that CAUSED the earthquake!)
Good point.
MORE: Reader Drew Kelley writes:
Outside of the fact that Bush-41 is 85 years old, it does sort of follow with the last time this type of relief effort was mounted.
The Christmas Tsunami brought together G.H.W.Bush and W.J.Clinton to raise needed funds.
Now, it is Clinton and G.W.Bush.
Hopefully, when this happens again (and it will), it will be when the next President is in office, and the effort can be led by G.W.Bush & B.H.Obama.
Heh.