Bush booksigning draws supporters, protesters

Hundreds of people waited in a line for hours this morning at a North Dallas bookstore to meet former President George W. Bush and have him sign copies of his newly released memoir Decision Points (Crown Publishing), which hit bookstores today.

Mr. Bush, 64, launched a media blitz this week to promote the book, after nearly two years of silent retirement in North Dallas. The booksigning was held a week before the groundbreaking for the Bush presidential library center at SMU.

The memoir recounts critical moments of Mr. Bush’s presidency, including his ordering the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the administration’s much-criticized response to Hurricane Katrina.

Bush supporters waited outside the Borders bookstore in a long line that snaked around and behind the entire North Dallas shopping plaza. The booksigning also drew a handful of people who were protesting the Bush administration policies.

Linda Foley of Fort Worth criticized Mr. Bush’s acknowledgement in his book of approving waterboarding as an interrogation technique. Ms. Foley said she is affiliated with Code Pink, a grassroots peace movement of women working to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“That’s a real slippery slope,” she said. “We know a lot of terrible things happened at Abu Ghraib. I think this book will include a lot of self-aggrandizement.”

Protesters at a busy intersection near the bookstore held posters that read “Torture is illegal!” and “No one is above the law.” Among them were a United Church of Christ minister and members of the Dallas Peace Center, Veterans for Peace and Military Families for Peace.

Drivers passing by often honked long and loud at the protesters, some offering a “single-finger salute,” Ms. Foley said. Mr. Bush has been generally well-received in his Preston Hollow neighborhood and throughout the city since he left the White House.

“I think it’s despicable,” said David Hearn of Fort Worth, watching the protest while standing in line. “Our president served our country nobly for eight years. He had to make tough decisions in tough times.”

Mr. Hearn said he arrived at Borders to get in line at 4:30 a.m. Reading a protest sign that proclaimed “Arrest Bush,” he said, “That’s below low.”

Nicole Marion, 25, a United Methodist from Dallas, emerged from Borders about 9:30 a.m. with hew newly signed copy of Decision Points.

“I think he was a strong president who never wavered in his beliefs,” she said. “We love Bush.”

  

Comments

[Kevin]

Why is this story even posted here? Hundreds of people lined up for copies of his book while a mere handful are protesting. I did notice that the protesters were UCC while the staisfied customer with a signed copy was a Methodist. Perhaps someone should inform the protesters that Mr. Bush has not been president for the past two years and Mr. Obama has continued the same policies wrt Iraq.

[Jim]

I "love" all of the self righteous protesters. President Bush had/has the intestinal fortitude to stand by the decisions that he made during, arguably, one of the most difficult time in our nation's history. And, he did keep our country safe after 9-11. He is also an attendee of a 3 day weekend called "Walk to Emmaus." Perhaps some of the protester should check that one out, too.

[John of the Dead]

Kevin - I think you would find that most people displeased with Bush's handling of torture are also displeased with Obama's handling of torture. From my standpoint, torture is torture, regardless of whether it is order by a Republican or a Democrat. Who would Jesus waterboard?

Jim - perhaps you've forgotten what has happened in Iraq. Over four thousand American citizens have been killed, and at least 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in this war. And for what? We were not attacked by anyone with any remote ties to Iraq, Iraq posed absolutely no threat to America, and Iraq was proven to be without any form of unconventional (NBC) weaponry. In short, *more* Americans have died as a result of this war than were killed on September 11, 2001, and two orders of magnitudes or Iraqis.

http://icasualties.org/
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/

Meanwhile, those who *did* attack us were able to retreat and regroup. Is that really your idea of keeping us safe? You also appear to have forgotten the other domestic terror attacks under Bush's presidency. Remember the Washington DC sniper? Remember the anthrax mailings? Remember the gynecologist murders? He gave us the illusion of security without actually providing security, and in the meantime shredded our civil liberties. I hate to try to read minds, but I'd lay long odds that, had the USAPATRIOT Act been put forth by a Democratic administration, you would have a significantly less pleasant view of it than you currently appear to hold.

Finally, what good does it do to hold tightly to your beliefs if your beliefs are evil? "Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22) I would argue that he has held on to the evil. I don't see any two ways around it: starting a war based on lies and beginning a program of torture are evil, and should be rejected.

[Kevin]

John
Protesting a decision by a person who is no longer a decision maker seems pointless. If they are still upset about waterboarding then take it up with the new administration. I don't see that happening. I will not get into a list of things I part ways with G W Bush over but there were plenty. I still like him better that the new guy. I was never too worried about the Patriot Act thinking that we have a self correcting system in place. That was one of the things I disagreed with W about BTW.

[John of the Dead]

Ah, but the people protesting Bush were doing so for several reasons:

#1 - He's in Dallas, so he's a lot closer to them than Obama in DC. :-)
#2 - He decided to start those particular bad programs, so deserves the lion's share of the blame.
#3 - He's making a boatload of money off a book aggrandizing those decisions.

Power given to any entity will be jealously guarded by that entity. Bush's decisions grabbed a lot of powers for the Exectuive Branch - the power to torture, the power to go to war for no reason, the power to asassinate US citizens without trial. Almost any Executive following would try to defend those powers based soley on institutional inertia. Given that I think those powers in particular are evil, I choose to hold responsible the person who started the mess.

[Jim]

We can debate and debate and debate, Dead John. Actually the bombing of the USS Cole started the whole thing. Then came the bombing of the World Trade Center in the early '90's. Then came Black Hawk down in Somalia. (Bush's predecessor did nothing. Bush made his decisions and still stands by them today.) Then came 9-11.

You liberal progressives, Juan De Los Muertos, will be the death knell of the United States as well as the UMC.

My, oh, my--hate and vitriol run unchecked don't they? It is too bad that we--you, Kevin, and I can't meet over a cup of coffee--get all of the yelling out of way--then have a discussion that may perhaps be cool, calm and colleted.

Perhaps the UM Portal blogger would even join us.

[John of the Dead]

Jim, your view of this affair seems to be a bit too short. The prevailing view is that this "started" when the CIA backed the Shah in Iran against democratic opposition. That's one of the first times the US went against the wishes of an Islamic movement. (Our staunch support of Israel doesn't help, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms.) It was exacerbated by the stationing of US troops in Saudi Arabia, which is what really caused Osama bin Laden to first target the US.

Clinton put in place a team, lead by Richard Clarke, to develop plans to counter the threat posed by Al Qaeda. Clarke transitioned to the Bush administration, where he briefed NSA Condoleezza Rice. His briefings were fully ignored until after the September 2001 attacks. To claim that Bush did "something" while his predecessor did nothing flies in the fact of established, historic, verifiable facts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/20/us/clinton-aides-plan-to-tell-panel-of-warning-bush-team-on-qaeda.html

I like debate. I really do. But these issues are historical fact, not debatable opinion. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, and we may debate one another to persuade differing opinions, but we are *not* entitled to our own facts. A firm grasp of the facts is an invaluable aide in shaping your opinion on a given issue. If you're starting from faulty first principles, you're likely to arrive at errant conclusions. Jim, it appears that you are starting from faulty first principles. I urge you to re-examine the documented facts and see if they make any difference in your resulting opinions. If, indeed, your opinion can be swayed by mere facts.

Now, history lesson aside. Jim, you seem like you mean well and want the best for the church universal and United Methodist Church in general, so I say this in Christian love: Your constant railing against liberals and progressive reeks of the same close-minded, regressive attitude of the Pharisees. I trust you recall Jesus' opinion of those particular folks, yes? Furthermore, it is your exclusionary, regressive attitude that will bring down the UMC. You seem to seek to deny Christ’s love to many people. Is that the way you spread the Word? By telling people they’re not welcome, not wanted? We, the UMC, are currently being invaded by the same hate-mongers that led to the schism in the Episcopal Church. That’s not the way to spread the Word. Hate and vitriol? I urge you to examine the redwood forest in thine own eye, brother Jim, before you seek to help liberal progressives with the splinter in theirs.

Now, having said that, and probably made you plenty angry to boot, I do agree with you about the coffee. I’m a firebrand liberal, and I’ve had this similar conversation with fellow congregants who are staunchly conservative. We both acknowledge that each side seeks only the best; we simply have differing opinions on what that means. Talking face-to-face, working side-by-side, it’s harder to reduce someone to a collection of soundbites and opinions. They become a real, flesh-and-blood person. Flawed, sure, but a child of God and of intrinsic worth. I fear we forget that all too often, and at the peril of the church.

[Jim]

Ah, John!! You never disappoint me. Historically speaking, one should go back to the time when God told Abram to get out of the land of his father's and Sarai was beautiful.......... Remember Abram became Abraham and Sarai became Sarah--and she was beautiful and barren and did not believe God and gave Hagar to Abraham. You remember the story, surely, John. Historically speaking, the battle began with Ishmael and Isaac--and it still rages today. Faith, intrigue, sex, betrayal, doubt,regained faith............points for a good Book, don't you think, John?!?

The beam is my eye is most probably about as big as the beam in yours, Juan De Los Muertos. And, the Savior died for us both--and every one else who accepts and believes that He shed His Blood on that Horrible Tree--that He was Buried--that Three Days later He Destroyed the enemy, death, and whoever accepts these things on faith--one day those "whoevers" will be gathered to the Father/Son/Holy Spirit. Isn't that a great promise?

Is the coffee hot?

[John of the Dead]

Jim, I think we can reach a consensus on your last paragraph. I just see a lot of folks who want to exclude people from that offered promise, and it makes me angry.

As for the "origin of the conflict," well, do we mean the general conflict of Judaism versus Islam, or the more specific one of American foreign policy versus Islamic nationalism? Two different issues, and only somewhat tangentially related.

Wait, what were we discussing originally? Something about a book signing?

[Jim]

Yes, Juan, a book signing over a cup--of coffee--or something like that.

From this corner: The Biblical conflict effects every corner of The Father's Creation. When THAT conflict is resolved, Heaven will be on Earth, and it won't matter whether we are very left of center or very right of center. Creation longs for the day when the Lion lays down with the Lamb. Believe it or don't.......

[Kevin]

A Bush book signing takes you to Sarah and Hagar? I think I will pass on that cup of coffee. I don't think I could keep up. Thanks for the offer though.