Archive for Friday, November 4, 2011

Former President Bush draws 5K crowd in Wichita

November 4, 2011


— Former president George W. Bush spoke to about 5,000 people at the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting, giving the chamber its first sold-out crowd.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Bush on Thursday talked about the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the principles that guided his presidency, and some of his policy decisions.

Bush also said he regretted using the phrase "Bring it on," during early fighting in Iraq. But he defended sending troops to Iraq.

Before the event, about 40 Occupy Wichita participants gathered to protest both Bush and the chamber.

Eight local businesses contributed to cover Bush's speaker fee, which according to published reports ranges from $100,000 to $150,000. Hawker Beechcraft flew him to Wichita.

Ticket prices for the speech ranged from $25 to $125.


So_tired_of_the_whiners 3 years, 1 month ago

The headline made think that this had to do with running...

just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 3 years, 1 month ago


And to what purpose? Bush doesn't need the money. And he certainly has no useful insights to provide about anything but clearing brush at his ranch, and I'm sure there are plenty of Kansans who could provide even better info on that at a fraction of the cost.

just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 3 years, 1 month ago

I take that to mean that you agree with what I said, but would rather I just hadn't said it.

yourworstnightmare 3 years, 1 month ago

Perses said: "Why do you care? Can't you put a cork in it once in awhile. It's not your money, your town or your concern."

So why are you posting on the Lawrence Journal World site and not the Wichita Eagle site?

Frank Smith 3 years, 1 month ago

Bush has never had any useful insights about anything, so this is hardly news.

Millionaires can never have enough money. Ask them. Some will be truthful and acknowledge that obvious fact.

Lots of local businesses paid for tickets to go to the circus, starring the Chimp, in order for there to be a full house. Some people told me that they were getting such free tickets and couldn't stand the guy, but needed to pretend they jus' loved 'im.

The frigid parade of short-skirted women with blue legs, scraping their "slave shoes" along the concrete from blocks away, queueing up like all those extras from "Night of the Living Dead," should have given anyone pause.

He should have spoken on Halloween.

labmonkey 3 years, 1 month ago

But I am sure Bill and Hillary Clinton deserve every penny of the $100 million they have made since he left office, or Barak Obama deserves every penny he will make in speaker fees. All ex-presidents cash in after the presidency and why not, they just left the toughest job in the world that probably aged them 20-30 years in 4-8 years.

Frank Smith 3 years, 1 month ago

"probably aged them 20-30 years?"

If that were true, GWB would be 24 and still drunk on his butt and AWOL.

Oops. I thought you were talking about his mental age.

beatrice 3 years, 1 month ago

Yep. I agree completely with labmonkey on this one. Also, while I wouldn't pay to see a former president speak, I'd certainly go if a ticket was provided. I can appreciate why people would want to see a former president speak and I thought it was great seeing Clinton speak in the Fieldhouse a few years back. I'd want to see Bush speak even though I disagreed strongly with many of his policies. He is still a former President of the United States of America.

Liberty275 3 years, 1 month ago

"And to what purpose?"

None of your business. Nose out.

yourworstnightmare 3 years, 1 month ago

"the principles that guided his presidency"

Let's see:

Engaging in wars of choice on trumped up grounds.

Massive borrowing to pay for his war of choice and to give the richest in the country tax breaks.

Heckuva job, Bushie!

blindrabbit 3 years, 1 month ago

This Busche event no-doubt sponsored by the Koch-a-Kolas, Klein, Kobach and our C-Street Governor.Brownbock. A good Aryan crowd, makes one wonder about their motives, especially since it was in Wichita.

Frank Smith 3 years, 1 month ago

It wasn't entirely Aryan. I counted three African-Americans, there to pay homage to President Katrina, two East Indians, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans or Pakistanis, two Hispanics and another possible Asian, out of the hundreds I saw creeping into the cavernous crypt.

Of course there may have been a few Arabs, or those of the Jewish persuasion. It's hard to tell, especially in twilight.

Getaroom 3 years, 1 month ago

Make your own popcorn, you mooching radical right-winger!

Jonathan Fox 3 years, 1 month ago

Can I get in on that popcorn? These comments do get fun to read.

parco814 3 years, 1 month ago

Ran out of popcorn--the Republican primary follies were like a nonstop film festival this week. Herman Cain found several new ways to be obnoxious, incompetent, and cretinous. He and Rick Perry found new ways to act like kindergarteners at recess. And most of all, true to form, Republicans in general found new ways to blame everyone but themselves for their problems--i.e., the mean old liberal media is so unfair to us and especially to Herman Cain. Time to go to Costco to restock the kernel supply. Happy popping, everyone!

Richard Heckler 3 years, 1 month ago

This guy GW is subject to arrest if he travels abroad.......

Liberty275 3 years, 1 month ago

I'd like to see any jurisdiction outside of the Federal Government attempt to place a former president (even the failures carter and obama) under arrest. It would take a day for us to destroy their infrastructure with enough collateral damage to make the point clear.

yourworstnightmare 3 years, 1 month ago

George W. Bush will be remembered for three things:

1) Entering into a war of choice by misleading and lying about the danger of Saddam Hussein.

2) Borrowing money to pay for this war of choice as well as for tax cuts for the rich.

3) As a result of the first two, causing a near collapse of the US and world economy and the Great Recession we are now experiencing.

Cait McKnelly 3 years, 1 month ago

As merril states above, about the only place W can go abroad and not face possible arrest is Israel. He really can't go anywhere in Europe. He was going to go to Geneva last January until he found out that Amnesty International had filed a 74 page brief with The Hague requesting the Swiss government to detain him based on the "Pinochet precedent'. Even so, only 5,000 showed up? That's actually kind of an underwhelming response.

yourworstnightmare 3 years, 1 month ago

Bush increased the national debt by $2 trillion. $2 trillion!

And he did this to pay for his war of choice and for tax cuts for the rich. We had a surplus when he came into office, and his profligacy quickly erased that and nearly destroyed the US and world economies.

Obama has also increased it by $2 trillion in trying to prevent GWB's economic disaster and in continuing to fight GWB's wars.

lunacydetector 3 years, 1 month ago

you should check your facts first nightmare.

yourworstnightmare 3 years, 1 month ago

1) Agreed. Drones have very effectively crippled Al Quaeda and led to the deaths of many leaders in that group.

2) Agreed. He raised the debt to prevent a total economic collapse brought on by Bush's war of choice and profligacy.

3) Yes, but see #2.

4) If by this you mean realizing that the Iraq war of choice was a boondoggle lie, then yes.

5) See #2.

6) See #2.

7) Obamcare is a market based solution initially proposed and supported by republicans, and will be successful in covering Americans and preventing insurance company abuses like pre existing conditions and denial of care.

8) I am not sure he has done this. To what exactly are you referring?

9) Again, not sure what you are basing this claim on.

Jonathan Fox 3 years, 1 month ago

Al Quada crippling and the deaths of leaders was led to by zero Obama policies or decisions, but by Bush led CIA intelligence.

No evidence is agreed upon that the Porkulus prevented economic collapse let alone created the claimed 1 million jobs or so.

The war in Iraq is the only war that will have a benefited democractic ally for the US within the middle east upon leaving.

Obamacare should be illegal for forcing healthy living people in their young age have unneeded health insurance when there are free health clinics same as our Healthcare Access across the US.

Obama's policies to try and force alternative energy have put limits on emissions that our electric grid relies on making electricity more expensive.

Obama is the only western country that opposes palistinian statehood.

blindrabbit 3 years, 1 month ago

Like lemmings to the sea; the Repub. candidates are self destructing:

Palin still looking for Russia, her urchins run uncontrolled! and Todd beaver hunting! Bachmann still trying to "pray away the gay" for her husband! Santorum still trying to be an American "rightous" pope! Stewing over his name! Gingrich still lost in another world, and thinking about a new wife! Perry still trying to figure what caused his N.H.version of Howard Dean's Scream! Huntsman still trying to figure out where he belongs! Paul still claiming to be a Libertarian but also a repressing social conservative! Cain still trying to claim that all he wanted to do is "give her a slice of pizza"! Romney: still trying to quit acting like a flip-flopping fish! Christie still trying to live down Jersey Shore, Jerseylicious and H..W. of N.J. Barbour still trying to explain his comment about "how well Black's had it" in Dixie! McMillan still claiming the rent on the White House is "too damn high"! Pawlenty still trying to figure out how Bachmann is more popular in Minnesota! Guiliani still living off of 9/11 and reconnecting his estranged family!

blindrabbit 3 years, 1 month ago

its Just trying to clean up the mess left by Dubya and Vader. BTY where was the stock market when Clinton left office, when Dubya left office, and now, what about a balance budget. You probably never had it so good when Clinton was in office, then the Texas disaster! You're did a fine job Bushie!

parco814 3 years, 1 month ago

Thanks, but no thanks, BAA (sheep). We've all gotten "a load" of your fertilizing commentary and I know all about your source, American Thinker--one of the worst propaganda sites on the WWW, and that's saying a lot.

Mike Ford 3 years, 1 month ago

actually you don't know math....

  1. He had to continue the wars because you denialist dimwits would've crashed on him from the get-go....
  2. The dimwit visiting Wichita or Plano, Texas of the North handed him messes that required money to be spent to dig out. Had he not been impeded by a legion of dimwits the recovery plans might've had full implementation and the effect would've been quicker...own your actions....amnesia doesn't work when people like me remind you...
  3. The dimwits who held this country hostage are responsible for the downgrade as much as they were when they didn't do the bailout on the first attempt and the stocks dropped like 800 points while the dimwit in Wichita was still in office...own what you did or I'll have to remind you to stop believing your fiction or the fiction of the tea party or the gop.
  4. America has misbehaved and as a Choctaw Indian I know this better than anybody. This country didn't even behave here for it's first 235 years.
  5. Again, you can't blame President Obama for tripping if you're actively tripping him.

  6. Stocks were around 6600 in January what if it's going back and forth 10.8k and's still higher than anything the Wichita dimwit had at the end of his term.

  7. Healthcare is a necessity for this father just went a thousand miles from Manitoba to Quebec by train and went out of his way to convince them that the US wasn't entirely filled with unthinking people like you Math. Canada has had national health insurance for over 40 years...and yet we're being held hostage by archie bunker dimwits.
  8. It's funny how naked the front is for the Koch brothers with uninformed people like you math. The EPA is scolding the current Kansas administration for the Sunflower Coal Plant. With maybe 16 inches of rain annually how do you have enough water to grow crops and slurry coal and not deplete the Oglallah acquifer to create a permanent desert in western Kansas???? please keep blaming the EPA as you bury your head in the sand to avoid the reality of western Kansas reaching it's carrying capacity as far as water sources go. Your denial works well.

  9. If Israel wasn't being co-opted by the American godlicans with right wing foment maybe peace might be possible. Cantor, Flesicher, and my favorite thief of Indian tribes, Jack Abramov, all bow to the right wing.... diplomacy and thinking go a long way...too bad the gop isn't capable of either.

Mike Ford 3 years, 1 month ago

hey math.....I've had a very involved life in my 41 years of living.... you being a dumblican I'm surprised not only that you read but that you even know who walter mitty is in the first place....let me go throught all of the gop candidates and their walter mittyisms... Michelle Bachmann thinks she can think and talk with substance..... Mitt Romney thinks he can act in a pretend world where no one realizes how many times he changes positions on issues to pander to dimwits... Herman Cain thinks his 999 tax plan is actually economically viable and that real claims of sexual harrassment aren't.... Rick Perry thinks that gutting environmental regulations is economically and ecologically viable because he governs as a dictator in Texas executing as many people as some dictatorships do.... Ron Paul thinks he can become the nominee of a political party he's bashed at numerous debates and that gop mouthpieces like shannon and parks on kmbz will vote for him.... Newt Gingrich thinks that he can bring back the 1994 contract malarkey and maybe he can because the gop is soooo good at recycling mythology..... mitty lives in all of these candidates actually thinking they're viable.......

Liberty275 3 years, 1 month ago

41 years and nobody told you about paragraphs?

Liberty275 3 years, 1 month ago

I take it you are about 25. Ellipses are three periods.

pace 3 years, 1 month ago

I am glad he wasn't arrested in Kansas. I am glad he is no longer president. If people want to spend good money in bad times they could do better, in my opinion, but it was probably more informative than getting drunk, acting a fool, and ending up in jail, cheaper too. I think he will most be remembered for his key role in using tax cuts to help the rich though it cost the American people ten times ten.

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