Did Bush smoke pot? (Rueters)

[truthpusher]

this has been covered partly in the story about the Bush tapes. However this particular (Rueters) story focuses on the 'Pot' question. This is the first (MSM) article (about the tapes) I have seen that mentions it so bluntly.

note: The authors name who made the recordings....is, get this...'Doug Wead'.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050221/od_uk_nm/oukoe_bush_marijuana_1

Did Bush smoke pot?

9 minutes ago

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush (news - web sites) has indicated in interviews secretly taped by a friend before he became president that he used marijuana but would not admit it for fear of setting a bad example for children.

Portions of the tapes, recorded from 1998 to 2000 by author Doug Wead without Bush's knowledge, were aired on ABC News on Sunday and published by The New York Times. Their authenticity was verified by the media outlets but has not been independently checked by Reuters.

"I wouldn't answer the marijuana question. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried," Bush purportedly says on the tape.

He added: "But you got to understand, I want to be president. I want to lead. I want to set -- Do you want your little kid say, 'Hey, Daddy, President Bush (news - web sites) tried marijuana, I think I will?'"

complete story:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050221/od_uk_nm/oukoe_bush_marijuana_1

[cloud75]

1. I heard the tapes on cnn early today n/a.

[Rican1]

9. I heard them on CNN too

There doesn't seem to be anything on them that's too embarrassing. His rationale for not admitting to smoking pot will be spun to make him look noble.

[cloud75]

14. but the pattern of deception continues...we have to keep...

hammering and soon enough something impeachable will happen...at the very least the republican party now has another hypocrite.

[Julius Civitatus]

65. This tape release is a RED HERRING. Beware, people!

These tapes do not reveal anything we didn't know, and even so, they don't seem to reveal much.

This is a Rovian distraction from the real issue: someone in the White House got his rent-a-boyfriend Gannon/Guckert past security for TWO years.

These tapes reveal nothing new, and come out at a time when the WH needs a media distraction from the fact they've been caught with a n obvious plant in the press room. A plant that turned out had a very sketchy past and is quickly becoming a massive scandal with the potential to reveal some very embarrassing connections within the Republican party.

Ignore this non-story and focus on what matters. They are worried.

[HR_Pufnstuf]

72. correct.

very important to keep your eyes on the ball now. forget the head fakes. follow gannongate.

[Kadie]

2. Tapes Reveal Bush's Apparent Past Drug Use

Tapes Reveal Bush's Apparent Past Drug Use
Recordings Made When Bush Was Texas Governor

POSTED: 4:07 am PST February 20, 2005
UPDATED: 4:57 am PST February 20, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Private conversations with George Bush secretly taped by an old friend before he was elected president foreshadow some of his political strategies and appear to reveal that he acknowledged using marijuana, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The conversations were recorded by Doug Wead, a former aide to George W. Bush's father, beginning in 1998, when the then-Texas governor was weighing a presidential bid, until just before the Republican National Convention in 2000, the Times said in a story posted on its Web site.

The tapes show Bush crafting a strategy for navigating the tricky political waters between Christian conservative and secular voters, repeatedly worrying that evangelicals would be angered by a refusal to bash gays and that secular Americans would be turned off by meetings with evangelical leaders.

On one tape, Bush explains that he told one prominent evangelical that he would not "kick gays, because I'm a sinner. How can I differentiate sin?"

more...
http://www.thekcrachannel.com/news/4215054/detail.html

[truthpusher]

6. The Kitty in your sig line looks just like mine! n/t

[Kadie]

Here is another article I just found.

http://nashuaadvocate.blogspot.com/2005/02/new-york-times-tapes-confirm-president.html

Sunday, February 20, 2005

New York Times Tapes Confirm President Bush Smoked Pot; No Word Yet on Whether He Enjoyed It
By ADVOCATE STAFF

Apologies to our nominal President, but: Sir, when a minister asks you about your denials of any past drug use, and you respond, "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried," is there any convention of decorum or journalism which prevents us from baldly stating that you smoked dope?

Is there any reason we should follow the lead of the mainstream media, which continues to write as though it has a grape and two raisins in its pocket, by saying that you simply "appear" to have lit up during your artfully-concealed wandering years?

Obviously, we weren't there in whatever poorly-lit den of iniquity you did the heinous deed, smelling of patchouli oil and listening to, we imagine, Jefferson Airplane's "Surrealistic Pillow" or, perhaps, mid-period Country Joe & the Fish.

more...

[otohara]

30. Apparant,????? MSM Dances Around The Truth

again and again when it comes to the Chimp.

It's so obvious of how scared they are of Bush - they can't come out and say "Bush's past drug use" -

[NYC Liberal]

3. Is the pope Catholic?

[JitterbugPerfume]

11. hahahaha

Doug Wead is an Assemblies of God Preacher and the son of an Assemblies of God preacher (same church Ashcroft belongs to) I knew him when we were kids A real true believer

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. So why he is spilling the beans

has he seen the light or something?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

23. My guess would be

Because he's supposed to. Things just don't happen by accident in this Admin. It's for a reason and it won't hurt Bush.

Somehow Rove is going to use this to either humanize Bush or redirect the peoples attention from something that's on their agenda. That's my gut feeling anyway.

[jdj]

36. wow.

that is probably right, there.

I didn't think of it that way, but I bet it is to get this away from Gannon.

I want to know who he did blow with, forget the pot.

[LinuxInsurgent]

4. like he cares for the children...

did he care for the Iraqi children he bombed?

What really gets me is that the Republicans went bananas with the "i didn't inhale" stuff when it came to Democrats...but then...they are so passive when it is their guys.

I'm really pissed at the double-standard...

[truthpusher]

7. Maybe he told his daughters? n/t

[MADem]

39. Aha!!! Now there's a snarky bumper sticker

Support our fearless leader--at least he admitted that HE INHALED!

Oh, the fun to come, the tremendous cognitive dissonance on the part of the fundy right....

[Conservativesux]

47. The double-standard that the faux news reports? You bet ! eom.

[jimshoes]

5. Hey chimpy,

you could always legalize it you know. It's quite a pleasant buzz as you well know.

[high density]

8. Hmm, perfectly timed to shut down the "Gannon" talk

I'm sure Buckhead will let out proof that these are "fakes" once the "Gannon" controversy passes over.

[Goldeneye]

10. I wonder if there were any republicans who didn't

know about his drug use?

[daleo]

12. MSM subtext - he smoked pot and lied, but only to protect the children.

What a hero.

Is there anything the mainstream media can't spin in his favor?

[Dr Fate]

22. Voters are not children- they are adults...

Bush lied to ADULT VOTERS- we cant let him use this "protect the kids" baloney as an excuse- he lied to fool VOTERS, not to protect children...

[Piperay]

13. Why is smoking pot and

admitting it setting a worse example for children than smoking pot and lying about it??? :wtf: :shrug:

[Blue to the bone]

15. I'm ashamed to now be associated with the Chimp via....

.....having smoked pot.

[papau]

16. Why does MSM avoid the tapes "I never denied I did cocaine" comment

?????

[girl gone mad]

25. His method of denial..

doesn't seem to have worked on his daughters.

And you'll recall, it's the same lame excuse he used when the DWI turned up on his record just before the 2000 election. He didn't want his daughters to know he had been a bad, bad boy back in the day.

Whatever happened to "Honesty is the best policy"? Lying isn't supposed to be a Christian value.

It seems more likely Bush was afraid that his hypocrisy would be pointed out or that it might have hurt his political ambitions.

[cureautismnow]

74. Bingo.

The 10 Commandments doesn't say "Thou shalt not smoke pot!" It does say something about bearing false witness. Let the RW fundie nutjobs dance around their beliefs over that one.

[Dr Fate]

17. Bush lied to ADULT VOTERS- uses kids as a shield.

He cant use that "I lied to you for your own good" crap- we are ADULT VOTERS-and we were lied too!

[mudderfudder77]

19. Did he deny it?

Or just refuse to answer the question? Any one have a link to the denial?

[Dr Fate]

21. He said "I could have passed the FBI background check"

Problem is, there are at least 3 different back-ground checks- some go back a few years, some go back many years...He was never clear on which test he could have passed.

Was he in the military when he took illegal drugs?

What other drugs did he take?

Its clear to me that Bush has never been 100% honest about his past drug abuse.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Too bad he quit

maybe he wouldn't want to blow everything up then if he smoked pot?

It's those prescription meds that they pump him up with now, that really do you in.

Now tell me again, why is marijuana and hemp illegal?

[Rainscents]

24. Of course he did! He also did coke and drank too!

Bush is drug addict!

[Fridays Child]

26. B*sh wants kids who did what he did jailed and cut off from college money.

The rationale that he didn't want to be a negative role model rings hollow.

[phusion]

27. Not really surprised...

I bet 3/4 of American adults have at some point, too...

[struggle4progress]

28. Probably not 3/4 of all American adults but very possibly ...

... 2/3 - 3/4 of all American adults in W's age cohort. The real question is why, when these privileged white kids come to power, they continue to throw poor black kids into prison for doing the same thing --- and nobody calls them on it.

[phusion]

43. Exactly. n/t

[otohara]

29. He Scares Children All Over The World

He's responsible for the killing of Iraqi/Afghan children, oh and since they never send the aid that's promised to poor countries...the hardest hit always, children. Let's not forget the children of the USA - in this new budget, who will suffer...?>?? Children

George Bush is a horrible example

[VegasWolf]

31. Daddy, bush is stupid, I want to be stupid too! n/t

[Lisa]

32. lol -- I can just see stoners around the world throwing away their bongs

"Dude! This stuff really DOES wreck your brain!"


But seriously -- Bush's assumption that kids think he's a role model is likely misplaced. If you ask them what people they admire, usually politicians don't make it into the top 10 (and that was even before he showed up). His own daughters tried to warn him -- they said, "You aren't as cool as you think".

[springhill]

33. This is all planned..........

This coming out as it is now, sugar coating any drug use he may have engaged in is just a way of getting it out there in the best possible light. Is this really an inteview done back when, or is it somehting they have conjured up recently to pre-empt any future allegations? I don't trust anything these people do. Nothing.

[DARE to HOPE]

60. Ding! ding! ding!

[No Exit]

34. No offense to any reefer lovers out there, but

if BUSH is an example of what happens when someone smokes a lot of "rope", then that should be MORE than enough to scare ANYONE away from this seemingly harmless substance!!!

[Zen]

35. Yeah, and he did a few lids of coke and couldn't report for duty

We got a lying, sleazy homosexual in the WH who is using the world as a playpen for him to redeem himself in. No wonder he seems like a Fascist - he's just dumb enough to fall into that trap...

[Griffy]

37. Hey Daddy, prez bush lies... I think I will ... dumbass! nt

[Dark]

38. I'd rather people think I tried weed instead of coke n/t

[mike_c]

40. I certainly hope so....

Everyone should spark one occasionally. :hippie:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

41. I can be president too!

I did coke daily for 6 months...might do it every 6 months or so now if someone offers me some.

I had a DUI...long story. Learned my lesson.

Smoke pot fairly regularly.

I can be president too!

Oh wait, my daddy didn't have connections and I'm not evil.

Damn, back to my jobs at the natural foods store & theatre company.

Oh well.

[moondust]

42. A coke addict? Smoke pot?

Nah.

[genieroze]

44. * smoked pot? Duh, big deal. legalize the crap for adults already.

Take the stigma off the adults who do it but prevent minors from doing it.

[SheepBootHero]

45. But did he inhale?

That's the answer this major breaking news report needs to know.

[slybacon9]

46. Who F---ing cares?

I'll tell you who...

FAUX news.

And if we don't quit giving this any attention NOW, the whole week will go to it in the mainstream... They will invent a whole controversy over it. Its called controlled burning. Start a small fire to put out a bigger one... And Rove is masterful at it. Meaning no more Guckert or anything else...

Which Rove would love.

So for goodness sakes, PLEASE... Stay on target here kids.

IF HE SMOKED POT... He'd probably be a lot smarter anyway...

[0rganism]

48. Well, he picked a helluva time to stop. Someone pass him a joint, STAT!

Smoking pot should be mandatory for presidents. A bonghit every day, and an extra one before any summit meetings or major policy addresses.

[praxiz]

49. And blowjobs.

I mean, this guy has access to the button. We want him chilled.

[Swamp Rat]

50. HAHA!

"STAT!" :D

And First Ladies too. :)

[Swamp Rat]

51. Yeah! Bush DID smoke pot AND he lied about it!

That's doubly worse than Clinton's "I didn't inhale" lie! So, NAH NAH NAH!!! Bush supporters! :P

[sadiesworld]

52. Classic Rove.

Give the media a baby scandal to chew on so the mother-of-all-scandals (Gannon) can be ignored--SEE, we're not * shills afterall!:eyes: It also doesn't hurt that it gives freeps an excuse to invoke Clinton's name repeatedly (at least he didn't say he only inhaled, HA!).

Although it IS funny to see the freeps talk about how betraying a friend by secretly taping him is a very unchristian thing to do. Honestly, we couldn't invent better scenarios to expose the hypocrisy.

[Disturbed]

53. Thou shall be a hypocrite is the 11th Commandment for

the Fascists.

This a setup by those hypocritical Fascist Fundies to push aside the Gannon debacle.

[BiggJawn]

54. Sure he did. just like he's a drunk, was AWOL, paid for an abortion...

...for his under-aged girlfriend, was (is) a major "Blow-Monkey" and got arrested for possession of Cocaine, etc., ect., ect.....

And nothing was done about any of the OTHER revelations of Dumbya Bush, either, right?

"Secret tapes"....S'yeah, bet Karl knew about them, since he edited them....

Ol' Karl sure knows how that "reactive Armour" shit works, doesn't he? Rumours start flying, let out some juicy shit like memos, or secret tapes, or give a no-name writer an interview, then discredit the fuck out of it all when everyone starts sprouting wood over the possibility of "THIS one" being the one that un-horses the Chimp...

This tells me there's more fire than smoke with the Gannon/Guckert thing...

[Jawja]

55. Oh, so I see.

The Corporate Media Cartel is running with the "did Bush smoke pot" story, but not the naked prostitute in the WH press corps?

I smell a rat here. THIS is not the story, folks.

[mattclearing]

57. Yeah, this is bullshit.

Publicity for some dude's book, just like Kitty Kelley's book, or anyone else's book.

The media don't care unless you are selling something.

[UncleSepp]

56. I could swear I've heard this before

This part, in particular:

"Do you want your little kid say, 'Hey, Daddy, President Bush (news - web sites) tried marijuana, I think I will?'"

I could swear I have heard this before, not recently, but years ago. Gah, that's really going to bug me trying to figure out where, and what it was!

[Catfight]

58. Bush never EXHALED! n/t

[lovuian]

59. Admitted drug abuser and a alcoholic...and that means he

is very susceptible to being an abuse... Bush is not a saint this is what the tapes are telling people!!!

[anarchy1999]

61. Where is Jackson Thoreau on this issue? In addition, I really don't

care. I just wish he would own up to it all let us all move on. That would impress me and IMHO carry far more weight. I might even respect him for an admission and an "I'm sorry" type confession.

I know, way too much to hope for.

On another note and PS/

I'm far more concerned with all the "Iran-Contra" players that are now running this administration.

This pot issue and all the rest are huge smoke screens and red herrings, Weapons of Mass Distraction. Can we please focus on removing ROVE?

[chickenscratching]

62. hmm

seriously... i think they need to take a look at his coke infested days....he was probably really cool then too.
hell, i think he should come clean with everything, we could all be one big happy family. i'd smoke one fat bowl with him that's for sure.

[bemildred]

63. Is that a rhetorical question? nt

[tiredofthisstuff]

64. Who Cares???

There are so many other things this man has done that are discussion worthy. I could really care less if the man smoked pot years ago. Yes, the fact that he is a hypocrite stands out to me, but in no way does his pot smoking concern me over everything else this man has done. I think there are better topics we can focus on.

[peacetalksforall]

66. I am torn between absolute boredom about a stupid admission and

anger that this is all a set-up to diminuize the hard stuff.

[Gingersnapsback]

68. Would he lie under oath?

So that men can't say that "the President got a BJ in the oval office." It's the same logic that made sense to Clinton, except that Bush doesn't go under oath when testifying, and the Democrats can't demand a special prosecutor to impeach him for it. :smoke:

[nytemare]

67. Just another example of Bush forsaking the truth for

the purpose of meeting his goals.

[Gingersnapsback]

69. What about his transgressions for Cocaine? Do we have more

tapes about the arrest and conviction for that?

[nytemare]

70. I am not sure

I only heard those bits about the pot smoking that were posted here in the original message. I wonder if there will be more of the tapes to come.

[egoprofit]

71. does it really matter if he smoked pot??

seriously folks so many people especially in the 60s and 70s smoked pot it's no surprise.

[Kable]

73. Maybe not...

...But for a man who builds his entire political career on a solid foundation of extreme Christian morality, to be caught lying about something like this is not good for his image, albeit it's not all that significant.

...I wish he'd smoke a lot more pot, myself.

[d_b]

75. There could be a tape of him shooting smack

and no one would give a shit.