James Carville explicitly expressed a wish for Bush to fail.


James Carville is, by the way, a gutless coward.

Via Hot Air, the explicit quote:

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, just minutes before learning of the terrorist attacks on America, Democratic strategist James Carville was hoping for President Bush to fail, telling a group of Washington reporters: “I certainly hope he doesn’t succeed.”

[snip*]

Minutes later, as news of the terrorist attacks reached the hotel conference room where the Democrats were having breakfast with the reporters, Carville announced: “Disregard everything we just said! This changes everything!”

We’ll hold up the inevitable knee-jerk defenses of Carville here – which will probably not start until 8:46 AM tomorrow morning – with a tart comment that hypocrisy is not going to cut it this time. If Carville is to be allowed to use the defense that he merely wished for Bush’s policies to fail, than so should Limbaugh; contrariwise, if Limbaugh’s comments are simply unacceptable, any time, any place, and with no mitigation, then Carville’s must be treated similarly. And Carville is assuredly aware of how that comment would have played out: the way he begged the reporters to not repeat that suddenly-inflammatory statement is diagnostic. So is the way that they covered up Carville’s mess, but never mind that right now.

What do I think? Carville said what Limbaugh said: he doesn’t want the President’s policies to succeed, presumably because he doesn’t agree with them. That’s why he’s a gutless coward: because he knows that Limbaugh didn’t do anything that he didn’t, but he didn’t dare bring it up. It must be easy going through life, knowing that your inconvenient public sayings are going to just end up going down the memory hole…

Moe Lane

*I’m leaving out the bits by Stanley Greenberg, aka Rahm Emanuel‘s rent-free landlord, aka Rahm Emanuel and the DCCC’s vendor. Small world, huh? Rahm accepting free rent and steering lucrative contracts the way of a guy who wanted America to turn against the President, and all that.

Crossposted to Moe Lane.


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Still Nothing on this in the Main Stream Media

federalistblogs (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 3:42PM EST (link)

I first saw this stroy pop up on AOL’s Political Machine around 1:30. I looked up and ready the Article on Fax, then put up a little commentary on my personal blog. From there it hit DrudgeReport. Now it is all over the Conservative Blogs.

Oddly, there is not mention on CNN, MSNBC, ABCNews, CBSNews, Politico…… etc.

I am curios if the Main Stream is going to cover this AT ALL or if if they are just embracing their bias. If they shoe was on the other foot this story would be all over the news.

Conservatives need to be able to gain ground in 2010 desperately. It is going to be a unique challenge if the media stays in the tanks as they currently are.

http://federalistblogs.wordpress.com

They will cover it alright.... with compost. nt

phxg (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 3:48PM EST (link)

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. –Aristotle

 

Fox has it up on the home page. n/t

c17wife (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 4:17PM EST (link)

n/t

Duty is ours, outcomes belong to God.~Mike Pence

 
 

All i can say is.... HYPOCRITE Carville!

Rod_Patrick (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 3:53PM EST (link)

Ain't it a beyotch that this here ManBearPig

c17wife (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 4:17PM EST (link)

invented internets can archive such pathetic little diatribes for us to pull out later on down the line.

All I can say is Karma is a beyotch Cajun Carville. Let’s hope it is a BIG one too.

Duty is ours, outcomes belong to God.~Mike Pence

 

Thomas Friedman

Dencal26 Wednesday, March 11th at 4:28PM EST (link)

I found an interesting article by NY Times Thomas Friedman from Spring 2001 about Bush

” First, the Bushies came into office with the attitude that everything Bill Clinton did — everything — was wrong and needs to be reversed. Second, they came into office bearing Republican theological positions on tax cuts, the environment and missile defense — positions that were hatched in conservative think tanks and chanted with religious devotion, but were never tempered by the real world as it has evolved over the last eight years. Yet early signs are that the Bushies will say or do anything to get their radical tax cuts made, their oil wells drilled and their missile shield built — no matter what’s going on in the world. Finally, they came into office controlling the Senate, the House, the White House and the Supreme Court, so there are no brakes. “

don't worry

sickofitall Thursday, March 12th at 9:16AM EST (link)

In 2 years after the NYT has sunk beneath the waves nobody will care what this idiot has to say ever again.

“You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany.” – Rep. Paul Broun

 
 

This is all besides the point

kyle8 (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 4:57PM EST (link)

We ought to speak in a more mature fashion than a hack democrat hustler who learned politics from Fast Eddie Edwards.

“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle

No. This is the point.

AHALgal Wednesday, March 11th at 6:41PM EST (link)

George W. Bush sat idly by and let Democrats call him any and every name they could dream up. All the while he:

1. First legislative rollback of abortion
2. Destroyed two dictatorships and paved the way for Arab democracy
3. Stayed in Iraq and ultimately stabilized the country when everyone thought it to be impossible
4. Kept us safe from further attacks after 9/11
5. Cut taxes to ensure an economic recovery after the tech bubble
6. Appointed constitutional scholar and patriot John Roberts to the Supreme Court
7. Successfully pulled India and Pakistan away from the nuclear brink and fostered diplomatic ties between the two countries
8. Largest aid package to combat AIDS in Africa—ever. And this one actually had an impact.
9. Rebuilt our military and our prestige in the world after Kenya bombings, Somalia, 1993 WTC, and USS Cole

We sat by and didn’t defend him loud enough. He didn’t defend himself loud enough! What we have to show for it is that the liberal, secular-progressive bottom-dwelling bigots have allowed the very words “conservative,” “Republican” and “Christian” to be twisted into labels that makes others look down their noses at us. That same disdain might just one day lead to them corralling us all up and throwing us into death camps (ever heard of the Holocaust?).

Wake up! Words matter. Names you call someone matter. James Carville is the PT Barnum of this White House vs. Limbaugh circus and what he said back in 2001 matters just as much as what he said an hour ago.

I will defend Rush Limbaugh’s right to say he hopes 0bama’s policies fail because I unequivocally refuse to sit on the sidelines again and watch these hateful, twisted Democrat Pundicraps make a mockery out of one more conservative.

Damn them and damn their lying bigotry.

55555!!!!!! Bravo!!!! nt

Rod_Patrick (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 6:44PM EST (link)

You should have been his press secretary!. Well said. nt.

barry915barry (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 7:07PM EST (link)

Actually items 2,3,4 were used Fleischer to undress Chris Matthews.

Rod_Patrick (Diary) Thursday, March 12th at 2:51AM EST (link)

Fleischer was so HONEST….. admitting Bush and his error….. but in the process, he was able to CORRECT Chris that intelligence mistake is different from DISHONESTY.

Fleischer killed Chris Matthews!!!!!!

And it’s my first time to watch on TV that despite the intelligence error, DEFENDING BUSH LOUDLY BUT HONESTLY is GOOD FOR REPUBLICAN BRAND.

…. if only we had a loud grassroot activists in the main streets during the Bush Administration, the Republican brand would have been defended better.

I really don’t care about Bush’s name, but I CARE FOR VICTORIA.

 
 
 

5 x 5! Well said

David123 (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 8:42PM EST (link)

nt

David123

 

but you didn't understand what I said

kyle8 (Diary) Thursday, March 12th at 5:50PM EST (link)

I said we ought to speak BETTER than a creep like Carville. I did NOT say we should be silent and let them walk all over us.

GODDAMNITT !! I hate it that people think that if we made one error then we ought to go so far in the other direction that we make another error.

“Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty”
Kyle

 
 
 

Why did it take so long?

jimmuy8 (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 7:03PM EST (link)

I swear, this party has no brains at all.

After 4 years of non-stop personal destruction of each and every Republican; after two butt-kickings in a row as a direct result of those constant attacks–we STILL don’t have opposition files on every single Democrat from dog-catcher to President?

Seriously, if this were reversed there would have been 10 stories the day after showing how “they do it too.”

There should be a dirt file an inch thick on every Democrat, every media member, every Democrat staffer–all of them. And any time any one says boo we need to carpet bomb them out of public life.

Don’t think that’s the way to go? Good. Get used to being last.

Republicans Work for a Living

IJB Wednesday, March 11th at 7:10PM EST (link)

They don’t have a vast network of semi-employed muckety-mucks sitting in non-profits who can spend 14 hours a day searching the internet for dirt.

We’re never going to play, and certainly not beat, the Dems at that game.

Frankly, that’s why our side has(needs) blogs – it’s the job of sites like this to do the legwork on issues like these.

True

jimmuy8 (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 9:45PM EST (link)

But the silver lining to the dark cloud of the Obama Depression is that there may be some motivation for the newly laid-off and voluntarily cut-back to actually get in the game.

On another note–I’m getting kinda dour with the thought that the whole point of the stimulus and the budget bill is not that they think that it will work, rather that they don’t care: if it fails, they won’t get blamed and if it succeeds, they’ve super-glued themselves into power.

Darker note: they know it won’t matter because they know the economy will recover regardless.

Crap.

 
 
 

I say feed it right back to Serpent-Head

GarWil Wednesday, March 11th at 9:02PM EST (link)

The next time one of these “reporters” asks one of our guys about Rush being the leader of the party, or whether they agree with him, they need to say something along these lines:

“Well, when people actually listen to Rush fully and in context, instead of you guys’ snippets, they’ll probably find that they actually agree with his fundamental views on this country, its constitution and most other bedrock issues.

However, I doubt they’d agree much with the main architects of the recent smear attacks on Rush ….. they, namely Carville and Greenberg, were recently discovered to have been actively polling and wishing for President Bush to fail on the very morning of the 9/11 attacks, in a meeting with reporters. And personally I’d like to know why you the media have inexplicably kept this a secret from the American people for all these years, and especially during the last few weeks, in light of this little game we’re now playing.”

I think if someone of some stature could articulately say something like this in a high-profile setting, (Meet the Press?) it would pretty much put this all to rest. At the same time, it would expose the other side’s callous, calculating hypocritical mindset.

What's Micheal Steeles email address?

djemi (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 10:08PM EST (link)

We should try slip this kind of comment in at every oppertunity

‘And personally I’d like to know why you the media have inexplicably kept this a secret from the American people for all these year’

“If I can’t shoot rabbits,then I can’t shoot fascist”
“With age, comes Wisdom, but only if you are paying Attention, son” my ‘Old Man’
RS Help files (h/t JLenardDetroit) Grassroots in Michigan
Moes Strategy

 
 

Carville

CarolT (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 9:14PM EST (link)

I head about this on Rush’s show today, his daily newsletter calls it the news the media ignores. I searched MSNBC website earlier today and I got Carville’s email address, so I sent him one, asking why he doesn’t go on Hannity or Glenn Beck’s show to explain those comments.

It’sr really too bad he did not say them on September 9, 2001. It would have been too late to ask they not be published.

Help? I remember reading an article online after the 2004 election, either then or in early 2005 about how the GOP had files on all of them, when they realized it was Kerry, they kept everything to use when time was appropriate, when we started calling them Freedom Fries instead of French fries, out popped the picture of Kerry with the beret, with something along the lines that he looked French. That article was hysterical. I get The Weekly Standard, back then the digital version and thought I might have read it there, but have done searches and it isn’t there.

I think I may have read in on GOP.com I remember that the article mentioned Ed Gillespie by name. Does anyone remember this?

This and the fact that the RNC did have files on all potential opponenets then. Thank you, I’d love to read that again. The computer I had then died, and none of my favorites could be rescued.

 

Carville Responds

djemi (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 10:02PM EST (link)

James Carville fired back at radio host Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday, who earlier in the day had taken the Democratic strategist to task for saying of President Bush in 2001, “I certainly hope he doesn’t succeed.”

Carville told CNN that unlike Limbaugh, who recently said he wants President Obama to fail, Carville retracted his own missive — uttered to a group of reporters on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 — just minutes later, when he learned of the terrorist attacks on America.

“Thank God that I had the good sense to realize that the United States was at war and that changed everything, Carville said. “Once I found out that the country was at war, I said: Whatever I said, disregard it; it’s inoperative.”

“Unlike Mr. Limbaugh,” he added, who “kept insisting that he wanted the president to fail at a time of war.”

it’s here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/11/carville-lashes-limbaugh/

Come on everyone knows Rush was stocking the fire today. This has just started.

“If I can’t shoot rabbits,then I can’t shoot fascist”
“With age, comes Wisdom, but only if you are paying Attention, son” my ‘Old Man’
RS Help files (h/t JLenardDetroit) Grassroots in Michigan
Moes Strategy

 

could see the future

HMHaanpaa Wednesday, March 11th at 10:27PM EST (link)

clearly – we were at war! Maybe we can say bring it on, but with a kindler, gentler voice. If there was one person to go after it would be Carville. Destroy and keep destroying until the message is sent that this is no longer nicey nice. The Honorable Senator from – what a bunch of garbage!! Get after them and stay at it, period.

Not bad, really.

spainishirish (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 11:34PM EST (link)

I always wanted to put my foot in that guy’s rear. Let’s make him our pinata.

 
 

Gutless bastard he may be, Carville did us a favor.

spainishirish (Diary) Wednesday, March 11th at 11:32PM EST (link)

Let me thank the Ragin’ Hypocrite for the following:

1. He inadvertently alerted the public to the fact that there was a large segment alarmed by the economic incompetence of Obama.

2. Along the lines of the above, he alerted the public there might be a reson to be concerned with the economic illiteracy of Obama.

3. He exposed himself and Democrats at total hypocrites.

4. And finallly, he forced to the surface our own opinion leaders who aren’t worth the time of day. We are looking at you, Frum, Brooks, and some obnoxious on-line cowards.

So to Carville, Greenberg, and Begala I have one word: thanks.

 

CNN

sickofitall Thursday, March 12th at 9:20AM EST (link)

should either fire Carvelle or change their moniker to Liberal News Network. The fact that they could continue to employ this partisan scumbag and still claim to be an “impartial” news source is disgusting.

“You have to remember that Adolf Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany.” – Rep. Paul Broun