
<p>In 2001 and 2004, I voted for George W. Bush for President. ; He was not my ideal choice but easily preferred over his Democrat opponents. ; He – and his father – always struck me as philosophically mushy country clubbers – part of a political establishment that was more interested in being collegial than principled.</p>



<p>That seemed to be why the Bush family abandoned conservative PRINCIPLES to join the anti-Trump movement. ; That is somewhat understandable in view of Trump’s sophomoric attacks on anyone he deemed disloyal. I never liked the Trump personality – and have said so repeatedly over the years.</p>



<p>Still, when it came to voting, I had to put conservative PRINCIPLES above a flawed personality. ; I could not kick to the side more than 50 years of conservative beliefs to endorse or support those who would impose everything I fought against.  ; I could not desert to the other side – as a number of my high-profile conservative friends did. ; So, I voted twice for Trump – and for the most part, was pleased with his policies and appointments.</p>



<p>For the better part of four years, W. Bush remained in the background – as former presidents traditionally do. ; His public exposure was generally limited to his portrait painting – and an occasional bike ride with veterans.</p>



<p>In memorializing the 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the War in Afghanistan – that he launched with high purpose and optimism – Bush decided to express his bitterness at Trump by attacking those the media demonizes as his base.</p>



<p>Bush did not refer to the Capitol Hill riot – or even cite instances of “right-wing violence.” ; But he was sufficiently – and I believe intentionally vague enough to enable the left-wing media to interpret – spin – his remarks as not only an attack on the rioters but on the entire Republican Party.</p>



<p>Bush condemned both international and domestic violence as the result of a comparable “foul spirit.” ; Media personalities immediately declared that Bush was supporting the left’s hyperbolic mendacious narrative that there is an equivalency between the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Capitol Hill riot. ; In an incredible stretch of credulity, some even suggested that Bush implied that what happened on January 6<sup>th</sup> was WORSE than 9/11.</p>



<p>The Democrats’ crony media has spent more than six months puffing up the Capitol Hill riot into an insurrection organized and led by the Republican Party. ; The narrative is nothing more than a tactic to avoid a GOP resurgence in 2022. ; They have exaggerated the number of people killed as a result of the riot. ; They have launched a congressional investigation of the event even though the FBI is fully engaged in a real investigation. ; It is something neither the Democrats nor the FBI did with the more serious riots – carried on for longer periods of time with more deaths and destruction that occurred on January 6<sup>th</sup>. ; There were no massive FBI arrests. ; In fact, the rioters, looters, and arsonists were summarily released from custody by the Democrat law enforcement establishment – and Vice President Kamala Harris even organized bail for the perpetrators.</p>



<p>In his speech, Bush lateraled the ball to the folks on the left. ; Did he do it intentionally – or was this just another example of Bush’s establishmentarian bone-headedness? ; Either way, it was a gift to the left.</p>



<p>Whether Bush meant to draw an equivalency between 9/11 and the Capitol Hill riot – or whether his intention was misrepresented by those on the left – we may never know. ; Even if it was the latter, Bush is not likely to have the courage to correct the record.</p>



<p>But what about the comparison, itself?</p>



<p>It is so outrageous that it is almost inconceivable that any sane person would claim ANY equivalency. ; Our sworn enemies undertook a three-pronged attack on the United States – the worst since the British invaded to take back the colonies in 1812. ; By official count, some 2,977 innocent people died in that horrendous attack. ; The two most iconic structures in New York City were crushed to the ground. ; The very headquarters of the American military was attacked – causing death, injury, and destruction. ; And only God – and a number of terrorist leaders – know where that third commercial airliner might have struck – the Capitol Building or the White House.</p>



<p>The Capitol Hill riot was bad – very bad. ; And those who committed crimes should be held accountable. ; But it was not an insurrection and in no way can it legitimately be compared to what took place on 9/11. ; Shame … shame … shame on every Democrat and media ally that has advanced that false narrative. ; Shame on Bush for tossing that innuendo into the toxic political debate as fuel for the deplorables on the left.</p>



<p>Bush offered what he claimed was an appropriate remembrance of 9/11 and a call for national unity. ; He failed in both. ; His drift into the acrid contemporary political environment was disrespectful to the memorial and divisive in nature. ; Bush should stick to painting and bike riding.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis</p>

Bush provokes division with his “unity speech”
