Okay, this photo has been making the rounds of the Net; I spotted it at BB:
Now, all of the news items I’ve seen (and oddly, though it’s an AP photo, it’s kind of hard to find) are from “blue-stater” sites, so they’re all trumpeting how the loveable old battle-hardened codgers were sitting on their hands and not clapping for the Prez while he blathered on repeating the 9-1-1 mantra (did you know that September 11th was the opening salvo in our war on terrorism? I did not know that). Anyway, the gentleman in the photo is identified as Bill Moyer (who appears to be from Kentucky, not Idaho), so presumably the AP guy asked him why he was wearing his “Bullshit Protector.” Bush was actually speaking at the moment the picture was taken, so presumably Mr. Moyer really was making the statement all us liberrls and pergrissives hope he was making. I do wonder if he put it on when Mayor Rocky made his welcoming speech, where he defended his call for anti-war demonstrations during Bush’s visit to Salt Lake and just forgot to take it off.
Here’s what I’d prefer to believe:
Veterans wearing “B.S. Protector” ear flaps sat silently in the audience of the 106th convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Monday in Salt Lake City while Bush tired to compare his failed war in Iraq to both world wars and other great conflicts of the 20th century.
With the anti-war movement finding new momentum behind grieving mother Cindy Sheehan, Bush acknowledged the fighting in Iraq is difficult and dangerous. But he told the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention the fight is necessary to keep terrorists out of the United States.
As he did in last year’s election campaign and more recently as war opposition has risen, Bush reminded his listeners of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 – reciting the date five times in a 30-minute speech.
“We’re not yet safe,†Bush said. “Terrorists in foreign lands still hope to attack our country. They still hope to kill our citizens. The lesson of Sept. 11, 2001, is that we must confront threats before they fully materialize.â€
The vets, however, weren’t buying. Applause during Bush’s speech was both muted and scattered.
Actually, the Salt Lake Trib article notes that Mayor Rocky received scattered boos, but that he eventually received warm applause after sticking up for himself AND the veterans.
It only remains for the Red Right to fire up the slime machine, as noted at dKos.
