Rich Laughlin – 5/6/07

This page was last updated on May 6, 2007.

Bush failed us, not we him; Rich Laughlin; Beaver County Times; May 6, 2007.

In previous letters, Mr. Laughlin told us how bad Ronald Reagan was, another was a name-calling rant from beginning to end, and his last letter was entitled “Put the blame on Bush.” This letter is of similar quality.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“When I saw the headline of Bob Wakefield’s letter (‘We have failed as a people,’ Wednesday), my first thought was that someone would be pointing out how badly America screwed up by electing George W Bush president.”

[RWC] What a shock this would be Mr. Laughlin’s “first thought.”

“That would be the obvious subject matter one would expect under that headline; a sharp chastisement of the voters for electing and then actually, incredibly, re-electing such an incompetent buffoon.”

[RWC] It took Mr. Laughlin only two sentences to engage in name-calling.

“I was stunned then to see that Wakefield actually accuses America of failing Bush. What a twist.

“What a tribute to the effectiveness of the right-wing noise machine and the Christian Right at indoctrinating its flock.”

[RWC] I guess the left-wing “noise machine and the Christian” left don’t indoctrinate their “flock.” Oh wait, perhaps Mr. Laughlin is proof they do, though I don’t know if he is a Christian.

“These good-but-delusional folks will accept as gospel any absurd nonsense that excuses the failures of this worst president in American history.”

[RWC] For folks like Mr. Laughlin, I suspect any current non-Democrat/liberal president is always the “worst president in American history.”

“Bush had the resources of the whole free world available to him after Sept. 11, 2001. Instead of responding intelligently and effectively to the threat of terrorism, he squandered America’s good will [sic] in the world and lied us into a disastrous, unnecessary war.”

[RWC] This paragraph is nothing more than old, disproved talking points. For example, Mr. Laughlin never details the alleged lies and his supporting proof.

“He is, by any standard, a complete and miserable flop.”

[RWC] I guess Mr. Laughlin excludes Jimmy Carter’s record.

“As for the religious rant in Wakefield’s letter, I say that if Bush is a good example of a religious president, then give me an irreligious one, like Abe Lincoln for instance, any day.”

[RWC] I didn’t know Abraham Lincoln was an “irreligious” president. I guess all the times Lincoln mentioned God in his papers and speeches fooled me. The text of Lincoln’s National Fast Day proclamation also fooled me. <g>