The Moral Superiority of Non-Golfers

27May08

To follow up on the last post’s ideas a little bit I saw Blogger Susie Q post this video about George Bush’s claim that he gave up golfing to support the troops fighting in Iraq

Michael Moore used this clip in Fahrenheit 9/11, which was roundly denounced as being unfair in it’s portrayal of George W. Bush. Indeed if you had asked me if it was fair to criticize Bush for playing golf while being the President at a time of war, I would have said no it wasn’t fair. He’s not a bad President because he plays golf, it was all that other shit he did.

However, George W. Bush’s quote about giving up golf is just the kind of bull shit Conservatives claim gives them moral superiority all the time. It’s true that he probably didn’t give up golfing because of Iraq (he developed a bad knee) and that he still does all sorts of posh stuff like riding around in a yacht, but I think the more important thing to focus on is that his entire image of himself, other then the part about being stupid, is falsehood.

It’s not that he did or didn’t quit golf, it’s that he falsely thinks quiting golfing changes the moral calculus of the disastrous foreign policy he’s pursued. The suggestion that we should care credit Bush for quiting golf is just the flip side of absurd logic that we should care what beer John Kerry drinks, or what type of cheese steak sandwich he orders.

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Tags: Bush Golfing, George W Bush, Golf, Iraq War, Michael Moore