President Bush googlebombed as ‘miserable failure’ |
Apparently some people (red staters?) have been complaining to Google that the top results for ‘failure’ and the phrase ‘miserable failure’ are turning up the White House’s official biographical page for President Bush.
Google’s Director of Consumer Web Products, Marissa Mayer explains this phenomenon:
By using a practice called googlebombing, however, determined pranksters can occasionally produce odd results. In this case, a number of webmasters use the phrases [failure] and [miserable failure] to describe and link to President Bush’s website, thus pushing it to the top of searches for those phrases. We don’t condone the practice of googlebombing, or any other action that seeks to affect the integrity of our search results, but we’re also reluctant to alter our results by hand in order to prevent such items from showing up.
What people should be complaining about is the quality of the speech he gave last night. One of my friends remarked that the President’s drooping jaw looked like he had a stroke. That speech was missing two very important words that many people needed to hear in this country:
“I’m sorry.”
Update: using the following neat tool, you can create your own Bush speech!
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I’m sure there are a lot of people who wanted to hear Bush say that he was sorry, but, in effect, he has already done that by saying he accepted the responsibility for what happened. Those are weak words in the aftermath of a great tragedy. Moreover, instead of him simply GENERALIZING about being committed to the greatest reconstruction the world has ever seen, I would have liked to heard some SPECIFICS that would gave galvanized the whole nation. For example, I wish he would have said that the entire waterfront was going to be rebuilt and that the wetlands would be returned, and also that new industrial designs would be used to construct a levy system that would not be breached in the future. I would have liked to have heard him say that city planners would be employed to redesign many areas of the city. I would have liked to have heared him tell us that the massive rebuilding would be on a scale reminiscent of the WPA back in the 1930s and that companies would have to give those jobs to the residents of New Orleans. I wish he would have said that a key figure would be chosen to lead and coordinate the entire reconstruction effort, and that he would not only be responsible for implementing programs but also reviewing new ideas for possible acceptance. Indeed, I wish he had told us that the leader of the New Orleans project would have the authority to prevent fraud and corruption regarding the taxpayers’ money. Words like “I’m sorry” just don’t do it for me.
Comment by Howard Lauther — September 17, 2005 @ 10:17 am PST
Howard - I agree with most of what you posted.
The way he did the whole flyover in the beginning was pathetic. He needed to be down on the ground handing out water to those starving people. Add that to the fact that he kept saying as little as a week ago: “we’ll play the blame game later” just reinforces how much contrition is necessary from him now for anybody to buy that he isn’t full of BS.
His speech sounded more like typical political rhetoric than anything actually contrite. The American people deserve to hear from the guy that the buck stops with him and I didn’t hear that — believably — from that speech the other night.
I can’t believe one so called expert called it a “brilliant” speech. What was that guy listening to?
Comment by TDavid — September 17, 2005 @ 12:29 pm PST
TO TDAVID… Your perplexity at hearing others praise Bush’s speech reflects something I’ve felt so many, many times. While Republicans praising Republicans and Democrats praising Democrats is something I’ve long come to expect, if not dread, I’m always amazed to hear well-respected journalists, historians, and other professionals go out of their way to prevent offending anyone. Some damn fool will make a speech and, in the process, say something utterly stupid. Afterward, the analysts say things like, “He was appealing to his base” or “He walked a fine line between those two issues,” etc. Through their opinions, they turn turtles into giraffes and sand into diamonds. I sometimes want to reach through my television screen, grab them by the throat, and shout, “You idiot! You could not have possibly listened to what I just heard and still come to that conclusion!”
Yes, I know this has been going on since man first learned to walk around on two legs, but that historic reality does not make the experience any more palatable. “What was that guy listening to?” Beats me.
Comment by Howard Lauther — September 17, 2005 @ 1:23 pm PST
Now, I have to say that everyone has a right to listen to an idiot, and say he’s brillian, but this is rediculous. I agree that the president should be handing out water and food to the poor citizens of New Orleans instead of flinging polirical crap. However, no one was made president by working hard and being honorable.
Comment by Drakonik — September 17, 2005 @ 9:13 pm PST
He needed to be down on the ground handing out water to those starving people.
I disagree. Leave that to the experts live the Red Cross and Salvation Army and other such relief groups. He is the president, not an aid worker.
Add that to the fact that he kept saying as little as a week ago: “we’ll play the blame game later” just reinforces how much contrition is necessary from him now for anybody to buy that he isn’t full of BS.
So lets say he does say he’s sorry? What then? We all know the left is going to really make political hay with that one. And what will him saying sorry accomplish? Federal investigations, Katrina commissions etc.? That sounds like that would help the thousands of people affected.Yeah right.
Bush saying he’s sorry wouldn’t do a whole hill of beans worth of good. Why doesn’t the Mayor of NO and the Governor say they are sorry? Hell why doesn’t Pete Wilson say he’s sorry for the northridge earthquake?
His speech sounded more like typical political rhetoric than anything actually contrite. The American people deserve to hear from the guy that the buck stops with him and I didn’t hear that — believably — from that speech the other night.
If you could get a copy of the Nightline with Ted Koppel after the speech, you would see that the people interviewed from the Astrodome would disagree.
Comment by orangecrush — September 17, 2005 @ 10:05 pm PST
orangecrush - Are you playing the devil’s advocate or trying to stick up for the President?
Think you might have been taking me a bit too literally here. Are you suggesting that his flyover actually made sense and was appropriate to the situation? He should have been on the ground earlier, standing beside the starving people like he was standing by the firemen after 9/11. Would it hurt to see him getting a little dirt on that finely pressed shirt while hundreds are dying around him? Incompetence in the government and yes, in New Orleans too (those yellow school buses should have moved people out), cost extra human lives that didn’t need to die.
As for Bush’s inability to say two words, that’s the beginning of healing, mon! That’s what those two words will do. People are tired of politicians and BS and would just like to hear the Commander In Chief do something instead of talking about doing something.
And I’ve been watching constant coverage on CNN from this while I work and could get much deeper into all this then I did in this puny blog entry and my comments here. I’ve seen dozens and dozens of interviews and film coverage since this happens and read lots of opinions on this.
I’m pissed off at the President for not doing his damn job. Did others not do their job? You bet. But the buck should stop with him and from him that speech came up short and too late.
And absolutely no idea from him how any of this is going to be paid for — as usual. Of course he doesn’t have to be fiscally responsible with our tax money (sarcasm). Argh.
Comment by TDavid — September 18, 2005 @ 12:16 am PST