Please, everyone, let's not rewrite history.
George W. Bush is still the President who sent Americans into Iraq on a lie, killing almost 5,000 of them. Jeb Bush is still the Florida Governor who sent FDLE officers in to kidnap Terri Schiavo. George H.W. Bush is still the president who nominated Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Barbara Bush is still the First Lady who called Representative Geraldine Ferraro, a major-party Vice Presidential nominee, a "bitch."
The Bushes are not okay.
To those of you who have no institutional memory, let us cats enlighten you: The Bushes are not good people. We don't care how much they've bonded with the Clintons and the Obamas in the "Former Presidents' Club," which we as former Administration employees understand is a compelling fellowship. (Please note that the President and First Lady we worked for, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, are much less susceptible to the trappings of same. We're proud of that.)
We resist the compulsion to cast Barbara Bush's funeral as a demonstration of "cordialness." We aren't feeling cordial. Want to know why? Because the H.W. Bush presidency gave life to the Lee Atwater era of political destruction. Maybe the Clintons and the Obamas have made peace with that — we haven't.
And while we're amused at Barack sitting next to Melania and making her smile, we are not moved to say nice things today about Barbara Bush. As new New Yorkers, we feel compelled to stick up for Geraldine. In memory of Congresswoman Ferraro, we cats PURR.
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