BREAKING NEWS
Bush conveniently "quit" golf at the same time he was suffering a knee ailment: US President George W. Bush said in an interview out Tuesday that he quit playing golf in 2003 out of respect for the families of US soldiers killed in the conflict in Iraq, now in its sixth year. "I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal," he said in an interview for Yahoo! News and Politico magazine. "I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander-in-chief playing golf," he said. "I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them." The US president traced his decision to the August 19, 2003 bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed the world body's top official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. "I remember when de Mello, who was at the UN, got killed in Baghdad as a result of these murderers taking this good man's life. And I was playing golf -- I think I was in central Texas -- and they pulled me off the golf course and I said, it's just not worth it anymore to do," said Bush.***
Actually, it is far more likely that Bush quit playing golf because he was suffering from knee problems throughout the latter half of 2003.Bush, 57, will have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test on Thursday, Dec. 18. The body-scanning device enables doctors to see internal organs in 3D. The MRI is being performed on the advice of the President's regular White House physician. Last summer, Bush suffered a minor muscle tear in his right calf and that injury, along with aching knees, forced him to abandon his running routine. The calf strain healed by August when he had his annual physical, but the president said in September that he suspected he had a meniscus tear.
Actually, it is far more likely that Bush quit playing golf because he was suffering from knee problems throughout the latter half of 2003.Bush, 57, will have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test on Thursday, Dec. 18. The body-scanning device enables doctors to see internal organs in 3D. The MRI is being performed on the advice of the President's regular White House physician. Last summer, Bush suffered a minor muscle tear in his right calf and that injury, along with aching knees, forced him to abandon his running routine. The calf strain healed by August when he had his annual physical, but the president said in September that he suspected he had a meniscus tear.
UPDATE I/Blue Girl
I say this as someone who has had multiple knee surgeries over the last 3 decades - the physical problems that are described above would be enough to bring an end to ones golfing days.
Here is the part that makes me feel kinda sick in the pit of my stomach - I think there is a bit of "George Costanza syndrome" at play. I think he might actually believe that he is telling the truth when he says he quit golfing for "solidarity" with the families of those who serve. Those unencumbered by conscience can lie at will and believe they are telling the truth. And that's our Bush.
UPDATE II/Blue Girl
***From an update to a post by Brandon Friedman at VoteVets: Bush actually played his last round of golf on October 13, 2003. This means that the reason he gave for quitting after the August 2003 U.N. bombing is dubious at best. More likely, he made the story up in a clumsy ploy to gain sympathy. In many regions and cultures around the world, this is called "lying."
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