Dalai Lama: I love George W. Bush

http://www.politico.com/blogs/click/2012/04/dalai-lama-i-love-george-w-bush-121581.html

By MJ LEE 4/25/12 9:04 AM EDT

President George W. Bush has an adoring fan — in none other than the Dalai Lama.
Asked about the people he’s met who have really impressed him, the Tibetan leader-in-exile said during a sit-down with CNN’s Piers Morgan that other than Nelson Mandela — whom he considers “quite impressive” — he also admires Bush.

“I love President Bush,” the Dalai Lama said.

“Which one?” Morgan asked.

“The younger one.”

Clearly taken aback by the answer, Morgan quipped, “Really?”

“Yes, really,” the Dalai Lama insisted, before adding, “As a human being. Not as a president of America. Sometimes his policy may not be very, very successful. But as a person, as a human being, very nice person. I love him."

Pressed by Morgan on how “President Bush went to war so much” and was “responsible for so many deaths,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate acknowledged that he didn’t always agree with the former president’s national security decisions.

“After he sort of [started] the Iraq sort of crisis ... I expressed to him, ‘I love you, but your policies concerned, I have some reservations’ I told him,” he said.

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Glad to see that Bush's true legacy -the freedom agenda- is starting to show through -- and I'll take the praise of Master Yoda over a Nobel prize (obama) any day! I think it was just the other day too that Matt Damon said he would offer Bush a kiss for the good deeds he's done for AIDs in Africa. Really happy and pleased that the humanitarian side of the administration hasn't been forgotten.

I hold no ill will towards the man. The racist stuff was flat out insane considering his best friend was a black guy.

It's his job to love everybody. The pope lives in the Vatican, the bears shot in the woods and the dalai lama loves everybody.

I would question his opinion, but he is a Man-God so he must be correct.

It was as if a million DINK voices in bikram yoga class cried out in agony and were suddenly silenced.

Phier said:

It was as if a million DINK voices in bikram yoga class cried out in agony and were suddenly silenced.

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it's going to be hilarious seeing people who've bought into the 'man god/divinity/oriental esotericism/can do no wrong' of tenzin gyatso bend over backwards to spin his words into "Words of Wisdom"©

Ferrets54 said:

It's his job to love everybody. The pope lives in the Vatican, the bears shot in the woods and the dalai lama loves everybody.

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it's also the pope's job to love everyone, even if it includes protecting child molesters

I agree. Politically I disdain almost everything Bush did. President George W. Bush? I hated him. The man George W. Bush? He's great.

"having some reservations" about some of the actions of the Bush II Admin. is putting it mildly, a little too mild for someone who's supposed to be the moral conscience of Lamaism, and whatever hedonistic variation of that which Hollywood types like Richard 'gerbil' Gere subscribe to.

Hearing stuff like this from the Dalai only makes me love the Panchen Lama more

lets play ping-pong and let Michael Parenti do away the dalai lama vanity fair image

well in his religion highest stance that he occupies he is suposed to have universal love, which means everybody, but still would be lying if didn't find that uncalled for.

This is surprising how? Good men can do evil things with the wrong perceptions or information, and I'd wager Bush was one of them. The Dalai Lama is kind of supposed to be above all the "OMG BUSH IS EVIL" moralizing we do.

Maybe, just maybe he doesnt have those morals above approach that enable him to judge Bush better than the most of us. Maybe they just play on the same team. He got him a medal and his fathers breeding ground got his brothers jobs at the CIA.

oh well...back to lalaland

Can't wait for the leaked sex tape.

Exarch said:

"having some reservations" about some of the actions of the Bush II Admin. is putting it mildly, a little too mild for someone who's supposed to be the moral conscience of Lamaism, and whatever hedonistic variation of that which Hollywood types like Richard 'gerbil' Gere subscribe to.

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Hey now, that Richard Gere gerbil thing is just an internet rumor you know, it never happened.

I like it anytime the religious make it easier to dismantle religion. Of course, having a man represent your religion makes it all the easier.

As for Bush, he seemed like a nice enough guy, just a little stupid/weak for his position, and surrounded by people who were quite a bit more opportunistic to say the least. A product of nepotism and the establishment through and through, he was just an empty suit to allow those who backed him to get what they wanted. His act as a "Texan" was pretty funny, but useful for a stupid electorate that plays identity politics.

Really, Bush isn't the problem, no individual is, but rather the ideology and interests that backed/controlled him. I never care to demonize individuals for that reason, but I guess it makes for effective politics for our dysfunctional democracy.

Thorn777 said:

Maybe, just maybe he doesnt have those morals above approach that enable him to judge Bush better than the most of us. Maybe they just play on the same team. He got him a medal and his fathers breeding ground got his brothers jobs at the CIA.

oh well...back to lalaland

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Because it couldn't be that Tibetan is a fairly obscure but geopolitically important language and that, I don't know, a person with dual language skills such as the Dalai Lamas' brother would be regarded as a valuable asset and that...oh, possibly there's no evidence nor reason to suspect Bushes' involvement at all, beyond feeding your rampant desire for conspiracy-theory ************ fodder.

Bush got into politics for the wrong reason, he wanted to kick some democratic ass that was disparaging his dad, and I suspect impress his old man at the same time, possibly to finally focus his energies on a worthwhile goal; since he was an insider, he probably knew or had people who did which buttons the average American elector was susceptible to, and I imagine only had to slightly adjust his public persona to be rather more religious good ole boy from Texas, while conservative tended to drive in the middle of the road, and if he didn't know everything, surrounded himself with people who thought they did. He sold himself more as a CEO who would be more hands off than Clinton, who had a fetish for micro managing everything, and left his wild days behind him, as opposed to the last resident of the White House who seemed to turn it into party central.

Not everyone would have wanted to run in 2000, since the curse was still considered active, though that little peanut scare and Reagan's rather miraculous recovery may have laid it to rest.

Bush is a nice guy. I think thats whats so hard for those trying to vilify him to grasp.

I once thought I would never have anything in common with the Dalai Lama, but well played, Mr. Lama.

Phier said:

Bush is a nice guy. I think thats whats so hard for those trying to vilify him to grasp.

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"But he's a nice guy" is quite possibly the best defense of disastrous politics and policy decisions I've ever heard of. I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time I hear someone criticize ObamaCare. Oh and Hitler loved dogs, how can anyone vilify a guy who loves dogs?

Cat lovers, that's who. ers.

A well known chronic nice man says that a particular man is nice in person despite his foreign policy. Chronic nice man's opinion is vaguely political because he is regarded as a very nice man and he has a Swedish accolade to prove how nice a man he is.

I am struggling to see how this is political. I am sure I would personally like Bush if he was amiable to me, maybe bought me a beer, invited me to dinner, invited me back to his apartment for coffee, slowly whispered sweet things in my ear... I digress

motiv-8 said:

I once thought I would never have anything in common with the Dalai Lama, but well played, Mr. Lama.

"But he's a nice guy" is quite possibly the best defense of disastrous politics and policy decisions I've ever heard of. I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time I hear someone criticize ObamaCare. Oh and Hitler loved dogs, how can anyone vilify a guy who loves dogs?

Cat lovers, that's who. ers.

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Bush always came off to me as a warm regular guy, albeit born into a family with great expectations (which weren't for him) yet he managed to charm the pants off people and make something of himself. The man ran on domestic policy, got pulled into Afghanistan (a country I'm sure he'd barely ever thought about), tried to do something good in Iraq, hit the fan, he immediately got demonized, and I think unfairly.

No Child Left Behind? Bad policy, but obviously anything intended to help schools is well meant.

War on Terror? Successful for the most part, but much more difficult than expected.
Given that Bush was in ΔΚΕ I'm sure his "Haze the Out Of Hadji" strategy seemed a lot more innocent than it turned out to be. Plus his lawyers told him it was chill. That's not really his fault. Bin Laden was Bush administration left overs. Obama just made an obvious call. Plus the Navy Seals did that, not O.

War in Iraq? The war itself was good. The occupation took a while and was quite bloody. But the Surge worked, the Democrats and anyone who said the war was not winnable. Obviously if their own fans root for the team to lose they're going lose. War is like basketball. It goes back and forth and it's hard to call who is going to win until the end. It's not over until it's over.

Financial Crisis? Congress. Congress. Congress. Congress caused it initially. The crash wouldn't have happened if Bush hadn't been blocked in trying to solve it. And it would have been a lot less money to do the initial bank stuff if it had been accepted by congress. But they ed up and forced Hank "Laissez Faire" Paulson's hand down an ugly road which Timmy "There's Always More In The Reserve" Geithner just had to continue with. Obama is writing revisionist history blaming it on Bush. Bush was like the only guy going "Ola Brobama, careful now, this 's going to BLOW!"



Bush was okay. But he helped save a lot of lives in Africa, he seems like a nice guy, and he got villainized by the list people I would love to be villainized by. Insults only hurt from people whose opinions you care about.

Heinz Guderian said:

Hearing stuff like this from the Dalai only makes me love the Panchen Lama more

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ditto,

fkizz said:

well in his religion highest stance that he occupies he is suposed to have universal love, which means everybody, but still would be lying if didn't find that uncalled for.

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all religions are supposed to be about love; even the old testament YHWH is supposed to be about 'love' (a rather abusive relationship, but save that for the ethos)

Matthias said:

Hey now, that Richard Gere gerbil thing is just an internet rumor you know, it never happened.

I like it anytime the religious make it easier to dismantle religion. Of course, having a man represent your religion makes it all the easier.

As for Bush, he seemed like a nice enough guy, just a little stupid/weak for his position, and surrounded by people who were quite a bit more opportunistic to say the least. A product of nepotism and the establishment through and through, he was just an empty suit to allow those who backed him to get what they wanted. His act as a "Texan" was pretty funny, but useful for a stupid electorate that plays identity politics.

Really, Bush isn't the problem, no individual is, but rather the ideology and interests that backed/controlled him. I never care to demonize individuals for that reason, but I guess it makes for effective politics for our dysfunctional democracy.

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well of course i'm sure such people are rarely foaming at the mouth maniacs who'd have their temper on a hair trigger but judging someone based on 'oh he seems like a nice bloke' is never as effective as judging them by their actions. Making excuses for certain people who should've been doing their jobs (in the case of Mr Bush, actually serving the people of America) rather than making war and corpses is beside the point. There is no excuse for what one does, no matter how much they may attempt to rationalise it, as they will undoubtedly in the future. And in the case of Tenzin Gyatso, as the head of a religion, he should be doing what all holy men ought to be doing, and that is staying the out of politics and focusing on his spirituality.

Exarch said:

ditto,


all religions are supposed to be about love; even the old testament YHWH is supposed to be about 'love' (a rather abusive relationship, but save that for the ethos)

well of course i'm sure such people are rarely foaming at the mouth maniacs who'd have their temper on a hair trigger but judging someone based on 'oh he seems like a nice bloke' is never as effective as judging them by their actions. Making excuses for certain people who should've been doing their jobs (in the case of Mr Bush, actually serving the people of America) rather than making war and corpses is beside the point. There is no excuse for what one does, no matter how much they may attempt to rationalise it, as they will undoubtedly in the future. And in the case of Tenzin Gyatso, as the head of a religion, he should be doing what all holy men ought to be doing, and that is staying the out of politics and focusing on his spirituality.

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He's also the "Divine Lottery King" of Tibet and the head of his people.

Politics is his reality. Buddhism is a religious Atheism. Trying to understand life and the universe doesn't divorce one from reality or opinions. Buddhists try to destroy their spirit and break the chain. That's the point. It's not exactly spiritualism.

Col. Tartleton said:

He's also the "Divine Lottery King" of Tibet.

So politics is his reality. Buddhism is a religious Atheism. Trying to understand life and the universe doesn't divorce one from reality or opinions. Buddhists try to destroy their spirit and break the chain. That's the point. It's not exactly spiritualism.

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well lamaism isn't the only buddhism around what Tenzin Gyatso believes in is not necessarily what Indian or Sri Lankan or Chinese, Japanese, etc Buddhists believe. Personally, i don't mind what the above believe in so long as the seperation between church(religion) and state is enforced and practiced. Sadly, that is increasingly not the case in either the United States or Australia for that matter, and is especially not the case when someone like Tenzin Gyatso is feted and worshipped as a god by hollywood airheads, and other airheads alike.

But, such esoteric ponderings on Buddhism ought to be in the ethos, methinks.

China suddenly won so many points in my book.

Ferrets54 said:

It's his job to love everybody. The pope lives in the Vatican, the bears shot in the woods and the dalai lama loves everybody.

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Except the Chinese occupiers.

As his serfs.

Sadreddine said:

China suddenly won so many points in my book.

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yeah or he must have been high otherwise what relations does he notice between teachings of Budhism (which he follows) and acts of G. W. Bush the butcher?

The bonds and burdens of US presidents


26 April 2012 Last updated at 01:58 GMT Help
Presidents Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon had late-night phone chats.
President Dwight Eisenhower advised John F Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson on foreign affairs.
And most modern presidents look to Abraham Lincoln as a source of inspiration.
Only 43 men have become president of the United States, an often lonely job with a burden of responsibility that few others can understand.
As a result, bonds often form between sitting and former presidents - across generations and party lines.
Time magazine editors Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy chronicle these relationships in their book "The Presidents Club."
Mr Duffy spoke to the BBC about this rarest of fraternities.
Produced by the BBC's David Botti


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17821516