Bush the Elder Understood the Concept of "Wouldn't Be Prudent"

July 23, 2009


The President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500


Mr. President,

To put it succinctly, what the heck were you thinking?

During the July 22, 2009, press conference you responded to a question by Lynn Sweet about the arrest in Cambridge, Massachusetts, of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., by saying ,” I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home, and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately."

News flash: You are the President of the United States of America, not Barry The Wonder Blogger purging his brain of all the news that is not even fit to print in The New York Times. You aren’t some hard working Joe venting his frustrations with the world at large in his neighborhood watering hole some evening after work. As President, it is expected that you can muster up a slightly higher personal standard than the common dolt can. Acting stupidly is not a luxury you are permitted.

By your own statement you did not have all the facts. Here’s a notion to keep in mind for future situations – keep it zipped until you do have all the facts available. Shooting from the hip is not something one in your position should be doing. “Well, we uh, thought the missile came from, uh, Russia so we emptied our arsenal against them. My bad!” is not exactly going to go over well when trying to explain yourself to the rest of the world. That last night’s question and answer was a completely trivial exchange by comparison does not negate the point.

Please stick to doing those things you are supposed to be doing, and that you are familiar with and educated about. We have learned that list does not include running automobile companies, the health insurance and medical delivery industries, banking, or even the workings of the Cambridge Police Department.

Keep trying, though. I am confident that if the country is fortunate enough to survive your efforts that long you will eventually find something for which you are competent.


Sincerely,




Jacob D. Vreeland, Jr.