No, George Bush did not criticize Donald Trump. He agreed with Trump.

Flopping Aces ^ | 03-01-17 | DrJohn

[Starman417]

W gave an interview recently and it was depicted widely as being a criticism of Donald Trump.

Former President George W. Bush seemed to criticize President Donald Trump in an interview with the Today Show Monday morning, saying the news media and freedom of religion are crucial to American democracy. There should also be an investigation into the alleged Russian hacking into the U.S. election, Bush said.

Those are all issues that Trump has dealt with in his first month in office. He has called the Russia story “fake news,” a distraction and even fabrication by the press, despite the fact that the CIA said in December Russia interfered with U.S. elections; he's been hostile toward the news media, which culminated in his announcement last weekend that he'd boycott the White House Correspondents Dinner, a traditional event showing goodwill between the press and the president; and his administration has been revising an executive order that would temporarily ban visitors and immigrants from seven majority-Muslim nations.

Even Ace agreed with the line of thinking.

Eh, kind of annoying.

And Fox News jumped in:

Former President George W. Bush offered what appeared to be a thinly veiled critique of his Republican successor on Monday, as he defended the importance of the media and immigration policies that are "welcoming."

I don't agree. I think that wily Bush really agreed with Trump, but couched his words carefully to make it sound like he was being critical.

For instance, Yahoo quoted Bush as saying

“We need the media to hold people like me to account,”

But what he actually said was:

“We need an independent media to hold people like me to account."

We need an independent media. Yes, we do need an independent media, but that is not what we have now. We have "journalists" in collusion with democrat administrations, "journalists" who leak debate questions, "journalists" who gushed over obama, and "journalists" who tingled when obama spoke. We have "journalists" who forget obama declared war on them but continued to bow at his feet.

That's not very independent. W added:

[maggief]

Damage control and marketing plan B.

Who they hell did he think who buy his new book?!

NWO fool.

[Grampa Dave]

Re his silence re Obama’s bad stuff, I felt that GW was being the good former president and just biting his tongue. Now, I know better.

Then, Trump opened my eyes like he probably did with millions like you and I re the decades of treachery of the Bushco thugs with the middle east Opecker Princes.

Then, we have his attack on Trump and now the damage control attempt to white wash what GW said.

Last but not least, anyone tries to involve the Russians as Trump’s evil buddies is either dumber than a rock or a lying bastard trying to bring Trump down.

[Enlightened1]

Aboard Air Force One, former President Bush shows photos of his paintings to, from left, First Lady Michelle Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Valerie Jarrett, National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice, Attorney General Eric Holder and former First Lady Laura Bush, Dec. 9, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

[reasonisfaith]

The Bush/Jarrett/Holder team must have become addicted to lying.

[Grampa Dave]

Okay, that was Moosella!

Thanks

[RetiredTexasVet]

W needs to go back to his ranch and keep quiet while he seeks repentance for his part in 9/11 and the wars that followed.

[xzins]

GW stuck his foot in his mouth or he attacked Pres Trump when he never uttered a word about the obama.

And, George, your brother really was low energy. Get over it.

[mulligan]

The horse is already out of the barn.

[x]

We won't know until we actually see a transcript.

Everybody reports the line, but nobody reports the question that it was an answer to.

It sounded like he was making a statement about "the times" or the general climate of opinion, but it would be hard not to see a criticism of Trump in what he said.

It's similar with the media comment. Was Bush asked a Trump related question or just asked what he thought of the media?

You can read an implied criticism of President Trump in what Bush said, but it may not have been as direct or pointed as some people think.

There's a fine line between expressing general opinions and venturing criticisms of those in office. Probably Bush should just have gone on keeping his mouth shut.

[TigersEye]

I don't agree. I think that wily Bush really agreed with Trump, but couched his words carefully to make it sound like he was being critical.

Sounds like Flopping Aces is flopping around trying to find a coherent way to spin Bush's words. It didn't work.

[sit-rep]

im sorry but some of these new(er) media sites really should put a little more time into their names. I read some of them and don’t even bother clicking into the link...

[right way right]

It's impossible for me to care what W says now after 8 damn years of very weakly defending his domestic agenda while pushing progress-ism during his term and then the even more complete silence during the Obamanation age. WTH are we suppose to think of this?!
Go away, all Bush's!!

[CJinVA]

Back in 2007 they called us racist for opposing the bush amnesty plan. And today they call us racist for supporting President Trump.

[Mamzelle]

BUSH TRIBE SUCKS. PLEASE GO AWAY.

[Hostage]

GW Bush is a big boy who has been around for a long time.

He knows enough to know how the press is going to carry his statements.

There is nothing stopping him from tweeting a direct message to clear up any misunderstandings.

Because he’s not clarifying, it means he is content to let the media print what they will.

I can only conclude he is criticizing President Trump and will as necessary fall back on an excuse that the press took his statements out of context. That’s BS. In this age of social media, he has no excuse for not being clear at the beginning.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Bump.....