Half-truths plagued letter about Obama

The May 18 letter, “Presidency the most unethical in history,” appears to blame President Obama for just about everything from Harding’s Teapot Dome Scandal to the administration of the infamous Three Lying Stooges — George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. It is 300 words of vitriolic partisan silliness that has more factual holes than Reagan’s Iran/Contra explanation, Nixon’s, “I’m not a crook” and Bush’s untrue, deceitful and manipulative reasons for attacking Iraq — Nixon and Bush taking “unethical presidencies” to unprecedented heights.

The writer’s “primer of recent history” regarding the Obama administration weaves tiny kernels of truth into bloated innuendo, half-truths and/or conspiratorial nonsense. It is a tired rehash of hatred the Three Stooges of Misinformation — Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh — have for Obama. They never let actual facts influence their “truths.”

For example, he said the government nationalized GM. It didn’t and he knows it. GM and Chrysler were bailed out. He ignored the 1 million-plus jobs it saved along with the entire industry that is now profitable and making high quality vehicles. If the administration had not done it, he would have complained that Obama would rather lose an industry and a million jobs, than help an industry loaded with Republican CEO’s.

Speaking of terrible presidents. How about Bush’s appointment of Michael Brown as Director of FEMA? Brown’s qualifications? Bush thought that being commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association was good enough. Tens of thousands of people suffered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina because of that borderline criminal decision.

Interestingly, Franklin Pierce (D) and George W. Bush (R) are usually high on most lists of the worst presidents. George’s mother is Barbara Pierce Bush, a direct lineal descendant of Franklin. Could there be a “bad president” gene?

Len Brauer

Palatine