Seth Meyers pitches a humorous rant over Jeb Bush’s claims that he would have repeated his brother’s decision to invade Iraq. In a new segment called ‘Softball Practice’ Meyers helps Jeb Bush navigate the kind of easy questions that are lobbed at candidates in the early stages of a presidential race. The question that caught Jeb Bush off-guard has liberals and conservatives alike echoing Meyers who exclaimed; “How did ya blow that – how are you not ready for questions about Iraq?!”
Even exasperated right-wing pundits like Laura Ingraham are spelling it out for Bush; “You have to say, ‘no’ to that; you can’t say, ‘yes.’ ” I picture her emphasizing her point with a rolled up newspaper thwack to Jeb’s nose. We can’t blame Sarah Palin’s “Gotcha journalism” this time.
The Jebster couldn’t have encountered friendlier fire than Fox ‘news’ and Megyn Kelly who gently pitched this simple question to Jeb Bush: “Knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the invasion?” His surprising answer: “I would have.”
Seth would do better to scratch “Softball Practice” and call the segment ‘T-Ball Practice’ – for the game played by 3 to 7-year-old kids who cannot miss hitting the stationary ball sitting on a pedestal. We assume Jeb was not ‘the athletic one.’
The second time’s the charm.
Hannity had Jeb Bush on to clarify his position and remove any doubt from the minds of voters that he misunderstood, and is capable of learning from the mistakes of brothers.
Hannity: “So in other words, in 20/20 hindsight, you would make a different decision.” (Objection! Leading the defendent, Your Honor.) There is absolutely no way Jeb Bush can screw this one up!
The ‘smart’ Bush brother replied: “Yeah, I don’t know what that decision would have been, that’s a hypothetical.”
A loud groan from Republicans can be heard in the land.
Seth rants ” He’s making an Iraq of this!”
Seth didn’t know that Jeb would go on to change his mind a total of five times within three days, and counting.
3. At a town hall meeting in Reno, Nevada Bush said, if we “get into hypotheticals I think it does a disservice for a lot of people that sacrificed.”
4. After town hall meeting in Reno, Nevada speaking to reporters, at some point he said, “Probably not.
5. A college student, speaking clearly and succinctly asked Jeb the same question – he had to have seen it coming, and he said “Wow.” and “I respectfully decline to answer.”
Seth reveals that his own brother ” knowingly used bad intelligence to justify a war that many consider to be one of the greatest strategic blunders in history. But, that doesn’t mean he’s not my brother.”
This puts Seth Meyers in an excellent position to advise Jeb Bush. Seth knows that if Jeb doesn’t stick up for his brother, things will be awkward at Thanksgiving this year. However, if he doesn’t win the election, and is the only “Mister Bush” in a room with two ‘President Bushes’ things could be much more awkward…For a long, long time – and maybe that’s okay!