Ethics

Nicolle Wallace Confuses Criticism with Disrespect

By Ed Brayton

Nicolle Wallace, a White House aide to George W. Bush, writes a rather silly column at the Daily Beast about Bush and Obama that clearly mistakes criticism for disrespect. She begins by praising Bush, rightly I think, for not publicly criticizing President Obama:

In the last two weeks, half a dozen Democrats have commented to me about what a "statesman" George W. Bush has been in his post-presidency. One of those individuals is a senior Obama administration official and two others are former senior Clinton administration officials...

In two public speeches this week, Bush repeatedly refused to criticize President Obama on national security and on his management of the economy. He reiterated a pledge he made in March to maintain his silence, saying that "it is essential that he [Obama] be helped in office." This comes from a place of deep respect for the office he once held, but also from genuine goodwill toward President Obama. "I love my country a lot more than I love politics," Bush added.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on June 05, 2009 (boomark / email).