In a fiery address delivered on Thursday afternoon in New York City, former president George W. Bush took a series of thinly-veiled shots at the man who now occupies the office he once held, excoriating the proliferation of "conspiracy theories and outright fabrication" in politics, the distortion of "nationalism... into nativism," and the emergence of a public discourse characterized by "casual cruelty." While Donald Trump has weathered his share of criticism from many different public figures during his short tenure, Bush's remarks are believed to the first rebuke of the sitting president by an alleged war criminal who has been convicted by an international tribunal.

The 43rd president has famously shied away from direct political engagement since his time in office came to a close, and although he scrupulously declined to mention Donald Trump by name during his speech, the subtext of his message was hard to miss. "Our security and prosperity are only found in wise, sustained, global engagement," explained the man who spent eight years oscillating between starting endless wars and working diligently to bring about the most significant global economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. "The very identity of our nation depends on passing along civic ideals," he noted pointedly, probably while thinking about something other than the "interrogation tactics" approved by his administration that resulted in the torture and deaths of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

While Bush's tone was somber, it was neither nihilistic nor hopeless. "The cause of freedom justifies all our faith and effort. It still inspires men and women in the darkest corners of the world, and it will inspire a rising generation," he concluded, just a few hours after a series of grenade and IED attacks added seven more bodies to the estimated 200,000 civilians who have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

From the New York Times' coverage of the event:

Asked by a reporter as he left the hall whether his message would be heard in the White House, Mr. Bush smiled, nodded slightly and said, “I think it will.”

Cool paintings, though!

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