http://www.suntimes.com/output/roeper/cst-nws-roep16.htmlAfter I gave thumbs-up to Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" on "Ebert & Roeper," some conservatives demanded I come clean. "Admit it, you hate Bush!" said one e-mailer after another.
After I wrote a couple of columns about Ronald Reagan in which I failed to advocate placing Reagan's visage on Mount Rushmore, the dime or the $20 dollar bill, I heard from conservatives who maintained this was just another example of my anti-Republican bias.
After I marveled at Ann Coulter's bottomless reserve of hatred for liberals, I once again heard from outraged conservatives.
"Coulter doesn't hate liberals any more than you hate President Bush!" said one caller.
Do I hate the president? Not the kind of "Hate Lite" discussed in yesterday's column about the minor everyday inconveniences -- but a pure, evil hatred, like the loathing we harbor for the likes of Hitler and serial killers.
Answer: not even close.
Heck, there have even been times when I've admired the man, e.g., when he stood amid the rubble of Ground Zero, megaphone in hand, and rallied the firefighters, police and rescue workers.
More often, I've been angry at Bush's arrogance and incompetence, and I've despised his policies -- but I don't hate the man.
I have to admit, though, that it's hilarious to see so many conservatives displaying such sensitivity over this issue. Again and again, I hear from Republicans who are shocked, saddened and sickened by the level of vitriol against their beloved President Bush. Why, they've never seen anything like it. How can people be so irrationally emotional, so personal, so vicious in their hatred of a sitting president?
Right. Because the anti-Clinton movement never turned hateful.
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