Here is the scene.  Bush comes to town to attend a fund raiser.  The Seahawk's decided to present him with a Jersey with his name and the number 43, as he is the 43rd president.

And the president was thrilled, and Matt Hasselbeck and Mack Strong were thrilled.  The crowd was thrilled.  Everyone was thrilled.  Except the liberal Seattle fans.

Seahawks duo blitzed by Bush backlash

Are you still fans of Matt Hasselbeck and Mack Strong after they visited President Bush last week in Bellevue? Or have their political leanings turned you against them?

The Seahawks quarterback and fullback gave the 43rd president a No. 43 jersey with his name on it at a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for Rep. Dave Reichert at the Hyatt.

At the time, Hasselbeck called it a thrill and said it was a win-win, this opportunity to meet the president and get out of a team meeting.

But as soon as he saw the picture of the two players with Bush, Gary Wright, the team's vice president of administration, said he was concerned about negative reaction.

Maybe in really red Republican states, it would not have been a big deal. But Washington is a blue state, and deep, deep Democratic blue in King County. So objections were raised, and Hasselbeck heard them and read them. He got nasty voice mails, e-mails and text messages.

"I had no idea," Hasselbeck said.

One guy told him: "I hate you, I'll never wear your jersey, I'll never like the Seahawks again."

"Huh?" Hasselbeck thought. "Seriously?"

No kidding.

As a quarterback, he's used to getting booed. "But this was a whole new level," he said. "I was very surprised how mean (they were)."

As evidence were these responses to Angelo Bruscas' blog posting on seattlepi.com:

"How dare Hasselbeck declare Bush an honorary Seahawk," wrote one. "Who is Matt speaking for? Bush is no Seahawk. He is the worst president of my lifetime, and I'm almost 60. Shame on you, Matt."

Huh?  What the hell?

"To learn that two of the most popular Seahawks are strong (Bush) supporters ruins the season for me and my family," wrote another.

And Timothy P. wrote: "Just goes to show you that being a great athlete doesn't make you smart."

Being a Conservative doesn't make you stupid.  But being a liberal apparently makes you able to make ad hominem attacks on people who disagree with you, while you get totally bent about an honorarium made to the president, one that every team in the nation would likely do in the same circumstances.

He is the President, regardless of party or ideology.  And the President and sports have a close tie.  When a team wins the Superbowl or a World Series, where do they go?  OK, where do they go AFTER Disneyland?

The Whitehouse.

Who do many sports teams get to throw out ceremonial first pitches?  The President.  its a matter of tradition and respect to the office more then the person holding it.

Among the right-wing rebuttals: "Amen! It's about time that someone broke through the liberal haze in this state. I don't know about anyone else, but the Seahawks gained another fan and ticket buyer."

And that person is just as dumb.  Who the hell cares about the politics of the players?  It is FOOTBALL people, get a freakin clue.   I go to watch them play, not to get their opinion on world events.

And this: "He's the president of the United States. You liberals are the nastiest, most hateful people I know. I'm ashamed of Seattle."

Now that is one I agree with.

Holmgren has been to the White House on three occasions.

"If you get a chance to meet the president of the United States, it's probably special," Holmgren said, and it was to him.

Exactly!

"Our philosophy has always been, don't mix these things (politics and sports)," Wright said. "We try to be neutral. With individual players and their preferences, it's up to them."

But when asked if the jersey presentation made it look like it was connected to the team, Wright said he could see how someone would conclude as much.

When told that Hasselbeck lost some fans, Holmgren said: "That's too bad. … Fans should keep these two things separate."

Yup.

Added Hasselbeck: "I don't understand. This is America. We're not going to agree on everything."

Strong doesn't get it either, saying: "Any time you have a world leader come to your city, you should welcome him whether you like the person or not. That was the right thing to do."

Yup.

Besides, Strong wonders, "Why would people care about what we do as far as going to see the president and giving him a Seahawks jersey?"

Strong and Hasselbeck said they would have welcomed a Democratic president, too, and noted that they once visited Gov. Christine Gregoire in Olympia and gave her an autographed football. When he played in Green Bay, Hasselbeck also met former Vice President Al Gore.

Oh but that would be OK in Blue State Bush Derangement land, they are democrats.

Honestly Seattle liberals make me nauseous.  This is by far the stupidest bit or outrage I have ever heard.  I suppose liberals will now call for all Baseball teams to stop letting presidents throw out first pitches.

Liberals are so invested in hating conservatives and hating Bush that any possible mention makes them seethe.  Who in their right mind is going to snub the whole team because two people showed up and gave the man a jersey? 

Anyone outraged here is a pathetic whiner and a partisan hack, nothing more.

Oh.  A quick note to any deranged fans, let me have your season passes and jersey.  I don't mind seeing the tainted Seahawks play.

And Matt?  I have your Jersey and I will wear it proudly.