Saturday, August 20, 2005

Phony Deadlines

MoDo on Bush's love of phony deadlines - from Daily Dissent:

"W. says he can't set a deadline to bring the troops home. But he started the war on an artificial deadline; he declared a Mission Accomplished end to major hostilities on an artificial deadline; he was inflexible on deadlines for handing over Iraqi sovereignty and holding elections. And he tried to force the Iraqis to produce a constitution on his deadline when the squabbling politicians of the ethnic and religious factions hadn't even reached consensus on little things like Do we want one country?

It isn't only the left that is invoking Vietnam. You know you're in trouble when Henry Kissinger gives you advice on how to exit a war."

Deadlines are most useful when you have to get a status report to your boss every week, but done on time isn't the same as done right. Everyone knows that.

George, is that you?

This is a bit crude, maybe cruel, but made me laugh. Just another comment on another blog on another internet:

"I don't think that Bush actually has that many friends. He wasn't liked in college because he is an arrogant snot and was only tolerated because he was an politician's spoiled brat. Few people in TANG have come out to tell what a great guy he is. He is just Poppy Bush's obnoxious ass son who everybody has to be polite to because of Poppy. If he had been born in a poor or working class family, he would have been in and out of jail several times, been married about three times, been in rehab four times, and would have had his ass seriously kicked so many times that you lose count."

Touché.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Bush Vacation: Day 16

Cindy

Bush

DUH

Our Troops: Iraq, Afghanistan

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Bush Vacation: Day 15

3 car bombs, 43 killed in Baghdad.

Harsh words for Bush from parents of dead Marine.

"Axis of Evil" policy a shambles. Don't tell David Frum.

Bush: getting ready to ride with Lance Armstrong, is worried about which shorts to wear.

Oh boy, that's what I call leadership.

Funny Money

Here's a little tidbit on the missing $8 9 Billion Dollars in Iraq - $2.4 Billion in unmarked Benjamins were last seen leaving the New York Federal Reserve bank. Hey it adds up after a while.

Don't forget to apply the Bill Clinton Rules here: imagine how much screaming, special-prosecuting, investigating, and hearings would be demanded by our friends on the "right" if 2.4, or 9 Billion dollars disappeared on his watch.

The "soft bigotry of low expectations" is Bush's lifelong dodge.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Bush Vacation: Day 14

OK, we'll take a vacation from the vacation basher's bashing of the vacation taker's vacation, Daily Show style........thanks, Crooks and Liars:

Have a laf!

Sorry to be a bummer: 17 Spanish troops killed. I thought they were pulling out of the Coalition of the Bought?

Monday, August 15, 2005

Bush Vacation: Day 13

UPDATE: Five killed, five wounded.

(Stolen from the Miami Herald's Pulitzer Prize winner Jim Morin. So sue me - Z)

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Neocons at the Helm

The neocons at the helm of our state ship have run us onto the rocks. All their white papers, scheming, and dreams of glory have turned to dust. Their video replay of Iraq I and 'Nam got wrapped around the heads. (I was tempted to say 8-track - Z.)

The President will be resolute to the end, as he has shown so boldly coldly to Cindy Sheehan. But the Penatagon is deeply worried about their primary mission: maintaining America's forces for her self-defense and preservation. Bush is a short-timer, he knows his legacy is shot, so it all comes down to those with a longer view, the need to be employed again, the need for self-respect and a clear conscience.

Someone's
going to have to burst the President's bubble, and instead of those directly involved - Rumsfeld, Myers, Condi, or Cheney - it will most likely fall on the shoulders of Cindy. But she's strong enough, she can take the heat, and she will surely stay her course.

Karl Rove is off his game, so the President is getting and sending mixed messages. He still thinks the "every option is on the table" script is operative (if it weren't so sad, ........). (Oh and by the way: he and whose army are gonna knock Iran off of their nuke silliness? Not mine, not Germany's, not Japan's, certainly not Iraq's.)

[SIDEBAR: This surely proves that international relations, knowledge of history, and wordly experience are required in each and every President we elect. The long-term goals of the mullahs in Iran have been made that much easier and that much closer to fruition, by the precipitious and petty acts of our current President. Hands down.]

But never fret, the right has one last stand to take, one last gambit. They've used it before and will use it again. It has played itself out far back into our nation's history, and despite its transparent nature, works almost every time: blame the left.

They will blame our demand for accountability.

They will blame us for publcizing the torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.

The will blame us for asking where the $8 billion went.

They will blame us for asking where the armor is.

They will blame us for asking where bin Laden is.

They will do this in unison, at high pitch, with fortissimo volume. The Gang of 500 will repeat it, the people will hear it.

Deep inside they will all know to their dying day that they failed in their vision and they failed their country. The Pottery Barn rule does apply, but it has never applied to George Bush. You screw something up, there's blame, you move on and fix it -- something George Bush has never had to do his entire life. They can blame us on the left, we're big enough, but we better not take it lying down.

Our leaders better remind Joe Sixpack of who said what, who signed the orders, who approved the contracts, who made the decisions. If they don't, we'll see the M1A Vets for Truth attacking Casey Sheehan, the six who died today, the dissenters who would not shut up.

I hope the left has the good sense to fight these lies the minute they appear, for they surely will.

And I hope the neocons have the good sense to stay out of governing our country - forever.

(Special thanks to Digby for the brutal honesty, the forceful words, and the insightful links to people and writings I would never have known - Z)