United, Not Divided — Against Bush
You know you’ve got a problem when only the Albanians welcome you with open arms — and even then you need to take your watch off to keep them from stealing it.
This is what it’s come down to for President Bush, a duck so lame he’s nearly quadriplegic. Six and a half years into his interminable presidency, the whole world is sick of him.
American presidents used to make triumphal tours of Europe, where they’d be greeted by enthusiastic crowds. Bush’s European trips bring out crowds too, but they’re usually calling enthusiastically for his indictment.
Last week’s presidential tour featured lots of protest and precious little adulation. In the Czech Republic, demonstrators greeted Bush with signs reading “Bush number one terrorist.” In Italy, where more than two dozen CIA agents face criminal trial for the illegal “rendition” of terror suspects, tens of thousands of anti-Bush protesters took to the streets. At the Vatican, the pope took Bush to task over the Iraq war. Only in Albania did Bush receive a rapturous welcome — though video footage led to speculation that in the celebration an Albanian Bush “fan” may have relieved the president of his watch.
White House spokesman Tony Snow denies that the president got fleeced by his admirers. But let’s be honest: Even if Bush made it home with watch untouched, it’s not clear that wild enthusiasm from the Albanian public is something he should feel pleased about.
After all, the last time the Albanians showed wild enthusiasm, it was for the fraudulent Ponzi schemes that nearly destroyed their national economy. In the mid-1990s, two-thirds of the Albanian population got suckered into investing in get-rich-quick “investment companies.” Built on trickery and empty promises, the pyramid schemes finally collapsed, leaving a shattered economy, millions of betrayed citizens and a discredited government.
Kind of reminiscent of the Bush presidency, actually.
Bush didn’t return from his European trip to a warm welcome here at home either. The political left doesn’t like him — not that that’s anything new. The political center doesn’t like him either: A new NBC/Wall Street Journal report finds that only 29% of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing, the lowest level of his presidency. Even on the political right (where most of the 29% of Americans who aren’t yet sick of him reside), many have developed an acute case of buyer’s remorse.
The GOP’s Republican primary candidates are competing to distance themselves from Bush, and more and more conservatives are in open revolt. Some, like economist Bruce Bartlett, fume at the explosion of government spending under Bush. Others, like Sen. Chuck Hagel and a growing cadre of Republican foreign policy experts, are appalled by Bush’s mishandling of the Iraq war and other national security issues.
Others, such as Richard Viguerie (conservative direct-mail pioneer) and former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr (the House’s lead prosecutor during the Clinton impeachment), are so angry at what they see as Bush’s constitutional abuses that they’ve started channeling (and in Barr’s case, joining) the ACLU. “Since 9/11,” they assert, “the executive branch has chronically usurped legislative or judicial power and has repeatedly claimed that the president is the law. The constitutional grievances against the White House are chilling.” Even the three harpies of far-right punditry — Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin and Laura Ingraham — have denounced Bush’s favored immigration bill as soft on illegal immigrants.
Oh yes, then there are the courts. Last week, judges in two of the administration’s military commissions announced that the commissions lacked jurisdiction to try Guantanamo detainees. This week, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals — one of the nation’s most conservative courts — gave Bush another slap in the face, declaring that “the president lacks power to order the military to seize and indefinitely detain” terror suspects in the United States.
Then there are the military and defense establishments, which are increasingly taking positions opposite those of the president. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates thinks Guantanamo should be closed. So does former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. Uniformed officers complain openly that Bush has broken the back of the military. And no one, including the generals charged with overseeing military operations in Iraq, seems to think that Bush’s “surge” is succeeding.
I could cite more examples of people fed up with Bush, but … why bother? These days, when you announce that the Bush presidency has been an epic flop, you face a sea of nodding heads.
Come to think of it, there is one thing for which we should all give the president credit. Bush famously promised to be a uniter, not a divider — and at long last, he may have managed to keep that promise. Though there’s still much that divides us, the nation and the world are increasingly united on at least one issue: We’re sick and tired of the presidency of George W. Bush.
© 2007 The Los Angeles Times
it’s at times like this that i daydream about a parliamentary system, under which a sea-change in national policy would be a mere no-confidence vote away.
remember that a rat is most dangerous when cornered. what this nest of fascist rats might cook up as a distraction chills me to my soul.
What I want to know is, when will people realize it’s not simply Bush who’s no good, but the Conservative mindset he and the neocons embody that’s a failure. And to take it one step further, the religious faith-vs-facts, us-vs-them Old Testament fundamentalist brand of Christianity that has failed.
My political concerns tend from top to bottom, rather than left to right. So the Libby and Gonzalez affairs don’t interest me directly. But I do think the dogged pursuit of these two is hurting Democrats more than it could ever help them.
This situation reminds of the real reason we haven’t had a major terror attack since 9/11. The reason is that Al Qaida wants to bring down the US government, and they succeeded in part last November. But another terrorist attack would only serve to galvanize and unite a very divided American people. Al Qaida would rather see George Bush in particular, and the Republicans in general, leave office in disrepute with the American people. And it appears exactly that will happen.
If only the Democrats were so smart. Going after Gonzalez and Libby only serves to force conservatives who want nothing to do with the Republican party to defend that party. The Democrats would be smart to stand back and let the Republican party self-destruct, rather than give them any reason to pull together and unite. When your enemy is destroying himself, the best course is to stand back and let him.
What disappoints me is the two leading Democratic presidential candidates, Clinton and Obama, who espouse Milton Friedman / Robert Rubin, corporation-friendly economics. They won’t bomb Iran when elected, but will continue Dubya’s “free-trade” market-oriented economic policies, further screwing the American middle and working classes.
My dear Hazmat, as much as I would prefer a parliamentary system, let us not forget that a large majority of our British cousins have opposed the Iraq-Nam war since before it started. Only the pigheadedness of Tony B-Liar and the office hungry Labour Party counts today in the House of Commons.
“for President Bush, a duck so lame he’s nearly quadriplegic.”
Make no mistake about it…it’s not over till the ‘fat lady sings’….
This little psychopath and his evil band of cohorts can do unimaginable damage to America and the World before he slimes off the World Stage….
I’m surprised Bu$h wasn’t arrested as an alleged WAR CRIMINAL before he left GERMANY….
I suppose that’s the benefit of being the only Superpower with thirty thousand nuclear war heads pointed in every direction….
United round the Dems got us into this mess. What do you suggest Rosa?
Told you so GOP!
“This is what it’s come down to for President Bush. A duck so lame he’s nearly quadriplegic.”
Nice one Rosa Brooks!
I Hope Bush Jr. takes the GOP with him.
I read a good post by some anon-guy at the Democratic Underground. It’s long but it’s worth ploughing through Here’s the URL:
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Time%20for%20change/188
vinlander writes:
“My dear Hazmat, as much as I would prefer a parliamentary system, let us not forget that a large majority of our British cousins have opposed the Iraq-Nam war since before it started. Only the pigheadedness of Tony B-Liar and the office hungry Labour Party counts today in the House of Commons”
Dear Vinlander,
You are precisely correct in every detail!
_____________=_______________
Here’s a little story you may not have encountered in the mess media:
After Albania, BuSh then visited an African country as part of his little tour.
In one small village he stopped to give a speech.
He stood there in front of the many villagers and said, “We Amercans are gonna give you lots more aid, so you can buy grain really cheaply from us.”
The villagers seemed pleased; some whistled and whooped, whilst others cheerily sang, ‘Boowooka, Mr President!’
Warming to his theme, BuSh continued: “And we are gonna send many experts to your village to help you learn how to manage your budding oil industry. Then we will buy oil off you at really generous prices…”
This time the villagers seemed even more thrilled, and still more of them clapped and yelled “Boowooka! Boowooka Mr President!”
Perceiving he was really getting the crowd going now, BuSh continued with a few off the cuff remarks: “And we are gonna cancel all your debts and ensure everyone of you has an Amercan style house, complete with Amercan running water and Amercan air conditioning, and we’ll even throw in a free truck, -and a dishwasher too, - that’s how generous my Amercan government is to all poor people everywhere!”
Well, - the villagers just went wild when they heard this!
They danced around with their hands in the air and every one sung loudly a happy refrain of: ‘Boowooka! BOOOWOOOKA Mr President!” –and they filled the village with their loud chanting and dancing for over half an hour.
Feeling fully puffed up with pride at this enthusiastic reception, BuSh asked if he could be shown around the little village and see inside some of the tiny village huts.
“No problem Mr President,” said the village Elder, “-But I must warn you that in our village the cows and dogs and pigs are allowed to wonder about freely; so as we walk round, please be careful not to tread in any Boowooka…”
Angangueo,
You said “They won’t bomb Iran when elected”, “they” being Obama and Hillary. As much as I would like to believe that, I doubt they will be less hawkish on this issue than most Republicans. Both are in bed with AIPAC and the military-industrial complex. Both have repeatedly said in reference to Iran that “all options are on the table”.
Dark days lay ahead for us, probably far worse than what we are experiencing now, especially if we go to war with Iran and or experience another terrorist-attack. The next president probably won’t be much better than Bush I’m afraid. This may be very premature, but the next president will probably be one of these 4 candidates - Hillary, Obama, Guiliani or McCain OR, and this is important, someone not much different from these 4 candidates. These are our “choices”. The Democratic party should either be purged(extremely unlikely since it is owned by corporate America), or get a 3rd Party going.
Back to the topic… Bush could never have been welcomed in Albania without President Bill Clinton’s decision to bomb Serbia and intervene on behalf of the Albanianian Kosovars. .
Dunnyveg, the reason that Gonzalez and Libby matter is because they have flagrantly acted outside of the law.
Gonzalez laid the “legal” (using the term loosely) groundwork for ignoring the Geneva Conventions and suspending the writ of Habeus Corpus. For some incredibly odd reason we are not fighting him on this issue but the issue that has somehow grown some legs which is the idea that you cannot and should not let US Prosecutors become a branch of enforcement for disagreeing with the president.
Libby lied and lied and lied in a provable way to a Grand Jury. He arguably lied to protect Cheney and ultimately the prez in their effort to punish Ambassador Wilson for NOT touting the party line. Again, you cannot allow your Grand Jury system to be kissed off like that. And since this seems to have many underlying tones of elitism–the idea that certain folks are above the law–it is critical to show that some part of our judicial and legislative system is still sufficiently intact that it will sit up and say, “By God, NO!”
I tend to agree that overbanging this drum could have negative ramifications but for those who are watching with any semblance of openmindedness a President and administration who places themselves above the rule of law, the influence of congress, the will of the people again and again will ultimately hurt himself/themselves. I wish the press would see fit to underline this connection a little more clearly but they are not.
In spite of the bubble that the president lives in and apparently the press, too, I think the American public is becoming very unhappy with this president’s actions. In agreement with the above article, the only really remaining question is WHY AREN’T we impeaching him? Will this be a race to the finish on what happens first? Will there be some tipping point event that allows Bush to overwhelm the will of the people with para-military force (ie Blackwater)? Or will a tipping point event create the final momentum that, in spite of the lassitude of the press and the congress, demands the impeachment.
Dunnyveg said:
My political concerns tend from top to bottom, rather than left to right. So the Libby and Gonzalez affairs don’t interest me directly. But I do think the dogged pursuit of these two is hurting Democrats more than it could ever help them.
and
The Democrats would be smart to stand back and let the Republican party self-destruct, rather than give them any reason to pull together and unite. When your enemy is destroying himself, the best course is to stand back and let him.
—
Okay, that’s the most fantastically unfounded bit of mixed cynicism and optimism I’ve ever seen. Basically it boils down to you being okay with one of our real spys who’s job was to find REAL WMD being outed for doing her job, and it being alright that they’re setting up the system so that even if everyone votes them out, any cheating they do to nullify our will gets fast track approval by the courts.
You don’t see a problem with this? You think that we should let them continue hoping that somehow they just give up or something? Or are you hoping that people see outside of the American Idol fog in time to stop what’s going on? Either way your optimism is disturbingly unfounded.
The course of action you recommend (give them more rope to hang themselves) hasn’t worked in 6 years, why would it start working now? The only thing we’ve gotten from giving them more rope is tied up and beaten, and I cannot stand silent while someone advocates letting them have (even more of) a free ride.
Dunnyveg: I reread your post, and have developed another, more biting issue with what you’ve said.
Frankly, I think you’re a Republican shill, and I’ll tell you why. It’s all in your second paragraph. First, it’s the comment about November being a partial success in bringing down the American government. How is that? Because some Democrats got elected? I really don’t get what you mean. I know that the Dems don’t REALLY have our best interests at heart, but how is it any worse than what was there before?
Secondly, the bit about Bin Laden wanting Bush and the Republicans to leave office in shame. What draws you to that conclusion exactly? What about Bush being a Bin Laden family friend, son of the guy who helped arm him, and his cabal being well connected to radical Arab interests makes you think there’s that much animosity?
In conclusion your post sounds very much like a ‘the republicans are our only hope’ type piece of flotsam, but I hope I’m wrong and have just missed the point of what you said. Please enlighten me if that is the case, but please try to do so with some facts if you can, weak supposition doesn’t work so well on my mind.
—EDIT:
P.S. one more thing about the Bush - Bin Laden relationship. Do you really think he has so much hate for a man who LET HIM ESCAPE in favor of attacking Bin Laden’s worst enemy in the region?
Me either.
dunnyveg seems to be living in a drug induced fantasy world. Where shall we begin? How about the beginning?
“the real reason we haven’t had a major terror attack since 9/11. The reason is that Al Qaida wants to bring down the US government, and they succeeded in part last November.”
al Qaeda has been shown time and again to love George Bush because he is their main recruiter. Their own intraorganizational messages and our own intelligence service make that clear. Thanks to the Bushies, their organization, which was moribund, is now doing quite well, thank you. Furthermore, they don’t care about bringing down our government as long as they can destroy our society, and Geo. & Co. are doing such a good job of that that al Qaeda doesn’t need to invest any effort in moving the process forward. Therefore, voting out the Republicans was a move in the opposite direction and not something that al Qaeda particularly endorses.
“Al Qaida would rather see George Bush in particular, and the Republicans in general, leave office in disrepute with the American people.”
Al Qaeda most definitely does NOT want Geo Bush to leave office. bin Laden made it clear that he favors Bush by helping along his candidacy when it looked like Kerry may pull it out. Unfortunately for them, Bush will have to leave in another year and a half, but what you want to bet that bin Laden pulls off some stunt that allows the neocons to retain their control?
bin Laden’s worst nightmare is that the US will leave Iraq. Then the Iraqis themselves will “escort” them out of the country. The Sunnis don’t particularly like them because they’ve been killing too many civilians and the Shiites hate them for killing civilians and bombing their mosques, especially the one in Samarra. And there will be no silver lining for al Qaeda because the umma won’t get upset about that treatment. bin Laden’s best hope is that Bush will continue to escalate the war.
Molly J: Excellent and sound argument. Thank you for sharing it. Polls show a majority DO want impeachment, the problem is the democrats unwilling to pursue that course. The big question of course is what percentage of the population is accurately informed (given the mechanisms of MSM) with respect to what’s going on. Fair play may be an American ideal. Thus the degree to which Bush & his handlers have run roughshod over every check/balance, even firing his own (Republicans) for not being “lock step” enough to the authoritarian view that Prez = big daddy, and everyone better shut up and follow HIS orders. I’d like to see a main stream writer show the analogy between the authoritarian mindset so prevalent in the millions of “conservatives without conscience” and how it diametrically opposes every aspect of US government, and the ideal of a representative democracy, which by definition expresses the views of a variety of citizens. These maniacs really think there is one right way to think, dress, believe, behave and “yes, sir” answer to authority. And with the military getting lots of “christian” programming lately to similarly follow a different version of the “big daddy” in the sky, well, TRUTH is just plain having a tough time of it… swimming through such murky waters as the collective unconscious is being infused with. It’s like a dolphin struggling for fresh air. (I’ll leave you with that compelling metaphor.)
Thank you Molly June for enlightening Dunnyveg on why we must go after Libby and Gonzales. I could not believe what I was reading when I read his post. Not doing anything about a criminal Attorney General who says the Geneva Convention is Quaint and the Vice President’s right hand man lying to a Grand Jury-no wonder these crooks get away with their crimes when you have people like Dunnyveg defending them.
Al Qaeda is just the Arab branch of the Republican party …