The Plame leak continues to wreak havoc with the Bush administration:
The latest USA Today/Gallup poll finds more than 6 in 10 Americans critical of President George W. Bush on the leak controversy. The more closely people are following the issue, the more likely they are to say he did something illegal rather than unethical. The poll also shows that 37% of Americans continue to approve of Bush’s job performance, unchanged from last month. While that is a low rating — and among the lowest of the Bush administration — it represents no change in four Gallup polls conducted since the end of February.
I guess that is the good news- his approval is solid at 37%. I really don’t know who is still defending Bush, but I am to the point (and have been for some time) that what this administration has not simply lied about they have bungled. It took a while to get there, as years of putting up with the normal hysterical opposition politics of the Democrats sort of steels a Republican to ignore criticism, but it is pretty clear to me now that where these guys aren’t incompetent, they are unethical and dishonest. I still don’t hold the Democrats in much higher regard, but I really can’t think of one good thing to say about this administration at the moment.
Other than that it is almost over.
tBone
Well, it’s a Plame thread – they’ll be along shortly, don’t worry.
DougJ
Glad to see you’ve come around, John. Good for you. But I have one quibble: “where these guys aren’t incompetent, they are unethical and dishonest.” Where are you talking about? Where are the areas where they aren’t incompetent? I wish I could tell you that was a joke question.
stickler
Almost over??? We have these incompetent assclowns with their hands on the nuclear keys until January 2009.
Unless 1) the Democrats win both houses this fall, and 2) GWB gets a blow job and lies about it to Ken Starr.
slickdpdx
The more closely people are following the issue, the more likely they are to say he did something illegal rather than unethical.
Obvious problem with what that is intended to show. I’m sure you can all see it.
fwiffo
I can think of lots of areas where the are competent. They seem to be able to sorta win elections (so far at least). They are also pretty good at terrifying people… Um, they’re good at screwing stuff up…
John Cole
Sometimes you guys wonder why I write the things I do. This is why:
Ahem.
tBone
It’s pretty sad when you can’t even list “pretzel eating” and “Segway riding” as areas of competency.
DougJ
We have these incompetent assclowns with their hands on the nuclear keys until January 2009.
You call that hysterical, John?
Slide
John are you now officially a “Bush Hater”? I had to put up with being called a Bush Hater for saying exactly what you have just said. The only difference is that I saw (as did many of us) the obvious years ago while the “John Cole’s” of the world were busy making apologies for their Moron In Chief and attacking those of us that pointed out his inadequacies as President. As a matter of fact, John, I’m pretty sure YOU called me a Bush Hater. Don’t suppose I should expect an apology as that is not something a Republican does very easily, now is it?
fwiffo
slickdpdx — Yes, that’s post hoc ergo propter hoc or a closely related fallacy. Without more information we can’t be sure if they’re convinced of its illegality because they’ve been paying attention (and therefore know more), or that they’ve been paying attention because they’re convinced of illegality, or if they’re correlated for some other reason.
Rusty Shackleford
2) GWB gets a blow job and lies about it to Ken Starr
What Bush needs to do is “Wag the Dog,” but in reverse. Instead of starting a war to cover-up a scandal, he needs a sordid scandal to cover-up his disaster of a war.
All they have to do is invite Jimmy-Jeff Gannon-Guckert to the White House and rent Brokeback Mountain…
I know it sounds outrageous – but would anybody even remember we were at war if Jimmy-Jeff showed the world his incriminatingly stained dress?
I’m just suggesting…
Some Other Brian Guy
Every day goes by… Clinton looks better and better.
I’m not a Democrat. I just liked Clinton and a small handful of congress critters.
There used to be a time when I liked some Republican congress critters. Less and less after 1998. Arlen Specter was one of my pals, but he’s now sold his soul to Bushie.
The one that amazed me was the articles this week talking about great Mitt Romney was for what he did with health care in Mass. At one time, that probably would have been true. At one time that action would have cemented his lead in a Republican nomination battle.
But there is no way he will ever receive the nomination. He’s not radical or extreme enough.
I see Newt Gingrich is out stomping for the Presidency now. He’s stuck his finger in the air to check where the wind is blowing and declared we need to pull out of Iraq.
DougJ
I regularly ask Bush supporters to name one thing that Bush did well. I have yet to get an answer other than “win elections”. Seriously, is there any area of policy (as opposed to politics), where this administration has been successful? Try asking that about Clinton, Bush I, or Reagan, and you’ll get three or four immediate answers, but there are literally no obvious examples for this White House. None.
DougJ
There used to be a time when I liked some Republican congress critters. Less and less after 1998. Arlen Specter was one of my pals, but he’s now sold his soul to Bushie.
Right there with you. 1998 was when it all went wrong.
Pooh
I’m not sure why you felt the need to specify the Democrats. Unless you think the opposition Clinton faced was strictly sober, rational and above board. (And, no, I don’t think you do).
Sadly, its a somewhat natural outgrowth of politics in an age where the volume dial Goes To Eleven.
John Cole
Umm, I specified the Democrats because as a Republican (albeit a clearly lapsed one), it was the opposition politics of the Democrats that I paid attention to in the past.
FWIW- I thought the right wing was insane in large part for the last four years of the Clinton admin. I still think they are insane, as a matter of fact.
Orogeny
John, isn’t that exactly what those “hysterical” Democrats have been saying all along? It just seems like you folks on the right who have become disillusioned with Mr. Bush just can’t bring yourselves to say “My bad, you were right. He was a incompetant jerk all along. I just allowed myself to be fooled by Rove’s propaganda.”
tBone
Me too. That’s the year I registered as an independent.
The sad thing is, the Newt & Co. Congress looks like the Algonquin Round Table compared to the zipperheads on Capitol Hill today.
Some Other Brian Guy
The Bush-Hater meme is projection. After all the years of insane Clinton hating, for no other reason than he was a Democrat, they now think that is what all dislike towards Bush is all about.
I didn’t like Bush when he was elected, I thought it was rather sad that with all the great Americans this was the best the republicans could come up with. Embarassing really. But I didn’t grow to hate him until he ran up the deficit and invaded Iraq.
Had he kept spending under control, and not invaded Iraq. You know, I actually probably wouldn’t have a problem with him.
But we also know that had he not done either one of those things, the Democrats would have cemented control of the House and Senate in 2002. Which was why he did what he did.
And that’s why I hate him. Because he’s done great damage to our country solely for supposed political gain.
The reality is, people realize this. That’s why his approval rating is in the dumpster.
The Other Steve
Damn, I posted as that other brian guy instead of myself. ARGH! :-)
Halffasthero
I honestly wish GWB would do something right so that I don’t have to feel embarassed over the 37% of the people that still back him. I have very conservative friends who still back him but the only reason they give now is that they just don’t like Democrats. That’s understandable but it is almost a suicide pact. Just how much does a president have to screw things up before someone finally says, “I have had enough”.
Slide
What I love about what is happening now is that we are getting to watch as spectators the gut check that all all Republicans/conservatives are going through. Are they still going to support/defend this president – despite all the evidence of his dishonesty and incompetence? I’m happy to say that John passed his gut check. MacBuckets? Darrell? Stormy? How about you guys? Do you still support the great George W. Bush? Are you proud that he is the epitome of your Republican/conservative viewpoint?
don surber
“The Plame leak continues to wreak havoc with the Bush administration”
It is garbage
Joe Wilson lied so much he should change his name to Pinocchio.
This poll proves nothing. 60% of the country disapprove of teh war and if you put any issue out there — the weather — 60% will disprove of the president’s handling of it
I have a question: What is the problem with the public knowing the truth about this weasel Wilson? Why did the CIA send him? Who the hell elected the CIA?
Y’all can go to your graves hating Bush. Your perogative. But he saved this economy and apparently avoided the next terrorism attack by taking the war to the terrorists — all terrorists — and the states that sponsor terrorism like Iraq (too bad he cannot go after Iran now)
The CIA had no business sending anyone to Nigeria. It is part of a not-so-secret plan to undermine a duly elected president
Rejoice all you want, but if you fear Bush, wait till the CIAcracy comes along
DougJ
If you believe the statisticians, Republicans have seen roughly a ten percent drop in their numbers in the pat 16 months, so more people are passing the gut check than one might think. Bush’s high approval rating among Republicans is inflated by the fact that if Republicans don’t like Bush, they often stop being Republicans.
John Cole
Because even though I am disgusted with this administration, I am not where you guys are. Many of you would be saying these things about Bush EVEN if they were not true. In fact, many of you were saying it before there was even any evidence of it. Someone might, you know, call that the normal hysterical opposition politics of the Democrats.
In other words, even though I think this admin. and the current crop in Congress is FUBAR, I am still not Noam Chomsky. Or Slide. :P
DougJ
Is someone spoofing Don?
Tom Hilton
Exactly. Isn’t this really an admission that, on a lot of things (certainly on the big picture) we were right? And if so, would it kill you to give us credit for it?
DougJ
Many of you would be saying these things about Bush EVEN if they were not true.
How do you know? We haven’t been given that opportunity yet.
In fact, many of you were saying it before there was even any evidence of it.
So the fact we were right doesn’t matter? You still have some Bushie in you — rhetoric before truth.
The Other Steve
I remember in 2000 or 2002 or so thinking… “This is awesome!” after Dick Armey, Phil Gramm, Jesse Helms, Bob Barr and a whole bunch of other Republican asshats retired. I though finally, the Congress will get back to sensible politics.
I was wrong.
The Republicans thought those guys weren’t extreme enough and gave us Tom Delay.
I was watching C-Span the other day, and they were having a committee discussion on the breakdown of civility. David Obey, who is the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations committee was listing off a long list of crap the Republicans have pulled in the past 6 years or so. Just utter nonsense, all for politics.
Like he brought up an example, on appropriations committee he had submitted an amendment to a bill funding some Arts thing. It passed unanimously with support from both sides at the committee level.
Then when it got to the floor, the Republicans put forth some motion to strip that amendment from the bill.
Then turned around and submitted their own version. Same amendment. Only difference was a Republican had “authored” it. The Republicans wanted to be able to claim they “supported the arts” and attack Democrats for voting against it.
fwiffo
Around the election, I used to think 40% was a firm floor for Bush approval ratings. That is to say, I believed that W could kill and eat a puppy during the State of the Union and still enjoy 40% approval ratings. I thought if you added up the unshakable partisans and the fundies, you’d get somewhere close to that number. Now I’m wondering if that’s actually closer to where his ceiling might be now. Is there any plausable chain of events that could get his head back above water?
John Cole
I guess I can just call every woman a slut, then, since I am bound to be right sooner or later.
Andrew
Yes, quite clearly, but I think it might be Don Surber spoofing Don Surber.
LITBMueller
If the tin foil hat fits, wear it. ;)
John Cole
The current Republican Congress reminds me of all the jackasses who were political science majors with me when I was an undergrad. Trustafarians, all going to law school, all big in student government, and frat boys. They are why I chose to build a clothing store after undergrad and run it for two years instead of going to law school.
The difference between them and these idiots in Congress is that I think some of them have grown up. The same can not be said of these Republican congress critters.
Slide
Assholedness of John Cole:
How do you respond to something like this. “Yeah, conceeded you were right about the little shitbag but you woulda said it even if he weren’t a shitbag”
Fuck you John. I SUPPORTED this president big time after 911. As a cop and a New Yorker, I felt a great deal of comfort and solice in the way bush handled himself after 911. I wanted him to succeed more than anything. What turned me off about him was his OBVIOUS dishonesty, ignorance, laziness and incompetence. YOU and YOUR ILK were the ones that ignored the obvious to suit YOUR political viewpoints. And you SUPPORTED him time and time and time again because of your biases that you now project on those of us that were RIGHT about the little shitbag.
John Cole
Heh. Got the anticipated Slide explosion. My work here is done.
searp
I don’t think there was anything hysterical at all about the opposition. Dems supported the Prez right after 9/11, and I have yet to hear a lot of wailing that the Afghan war was the wrong thing to do. The Dem congresscritters got steamrolled by the Bush juggernaut for three years, and then called weak-kneed sissies if not traitorous cowards to boot.
The opposition has grown to be extra vehement, but that has happened as the Prez has grown more and more radical in his interpretation of his mandate, as all of his major policies have been shown to be harmful, and as the general incompetence of his administration has become clear.
Nope, we will see increasingly that the chief focus of hysteria is in the White House, where the key player has been way, and I mean way, out of his depth.
Tom Hilton
Okay, that’s where I call bulls**t. There was, in fact, ample evidence of incompetence and cronyism going back at least as far as early 2001. You didn’t see it then, that’s fine–but don’t try to claim it wasn’t there, and don’t try to pretend that the ability to see it before you did is some kind of a character flaw.
Slide
putz
Rusty Shackleford
John Cole said: In fact, many of you were saying it before there was even any evidence of it. Someone might, you know, call that the normal hysterical opposition politics of the Democrats.
Shrub: The Short But Happy Political Life of GWB was out before the election. We had evidence to the man’s governing style from his days in Texas. At 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan we Democrats who didn’t think much of “Mr. 40% of term on vacation” gave him a second chance to lead the nation and we rallied behind him.
And then he started poking us in the eye and spitting in our faces. “Democrats aren’t interested in the security of the nation…,” remember that crap? And it went on and on and on. This is Bush’s administration and the buck is supposed to stop with him.
And then he lied to us about the Iraq war.
At what point were Democrats truly unreasonable? We were disparaged every way possible (called “The Culture of Death” during the Schiavo Republican Corpse Fvcking) and you wonder why we’re not more restrained. We have been called wimps and traitors, how long did you expect us to take it?
The Republicans are fully responsible for the tone of politics today. To deny otherwise is just intellectual dishonesty.
The Other Steve
I don’t think you’re really in a position to be claiming what others would or would not do.
I didn’t much care about Bush until after he invaded Iraq. Actually before that… the 2002 election, and the Iraq resolution just prior to it.
That thing was motivated for clear partisan political purposes. I mean it was so fucking calculated to be used as a political hammer for the elections.
At what point did you realize that resolution was nothing but partisan bullshit?
Debating politics has more to do with being honest about yourself than about what other people think.
Orogeny
You mean things like running multiple companies into the ground, only to be bailed out by one of daddy’s cronies? Using pop’s influence to cadge a spot in the TANG and then walking away from it when he got bored? Making big bucks in the market on insider information? Mocking a woman who was pleading for her life in a death penalty case? Never once making the effort to actually review in detail the death penaly cases he ruled on as governor? Doing absolutely nothing in his life that distinguished him as the sort of person that one would want to have running the country? Golly, John, you’re right…none of those things (and plenty of others) were known by anyone before Mr. Bush became President.
Sometimes you act as though anyone who opposed Bush from the beginning had to be an ignorant partisan yahoo who just didn’t want to give the poor guy a chance. Isn’t it just possible that we looked at Mr. Bush’s past and opposed his election based on what we saw?
Slide
Cole:
John, don’t make me get Jane Hamscher on your ass.
The Other Steve
This is correct.
I don’t think many Republicans really understand this. The Republicans acted like bullies. Now they’re pissed off and whining because the geeky kid has gotten sick of it and is punching them in the nose.
I’ve seen it before on the playground when I was a kid. I know exactly how these guys operate. Their weakness is anybody who stands up to them and calls bullshit.
tBone
Despite the vein-popping way in which he put it, John, I think Slide has a point. There were a lot of “Bush Haters” who were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt after 9/11.
Bush and his gang willingly pissed all of that away. Do you blame people for being a little angry?
tBone
Other Steve – you know how badly things have deteriorated when Bob Barr is a reasonable and sane voice in the national political discussion.
Pooh
John,
Er sorry, rhetorical stylings run amok. Was just trying to point out that it’s hard to say in this day and age that screeching opposition is anything less than a bipartisan problem.
Though I think you are being a little harsh on a goodly percentage of the BJ Commenters of the Left. I think this
or some variant is a reasonably common opinion.
Like many people, I didn’t see much of a difference in 2000 (Gush-Bore and all that), I thought they both sucked, but in a pretty non-threatening way.
Iraq represented something of a turning point for me, but there were others (the ‘keep shopping’ response to 9/11 was underwhelming, for example.) The thing of it is, you only got to meet most of us once the froth was fully flying so you (not unnaturally) assume that’s how it always was.
Like I said, politics in the age of This one GOes to Eleven.
Jay C
John: I’m just curious as to what “opposition politics” – as opposed to say, the yawping commentariat on blogs like DailyKos and Atrios, you would class as “hysterical”? Democratic opposition to the war in Afghanistan? Democratic obstructionism over the war in Iraq? DHS? The -gasp- threats -horrors- of maybe filibustering a couple of extreme judicial nominations?
In case you hadn’t noticed, ever since the Newt Gingrich-headed House of 1995 changed their internal rules to marginalize the minority Party into insignificance, “opposition” – where it existed, has been, by design an exercise in futility: which, thanks to the obsessive 50%+1 principle, plus various parliamentary tricks (how many major bills have been passed in the last couple of Congresses by two- or three-vote margins after late-voting?) has made the country into, effectively, a one-party state. Personally, I don’t think the Dems have been “hysterical” enough in their criticism of this clownshow Adminstration – but I guess to the GOP diehards, anything that reflects poorly on Dear Leader of over-the top.
I wouldn’t count on it: one more scandal breaks, and Dubya’s approval ratings could be heading for late-term-Harry-Truman levels. I’m betting on the capper being the fate of those “missing” billions of dollars appropriated for Iraqi reconstruction; and whose audit trail seems to mysteriously stop at the edge of the Green Zone. Like all of us, I could be wrong: but I doubt the bottom of the public’s tolerance for an incompetent Administration has been reached. Yet.
Pb
don surber,
Oh really. Are you sure you didn’t mean to say “Dick Cheney”?
You’re projecting again, Don. Wash the bile out of your mouth and climb back into the real world.
Yeah, we’re so much safer now that the job market is booming, the Middle East is secure, oil is trading at record lows, Bush has caught Osama, and stopped North Korea from developing nukes. Oh wait. C’mon, Don, now you’re just being delusional. Don’s off his meds, everybody…
fwiffo
This is me exactly. I wasn’t even political really until they started beating the drums for Iraq.
I’ve always thought that the best way to make more Atheists was to make sure everyone read their bible. Bush made me into a partisan Democrat.
slickdpdx
If only G.W. Bush had risen to the occasion, I am sure the haters would be on board. Curious what would have constituted rising to the occasion.
Slide
good choice Jay, but my money is still on the Plame/CIA leak investigation. I have a sneaky feeling that Bush/Cheney were a tad more involved in leaking a covert CIA agent’s name to discredit her husband than they are letting on. The Libby trial is going to be quite juicy I say.
Pooh
tBone,
this is my all time favorite post on the subject. (Long quote to follow)
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Absolutely perfect.
What this administration did post-9/11 doesn’t even make me angry anymore. Instead, I’m terribly sad. Sad, because of deep concern this great nation is doomed.
It’s not that Bush forgot what made America special – it’s that he didn’t care.
tBone
Good read, Pooh, despite the Al Maviva-like length. Thanks.
Jay C
Slide:
Just for me, I think that “Plamegate” has already done most of its damage to the Administration (not to say that there couldn’t be more fun in the offing) – the White House’s recent frantic spin-efforts are proof of that – and there are still possible negatives looming over the as-yet-unresolved warrantless-wiretapping issue (a true “resolution” of which would probably bury Bush’s monarchical pretensions way more than six feet under).
However, I think the Iraq-reconstruction-money questions are a potential timebomb for the Bush gang: the notion of
“Halliburton profiteering” as a significant component of criticisms of the war in Iraq has always been dismissed by the warfloggers as mere lefty-moonbat ranting; but a few (damn few) recent articles have begun to raise serious questions about exactly where, how, and how much of the taxpayers’ money has been spent, and on what and to whom.
It may not pan out, and may not attract much public attention (since the public is only interested in financial matters when showy bankruptcies a la Enron, are involved) – but if anything hinky does turn up (or is even suspected) in the distribution of all that war-zone largesse….
it would be, imo, the coup de grace for the Dubya gang (paerdon my French!)
mark
Please tell me you don’t teach logic.
Pooh
tBone, I wish I could take credit for it.
John Cole
That wasn’t logic, it was DougJ speak- you just say something that sounds like it makes sense, but upon closer inspection, doesn’t.
Par R
I’m with Hiatt on this one. The latest “scandal” again includes former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV and his absurdly over-examined visit to the African country of Niger in 2002. Each time the case surfaces, opponents of the war in Iraq use it to raise a different set of charges, so it’s worth recalling the previous iterations.
“Mr. Wilson originally claimed in a 2003 New York Times op-ed and in conversations with numerous reporters that he had debunked a report that Iraq was seeking to purchase uranium from Niger and that Mr. Bush’s subsequent inclusion of that allegation in his State of the Union address showed that he had deliberately “twisted” intelligence “to exaggerate the Iraq threat.” The material that Mr. Bush ordered declassified established, as have several subsequent investigations, that Mr. Wilson was the one guilty of twisting the truth. In fact, his report supported the conclusion that Iraq had sought uranium.”
For once, the Washington Post got it pretty much right when they characterized as untrustworthy fools those claiming there was something amiss in the President’s declassifying a portion of the famous NIE.
Andrei
Wow. Pretty petty. By any standard.
Pooh
Not quite as petty as commenting on the pettiness.
Which is not quite as petty as commenting on the commenting on…
Slide
sub par said:
Well, if they were just correcting the record and giving American’s the “truth”, why then did this happen?
and why did the little shit say this?
Why say that? Why didn’t he just come out and admit to leaking very selective parts of the NIE? Why did he have Scooter make sure the administration wasn’t identified with the leak by demanding that it be attributed to a “former hill staffer”?.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
OK, if everything was on the up and up, then why go to such lengths to hide doing so?
Halffasthero
I was on Right Wing Nuthouse and thought that it deserved a look:
Sherard
Well, I’m speechless. Jump the shark much ? I thought it was just Tim. Little did I know the neurosis was spreading.
How can you defend Bush ? Oh, I don’t know, he was countering an all out media blitz by declassifying information 2 and a half years ago that was publically printed in the paper 10 days after it was “leaked” but never used.
Ridiculous. Officially coming off the RSS reader. Very disappointing.
jg
Then why hide it? Why ‘leak’? Why not a press conference? Why stonewall a special prosecutor?
Slide
Come on, we ALL know why – its just some seem to be genetically incapable of doing anything other than make the most ridiculously twisted absurd excuses for the little shit.
Ernie
A few examples of Bush successes:
War – right and well prosecuted (lowest casualty rates in world history for occupation and liberation of a totalitarian state)
Economy – I’m getting paid a lot more these days, and so, according to the only factors that matter, is everyone else, save the lazy.
Afghanistan – often overlooked, but a huge win for W and against the forces of terror.
Tax relief – yup. I benefited from that too, and I’m dead solid middle class (lower class during Bush the First, working class by Clinton, though I struggled for work during the Clinton bubble pop, now this. I’ll take this.)
You are correct in identifying lax immigration and excess spending during this time, but the Dems solution to those problems are laxer immigration and excesser spending!
Look, I’m one of those rare birds who liked Clinton and voted for him, and was persuaded to vote for W in ’04 (Gore in ’00).
I’m glad I did.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Oh yeah? Well, you’re banned from the store!
/Clerks
DougJ
He secretly leaked it (which he is entitled to do, legally) — he didn’t declassify it via the normal channels.
But you’re a dumb fuck Bush apologist. Why am I arguing with you? Why don’t you head over to Little Green Footballs and see if you can slip a few anti-Muslim racial slurs past the screener?
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Low casualty rates for the troops involved, sure. As for the Iraqi citizens we’re saving from totalitarianism, fuck ’em.
Slide
I was going to the trouble of refuting Ernie’s points one by one but I decided it was silly to do so. As a matter of fact i will just repeat what he said without further comment, as I think that says all that has to be said about Ernie.
Yes, Ernie actually said this:
.
SeesThroughIt
Fucking hell, The Other Steve, that C-Span shit is ridiculous. I mean, killing a bill so that you can resubmit the exact same thing with your name on it? This is what passes for governing these days?
What else did the guy talk about? Or better yet, what show was this on? Maybe I can hunt down a transcript or something.
jg
My yearly binus was taxed at 41% just like it was under Clinton.
You’re giving Bush credit for better battlefield medical treatment? Thats the reason I keep hearing for our troop casualties being so low.
Darrell
Good summary Ernie
jg
But at least the spending will be funded.
Easyliving
Silly radicals. Bush’s approval rating doesn’t matter, he’s still president. If the D’s takeover either chamber in Nov., you’ll have something to gloat about. Till then, you and your favored party are still losers of the first order.
Bush success’: probably Iraq and Afghanistan (history will judge either failure or success but the grand goal is already paying dividends), Supreme Court, economy, picking up congresional seats for his party (opposite of Slick Willy), energy bill, gains in black and hispanic % of vote, creating black Republican superstars like Condi and Colin, handling days after 911.
Pooh
OT, slightly, but this account of a GWB sitdown with prominent conservative bloggers = priceless. (I also recommend comment #3)
DougJ
That’s better. Remember, brevity is soul of wit. Nobody laughs at Al Maviva’s posts.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Colin, as in Colin Powell?
You mean, the one competent military man in Bush’s cabinet who was marginalized because he refused to swallow the bullshit?
Helena Montana
Almost over? ALMOST OVER? There’s almost 3 FREAKIN’ YEARS left. Do you know how much damage those morally bankrupt lunatics can inflict on this country and the rest of the world in almost three years?
james richardson
I’d start here.
Santa Claus
Bush saved Christmas. How many other American Presidents can make such a claim?
Not that I’d expect any of you atheists and heathens to fucking appreciate the magnitude and importance of this feat, mind you. You’re all in favor of blathering about global warming all year long, but when it comes to talking about what the residents of the North Pole ACTUALLY support and believe in, your mouths shut up tighter than a clam’s asshole.
Well, screw you guys. Bush gets my vote, and I have a condo in the Keys for when I’m not freezing my balls off up in this toy shack. So guess which state I vote in, you lefty wackos? Ho ho ho!
neil
Don Surber, you unbelievable idiot, Joe Wilson went to _Niger_, not _Nigeria_.
Those are different countries, in case you didn’t catch it.
Bruce Moomaw
“Almost over”, John? We’re stuck with these idiots for THREEE MORE YEARS. And the rumors that they are planning to bomb the hell out of Iran — not to snuff its nuclear weapons-program (which I think is defensible), but as part of a totally insane scheme to persuade the Iranian people to rise up against their own government by “humiliating it” — is evidence that they intend to wreak even more havoc during that period than I thought them capable of doing. (One of Seymour Hersh’s witnesses says that the plan calls for “99% of the bombing” NOT to be aimed at Iran’s nuclear facilities!)
StupidityRules
There will be a war with Iran, The Shia in Iraq will rise to fight the US both in Iraq and Iran. Due to the situation elections in the US will have to be suspended until further notice.
ppGaz
I gave him the benefit of the doubt all the way back to Dec 2000, after Jim Baker got him the job despite losing the election. Even after that, I wished him well.
Right up until January, 2003, when he made the SOTU speech that basically was complete horseshit from “Mr. Speaker” to “God … Bless the United States of America.” On that night, I said, fuck this guy, he’s a lying idiot. Nothing that has happened since that night has indicated that I was wrong.
ppGaz
Not me.
Easyliving
pp,
How can you say Bush lost the election? It just doesn’t make any sense.
DougJ
I like this Santa Claus guy. Easyliving is improving too. It’s really satisfying watching the next generation of spoofers starting to develop.
ppGaz
Bush lost the election.
Just like that.
Back to you, Mister Junior Spoofapalooza.
The Other Steve
SeesThroughIt. I found it.
The link goes to Real Video from c-span. They talk about a lot of things.
What’s interesting is that one of the Republican asshats only answer to any of this is that it’s the way it is. He just doesn’t get it that people are tired of this bullshit for partisanship sake.
The Other Steve
Ernie(not to be confused with Bert the Evil One)
Interesting. When Clinton was in office I was seeing yearly 15% increases to my salary, while at the same time the cost of living was going down.
Bush. I see 3% increase to salary, with the cost of living going up.
Could you think about this a bit more, or give us more detail to why you think things are better?
I’m upper middle class, and the Bush tax cuts amounted to a hill of beans.
In the long run, the $200 a year he saved me in tax would have been better spent not building a deficit.
ppGaz
I gave my big tax cut mostly to Balloon-Juice and to homeless people. No, that’s two different categories, Doug.
Anyway, the tax cuts are a scam. You could give me ten times the Bush frigging tax cut and not make a big impact on my situation here. But the debt that the nation is being subjected to …. that’s going to leave a mark. For about a generation.
noodles on my back
I can’t believe my eyes, but good for you, John.
CaseyL
Three more years.
Three more hurricane seasons.
Three more years watching Iraq come apart at the seams.
Three more years watching oil prices go up $1/per gallon per year.
Three more years watching the federal debt metastasize.
Three more years wondering which disease epidemic is coming next, and wondering what effect the continued defunding of public health programs, and driving out real scientists in favor of theocons, will have on our ability to deal with said epidemics.
Three more years wondering who the Bush Admin will decide to spy on; how many more people will vanish into secret prisons and what will be done to them there; how many people will be expelled from school, fired from their jobs, and charged and convicted of “terrorist-related activities” such as expressing their distrust and contempt for the Bush Admin.
Three more years of wondering which country Bush will next decide he wants to attack or invade; of watching the armed forces deteriorate; of seeing Bush continue to alienate every other country in the world.
Three more years of knowing there will be emergencies, there will be crises, there will be be occasions when it would sure be nice to have someone in charge who’s competent, who’s aware of what’s going on, who cares about what’s going on – and knowing, as surely as we know anything, that whatever happens, the Bush Admin will make it worse. Much, much worse.
Nice.
Brian
The Plame case is not a leak case. There was no leak. To state otherwise is to push a myth.
Easyliving
Silly radicals. Instead of using lies (upper middle class saving $200 a year?) to “prove” your point, just acknowledge your wrong for once.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0411/p01s02-usec.html
Easyliving
*you’re
Perry Como
CaseyL Says:
Three more years watching gold and silver sky rocket. Instability is good!
DougJ
The Plame case is not a leak case. There was no leak
Why not go whole hog and claim the only leaking was done by Joe Wilson? If you’re driving by crazy town, why not pull over and spend the night?
Your half-assed insanity irritates me sometimes, Brian. Be a total whack like Darrell or be a thinking person. One or the other.
Easyliving
“Three more years watching oil prices go up $1/per gallon per year.”
If you mean gas prices, then in 2003 you’re saying gas was ($0.46). Wow, where do you live?
ppGaz
Can you believe these sonsabitches?
I think it’s safe to say that we have never seen the likes of these lying bastards in our government before, and let’s hope we never do again. Assuming that we survive three more years of this shit, I mean.
DougJ
You’ve got to be careful with the stupid error-finding ploy, easyliving. Don’t over do it.
Is it possible that you are actually Darrell and not a spoof? Honestly, I can’t tell.
Once-ler
If anybody saved the post-9/11 economy, it was General Motors. Remember 0% financing? And this is the thanks they get:
“Bush says automakers need to offer ‘a product that’s relevant'”
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060128/AUTO01/601280334/1148/BIZ
dylan
When this episode reaches it’s fruition (Plame), it may have several possible consequences.
It may go down as scandalous as Watergate: resignations, firings and the like.
It may go without a peep. An embarassment to all doubters of Unitarian effectiveness.
What it won’t go without is: idiots and idiot style arguments.
My senator,(Roberts, Ks), is going to learn the hard way. When you are on a very important committee investigating the most important day of our lives, so far. Please don’t waste your time talking about Joe Wilson; and what a cad you think of him.
Same goes for the dummy Par R. I know the marching orders come in on the special radio in the kitchen, but reset the digital year. It’s 2006, Wilson slamming is ’03. Your new slam for ’06 is Libby slam. Get used to it sucker…
fwiffo
Except for corporate CEOs, wages, on average, are flat when adjusted for inflation. The only people benefiting from this super-duper economy are the people at the top. If you poll people, they’ll say the economy isn’t doing well, and for them it’s not.
Otto Man
Put down the bong.
gratefulcub
Wooo Hoooo! We found the WMD. We found bio labs on rails. Take that moonbats.
The Other Steve
1994-2000 > 15% yearly salary increases, decreasing cost of living
2001->2006 > 3% yearly salary increases, increasing cost of living
Now how exactly am I better off now again?
And the strange thing is, I work in the industry which is keeping this fucking economy alive. Mortgages.
Jorge
Wow, anytime that I start to believe that there is no way that Bush is going to nuke Iran and start another completely counter productive war based on flawed logic and deception, I am exposed to the views of those that are still Bush supporters and realize how close we are to starting WWIII.
Caseyl
As with so many things, Tom Lehrer said it first and best:
So long, Mom,
I’m off to drop the bomb,
So don’t wait up for me.
But while you swelter
Down there in your shelter,
You can see me
On your TV.
While we’re attacking frontally,
Watch Brinkally and Huntally,
Describing contrapuntally
The cities we have lost.
No need for you to miss a minute
Of the agonizing holocaust. (Yeah!)
Little Johnny Jones he was a U.S. pilot,
And no shrinking vi’let was he.
He was mighty proud when World War Three was declared,
He wasn’t scared,
No siree!
And this is what he said on
His way to Armageddon:
So long, Mom,
I’m off to drop the bomb,
So don’t wait up for me.
But though I may roam,
I’ll come back to my home,
Although it may be
A pile of debris.
Remember, Mommy,
I’m off to get a commie,
So send me a salami,
And try to smile somehow.
I’ll look for you when the war is over
…an hour and a half from now
Skip
Dick Cheney, man of the people, recently made a rare venture outside the military bases, the Heritage Foundation, AIPAC and the American Enterprise Institute. The V-P made the ceremonial pitch at the Washington Nationals baseball game at RFK stadium, a whole two miles from the White House.
For this unscripted appearance, he was rewarded with the loudest cascade of boos in human memory.
The worm has truly turned.
carot
A really interesting discussion. In fact it gets to the heart of the effect Bush had had on people. On the one hand there are people like Slide (just as an example) who say they saw everything bad about Bush before it came out. Then there are people like John Cole (1/3 of the US population) who say none of this could have been foreseen, and that the Dem protestors were simply lucky to guess these faults would occur. I believe both sides are simply being honest about what they perceive.
I live outside the US though I did live there for a few years. I can tell you that of the entire world’s population about 80% of them or more foresaw all this badness in Bush and Cheney and his corrupt cronies. In all this time this vast majority of humanity correctly foretold all these things, for example that the war on Iraq was corrupt. Look at the sheer percentages of the world’s populations in opinion polls that were against it. They didn’t all guess this, they could see it all in the body language of Bush and his cronies. They basically didn’t contradict each other, didn’t come up with many competing theories, they basically all saw the same thing. This is simply statistically impossible to be just a lucky guess or coincidence. Anyone with any comprehension of science (and John Cole has that comprehension in abundance) should drop this whole notion of lucky guesses as simply absurd.
Which leads to the real interesting question. Why are so many people unable to see through Bush and Cheney and why can the vast majority of humanity see through them in a few second? Bush exudes for this majority such a completely obvious body language of a crook that I believe the majority of humanity would simply take this for granted. That he has been implicated in so much wrongdoing after that visual impression is simply obvious to most people the world over.
I do though have a theory as to why this is, which will no doubt be dismissed by many Republicans. It is known that Bush and his familly are of royal blood extending back into English history. In fact there is quite a resemblance to a bumbling royal like Prince Charles, who is nearly as absurd in some of his ideas. It seems that royalty of that type exude a charisma that make people admire them, and that perhaps is why aristocracies have formed throughout history. Most people however seem to be immune to this charisma and see the person for what they are instantly, which is why Bush (like it or not) is viscerally thought a crook by the said 80% of humanity. It may be that from a time of aristocracy the human race is evolving a kind of immunity to this dangerous charisma.
It also seems clear that people like John Cole cannot see this, and so cannot accept on faith that others can see through Bush. To them it is like some kind of magical power or simply nonsense. But I submit that this has in fact been proven by the sheer amount of vindication of Democrats in general and the world population who in a vast majority saw what would happen.
But this is of no help if those Republicans (and some democrats) cannot see this and they rightly should no more take this (to them) hocus pocus as correct any more than Democrats (in general) should believe someone they see as an obvious crook.
I only present the dilemma, I have no idea how to resolve it, except to predict that the vast majority of humanity will continue to be right about Bush, and those Republicans will be wrong all the way to the end of this.
In fact though the Ferengi (from Deep Space Nine)understood Bush with one of their rules of acquisition “The bigger the smile the sharper the knife”.
carot
Nonetheless the Republicans have a cringe factor here they have to get over sooner or later. Not only did they make an awful choice for a presidential nomination and presidency, but they have a large group of people who saw ahead of time it was an awful choice.
So it’s not only like buying a lemon at a used car lot, but all the people you know saying after that they could see the salesman was a crook just from looking at him. You thought he looked honest though. So the Republicans come off not only as having poor judgement but of being a soft touch. So they are like the guy who wants to secretly get his lemon car repaired rather than admit he was ripped off. This can only be a learning experience though from facing up to how Bush deceived people. In fact the clearest indication about Bush were the debates done by SNL, everything they parodied about Bush in those turned out correct.
There is a phenomenon called a “tell” where when people are lying they make certain facial expressions. Bush has a lot of tells, such as smirking when he lies. A lot of people saw these tells and correctly foresaw most of his lies. Others couldn’t see these tells and fell for his lies. If you can’t see Bush’s tells, then it might be good to go over some of his speeches when it is known he was lying and try to pick them in his mannerisms. Once you understand his tells you won’t get fooled again.
busdrivermike
This websites intellectual dishonesty is breathtaking. In 2002, you guys all put on your miniskirts and the sweaters with the big “R” on them, and cheeleadered for Bush until your face turned red. You all knew that the stuff coming out of your leaders mouths was more bovine scatololgy than causis belli. But since you were party men, you marched right over the cliff with Rummy and Scooter.
And now you all want too skulk away, like thieves in the night, now that the water is getting a little too hot for you, and you see the flames licking at the sides of the pot.
Too fucking bad for you. Why don’t you guys go to the nearest Armed Forces Recruiting center and sign up. Got a son? Make it a family affair. Maybe you will be lucky, and the physician will not check to see whether you have balls anymore before they let you in. Unless they just check for balls on PAPER!
carot
I think the sad fact is they didn’t know. While some people can see Bush and co as crooks a mile away, some people just can’t. I can understand why Cheney might fool some, he has at least some kind of poker face. Bush though just beams through his body language at all times what suckers he thinks people are for believing him.
It reminds me of a famous story call The Land of the Blind where someone with eyes stumbles into a land where everyone is blind. He fails to convince anyone he can see any better than them. It’s equally pointless to convince most Republicans that people can have simply seen that Bush and co were crooks from the beginning, and all this was inevitable.