There’s something to be said for accuracy.
Bill, you ever considered presidential speech writing? 
-Joe
Or…he just had a bad batch of blow.
:dubious:
George never stood up to the “Cheney is really the one in power” meme that was floating around. We know George doesn’t read the papers or watch the news, but he does watch baseball. Maybe, when Cheney was booed off the field the other day, George realized that his approval rating can be lower than the thirties. Cheney’s teens were an albatross around his neck, and George had to stand up and let everyone knows that he’s the decidererer.
Criticism of Rummy is inversely proportional to the praise he receives from Bush. This is a mathematical given.
So I wish the retired generals would recognize this and start applying some reverse psychology. With the way they’re going about this, Rummy is on his way to getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
This isn’t new at all. Of all of Bush’s demonstrated traits, personal loyalty to those who give him loyalty is as strong as any, perhaps even the strongest. Even, that is, when what he sees as loyalty to him is patently, to the rest of us, mere suckupism or yesmanism. While admirable in isolation, that loyalty trait is not well balanced by judgment in other matters, and especially not by an understanding that his responsibilities are to the *entire * country and to the world, not just those who have demonstrated their loyalty to him with their votes.
No, no–he said in this “decider” statement that he DOES read the front page (or was it just the headlines…)–so, lookee there! Improvement–why in only 2 more years, he might realize that the paper actually opens up-with more writing and pictures inside!
This whole blurting out that he did–“decider”–is he in charge of picking who’s “it” as well? Doesn’t it just echo with sounds of “it’s my party/toy/house–I get to decide”? Childish and ill thought out, sounds like George W to me.
Well, I thought of this too, and it has merit. But it isn’t leaving the esteemed sec’y in place that surprises me, it’s so publicly creating a record of personal responsibility for it. “Wait until the noise dies down” has been a key strategy of the administration, so it is new to see the fearful leader come out of his den, look around, and take a stand while the controversy is still on TV.
Of course, I provided plenty of pessimist-fodder too, so don’t think too harshly of me.
Since we’re discussing Bush’s prominent personality traits, acceptance of personal responsibility hasn’t ever been one of them. Why expect it now? Remember his comment about the last election, that he’d already *had * his “accountability moment”.
Arrogance and stubbornness are perfectly adequate explanations for your point, and *those * have always been evident in abundance in him.
From the news of Scott McLellan’s resignation:
Boy… this *good ol’ boy * shit never gets old, does it. :rolleyes:
Yep, me ol’ McClellie there, we’re gonna sit back and suck down some beers and talk ‘bout them good ol’ days and how we used to spin out them press releases and say any darn thing that come to mind and get those damn liberals shorts in knots. Say, d’you remember the time Dickie got all liquored up an’ shot that ol’ feller in the face?! Why, I damn near pissed m’self laughin’ while you tried to keep a straight face for 'em reporters… Good times huh McLellie?!.. goooood tiiiimes…
Please replace inversely with directly.
Come now, you’re being absurd. They’ll be doing that on the porch of Trent Lott’s beach house.
Duh!
-Joe
I take no joy from this administration’s doing what they’ve always been doing: namely receiving enough rope to finally hang itself, because the Democrats will do what they’ve always been doing; namely waiting for events to fall into their laps instead of reforming and creating a substantial alternative to what the Republicans offer.
Washington in the 2000’s is too much like Detroit in the 1970’s, where GM and Ford sold each other engine blocks to put into slightly different bodies, oblivious to what was on the horizon.
What kill’s me is that little clique in teh whitehouse has the menatlity that to rethink, reassess or admit mistakes is a weakness even when the inital decsions are boneheaded to start.
It is that whole “flip flop” criticism that scares them. Heaven forbid they admit they screwed up and try to fix the problems they have caused.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
It makes me chuckle that this is one of perhaps three things in the past five years of Bush that didn’t bother me.
He is the one who gets to decide. I think he’s wrong, but it’s refreshing that he acknowledges he’s making an unpopular decision, and he’s doing it because he thinks it’s best.
That’s so incredibly different from ‘you had access to the same intelligence I did,’ or ‘I don’t think anyone could have foreseen the levees being breached,’ that I took notice of it too, but for the opposite reason of Scylla.
Or even better, “Rummy the silly SecDef started this affair, and Rummy had better finish it, or himself.” 
Kind of a shame, really, that just about the only positive character trait GeeDub can display is personal loyalty, albeit tinged with a stubborn faith in his own judgement.
The responsibilities of his office demand a certain ruthlessness, a quality he possesses in abundance for his enemies, but cannot seem to muster for his loyalists, the capacity to say “Poorly done, good and loyal servant, now bugger off!” Rummy should have been pitched over the side a long, long time ago.
As well, he seems convinced that the way to recover his approval is to present himself as firm and decisive. He can’t seem to grasp that such qualities are only a positive when one is at least occaisionally right, you can’t un-screw the pooch.
On the fair and balanced, I cannot think of another public figure who has taken as clear and unequivocal a stance against human-animal hybrids. This may well go down as the high point of his administration.
As I think about it and try to put aside my distrust, and loathing of this administration, how much better it would have been for the President to have said something along the lines of :
From the foundations of the republic it has been the President’s duty and responsibility to determine when a cabinet secretary should leave office. The President can decline to accept a resignation. He can ask for a resignation. He can dismiss as a last resort. In any event the decision is the President’s responsibility and his alone. I have never seriously considered either accepting Mr Rumsfeld’s offer to resign or requesting that he resign. The secretary is a vital and beneficial member of the cabinet and an effective administrator. I want him to stay. I will not accept his resignation or ask for it.
How hard is that?
What we get instead is, in effect, “Because I say so.” I’m almost as tired of this pater familias balderdash as I was of President Clinton’s lip biting self-righteousness, George H. W. Bush’s dithering and President Regan’s swagger. I know it’s just style but, damn it, style reflects substance. “Because I say so” means that there is no substantial explanation that will bear critical examination. In the end ’tude shows character and character governs action. Surely we knew what we were getting when we elected the guy twice, for Pete’s sake. It is not enough that he have a conventional sex life while in office – that I think was the main plank of the first campaign.
As the saying goes, character is destiny. Regretably, its his character and our destiny.
Reminds me of that quote: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”