HE WINS AGAIN
HE WINS AGAIN
If there is anything to the old dictum “Whatever doesn’t destroy me makes me stronger,” G.W. Bush is flexing big muscle tonight.. The attempts to destroy him have not only failed, they have left him the one looking level headed, consistent, in touch with reality.
No doubt Cindy Sheehen, followed by hurricane Katrina, gave the President a black eye. The picture of him speaking in New Orleans over a podium with the words “The Worst Disaster to ever hit America” conveyed an unintended surreal sight-gag. This was the “tipping point” when the administration’s balloon started cracking up, to mix metaphors. But when it came down to it, what could he have done differently at the time to make a big difference? No one has pointed that out. It’s all Monday morning quarterbacking.
Then there continues to be the dirty flank attack on the Vice President’s office by indictment of Cheney’s aid ‘Scooter’ Libby in the CIA leak investigation. Still brewing under the radar somewhere, but it looks more like fizzle than stout. Vindictive nit-pickers and heel-biters.
Then there was to be the Supreme Court Showdown over Alito, with the liberal Democrat’s uncorking all their guns, even the nuclear option (filibuster) to prevent conservative dominance of the third branch of governmenet. Well, the put up a squawk about his “extremism,” citing attitudes toward ‘minorities’, and abortion. But one key witness to that, a Princeton alumnus wanting to address the Senate confirmation committee on the candidate’s link to an ultra-right wing group “Concerned Alumni of Princeton”, was scratched, apparently by a deal cut between Ted Kennedy and Arlen Specter “not to go there.” A look at the situation shows that the funder of “CAP” and its notorious publication “Prospect” went on to acquire National Review, hire Jonah Goldberg and Rich Lowry, and its basic positions taken back in l972 were the ones that got Bush elected in ’00 and re-elected in ’04. The charge of “extremism” based on those kinds of credentials, even while directly on point for liberals, puts them out of touch with the dominant thought strands, as if whining about what the voters had approved, already.
Next came Dick Cheney’s accidental shooting of his hunting partner and the WH reaction. Boy the media mad dogs pounced on that one. It was “GOTCHA!” to the nines; mainly because he “got himself” by firing his weapon carelessly. The vindictive mind-set always revels in this “they are doing it to themselves” charge, it externalizes their own self-destructiveness which they can proceed to try to destroy. Bunch of humanly insensitive bitches, these liberals.
Then … whisk whisk … Bush gets blindsided on his strong point, national security. The massive outcry whipped up by the media, key legislators, across party lines and alignments on other issues had one theme in focus: hatred of Bush, and the feeling of “one-upping” him on national security, the old “we’ll protect you; they won’t” card he and Rove have played so often, so well. Again, “well hoist on his own petard” The Nation’s William Greider put it, admitting the substance was bogus the entire uproar mass hysteria, but he is delighted at the turn of events, because Bush had it coming, anyway. But that is surely shortsighted. Not only does sit encourage fake-hate publicity stunts, it leaves him in the position of level-headed realist, under constant merciless, manipulated attack.
If this is all his political enemies have to put up – exposing themselves as no more than second guessers, nit-pickers, and out of touch hysterics – he comes off looking stronger than ever.
If there is anything to the old dictum “Whatever doesn’t destroy me makes me stronger,” G.W. Bush is flexing big muscle tonight.. The attempts to destroy him have not only failed, they have left him the one looking level headed, consistent, in touch with reality.
No doubt Cindy Sheehen, followed by hurricane Katrina, gave the President a black eye. The picture of him speaking in New Orleans over a podium with the words “The Worst Disaster to ever hit America” conveyed an unintended surreal sight-gag. This was the “tipping point” when the administration’s balloon started cracking up, to mix metaphors. But when it came down to it, what could he have done differently at the time to make a big difference? No one has pointed that out. It’s all Monday morning quarterbacking.
Then there continues to be the dirty flank attack on the Vice President’s office by indictment of Cheney’s aid ‘Scooter’ Libby in the CIA leak investigation. Still brewing under the radar somewhere, but it looks more like fizzle than stout. Vindictive nit-pickers and heel-biters.
Then there was to be the Supreme Court Showdown over Alito, with the liberal Democrat’s uncorking all their guns, even the nuclear option (filibuster) to prevent conservative dominance of the third branch of governmenet. Well, the put up a squawk about his “extremism,” citing attitudes toward ‘minorities’, and abortion. But one key witness to that, a Princeton alumnus wanting to address the Senate confirmation committee on the candidate’s link to an ultra-right wing group “Concerned Alumni of Princeton”, was scratched, apparently by a deal cut between Ted Kennedy and Arlen Specter “not to go there.” A look at the situation shows that the funder of “CAP” and its notorious publication “Prospect” went on to acquire National Review, hire Jonah Goldberg and Rich Lowry, and its basic positions taken back in l972 were the ones that got Bush elected in ’00 and re-elected in ’04. The charge of “extremism” based on those kinds of credentials, even while directly on point for liberals, puts them out of touch with the dominant thought strands, as if whining about what the voters had approved, already.
Next came Dick Cheney’s accidental shooting of his hunting partner and the WH reaction. Boy the media mad dogs pounced on that one. It was “GOTCHA!” to the nines; mainly because he “got himself” by firing his weapon carelessly. The vindictive mind-set always revels in this “they are doing it to themselves” charge, it externalizes their own self-destructiveness which they can proceed to try to destroy. Bunch of humanly insensitive bitches, these liberals.
Then … whisk whisk … Bush gets blindsided on his strong point, national security. The massive outcry whipped up by the media, key legislators, across party lines and alignments on other issues had one theme in focus: hatred of Bush, and the feeling of “one-upping” him on national security, the old “we’ll protect you; they won’t” card he and Rove have played so often, so well. Again, “well hoist on his own petard” The Nation’s William Greider put it, admitting the substance was bogus the entire uproar mass hysteria, but he is delighted at the turn of events, because Bush had it coming, anyway. But that is surely shortsighted. Not only does sit encourage fake-hate publicity stunts, it leaves him in the position of level-headed realist, under constant merciless, manipulated attack.
If this is all his political enemies have to put up – exposing themselves as no more than second guessers, nit-pickers, and out of touch hysterics – he comes off looking stronger than ever.
posted by Sid Thomas | 10:46 PM
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