Life sure sucks at the top.
First, we once again have
another embarrassing scandal in the upper ranks of the Bush Administration:
Another GOP hypocrite bites the dust. Joining a dishonor roll that includes anti-child predator predator Mark Foley and anti-homosexual homosexual Ted Haggard is Deputy Secretary of State Randall Tobias, a pro-abstinence zealot who couldn't abstain from enjoying the services of D.C. Madam Jeane Palfry's escort service.
I really don't give a damn what Tobias does in his down time; it's the endless hypocrisy of the holier-than-thou crowd on the right I can't stomach.
I have to agree. Talk about a bunch of liars. But we're supposed to believe what their
hero boss says...riiight.
Then there is the issue of
continuing party corruption (these guys can't seem to learn from
their past mistakes the 2006 election):
Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., has rejected speculation he plans to resign, but his political future looks uncertain.
Speculation grew this week that Renzi would leave Congress in connection with a federal investigation into a corruption scandal. He has had little in the way of public support from Republican Party leaders, and news of the investigation seems to have affected his fundraising for the 2008 campaign, the Arizona Republican reported Saturday.
Telling that his main concern seems to be campaign fundraising. Typical.
Then there is Iraq. Never mind that it's still an unmitigated disaster (despite the glorious plan of sending more troops to catch bullets...good one, George). Can't be too good for 'ol Bush to hear that his head of intelligence from those pre-invasion days now
publicly admits it was a big screw-up:
Former CIA director George Tenet's new book asserts that no "serious" debate was held before a decision was made to invade Iraq.
By "no serious debate" he means "Bush ignored anyone who didn't agree with his preconceived notions and plans".
Of course, debate and logic is the last thing Bush ever wants. Our petulant Commander-in-Chief refuses to hear of any plan that doesn't fit his "stay the
disaster course" mindset. Take the plan Democrats (the majority party, put in place by a nation that clearly said in 2006 "FIX IRAQ") proposed to accompany another $100 billion in spending on Iraq. Bush plans to first open a discussion, inviting Democrats to come up with a plan and propose it, then when they do he a) threatens to veto it and b) puts his
Swift Boaters Republican cronies
on the attack:
The showdown over Iraq that's been brewing since the November elections will finally come to a head this week as Congress sends a war-spending bill to President Bush. Though the bill authorizes $100 billion for the war, Bush has rejected its October deadline for beginning the withdrawal of combat troops, with the goal of bringing combat troops home by April 2008, and has promised to use his veto—his second-ever use of this power—to kill it.
On Jan. 13, during his weekly radio address, Bush challenged those who disagreed with him to offer their own plan for Iraq. Led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Congress met Bush's challenge to come up with an alternative policy.
But instead of seeking the dialogue he asked for in his own radio address, Bush and the Republicans went on the attack, calling the bill "defeatist" and "a cut and run" strategy. The truth is that the measure offers a change of course, not a 180-degree reversal. If Bush and Republicans can't agree to a plan as moderate as the one passed this week, then they really do want a war with no end.
It all points to two big themes. First, Bush is completely out of touch with reality, the desires of the American people, and common sense. Second, the majority of the Republican Party is riding the same wave on lunacy as the President.
I'm sure if they keep it up we'll happily see an Obama Administration and a more solid (possibly filibuster-proof) Democratic majority in 2008. Maybe then we can do some fixing to the nations (yes, plural) Bush has screwed up in his two disastrous terms in office.
Technorati Tags: Politics, Bush, Republicans, Failure, Scandal, Renzi, Iraq, Tenet, Stupidity
