we need a better president.
This was supposed to be the administration that new how to handle the big problems. This was supposed to be the administration of accountability. This was supposed to be the administration that restored "honor and integrity" to the Oval Office. This was supposed to be the administration that was going to run things like a business, rather than a tangled up bureaucracy.
So far, Mr. President, you're mission is NOT accomplished.
This is an administration that is collapsing and imploding under the weight of its own arrogance and blind loyalty. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't taking the rest of us down with it.
True, George W. Bush has been dealt a tougher hand than many other presidents. But that doesn't matter. Presidents aren't availed the luxury of stacking the deck. Many others have been faced with tremendous adversity and stood tall. And the statute of limitations has run out on passing the buck to your much-hated predecessor, Bill Clinton.
No more excuses, Mr. President.
It's time for you, for somebody -- ANYBODY!!!! -- to stand up and take charge. It's time for somebody -- ANYBODY!!!! -- to be a leader in the face of yet another cataclysmic event. This time, you don't get to piggyback on Rudy Guiliani.
The beltway spinsters are great at getting Bush to talk out of both sides of his mouth to appease the masses (the very thing they accused Clinton of doing, I might add). We all saw the reports where Bush said the response to Katrina was "not acceptable." But then we see him giving an atta boy to "Brownie," who's apparently doing a "heck of a job."
How many days after the storm passed was that?
Bush supporters are very protective of their man, but they're out on that island all by themselves right now. Because even many conservatives have admitted the federal response was embarrassing.
This administration is great at spin, better at vindictive dirty tricks. To whom will the buck get passed this time? My prediction: the victims.
You heard me.
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has already been thrown at Tim Russert as the first of what's sure to be many test balloons. It's subtle, but what Barbour said in response to what's happened to the Gulf Coast was some pithy remark about "the people who didn't evacuate." In print, it doesn't look so bad, does it? But think of the implications of that tone. It's a softening blow that implies those who remained in New Orleans had other options.
I bet you hear many more Kool-Aid drinkers utter sentiments like "if they would've evacuated like they were told to do..."
The name of the game: re-direct, deny responsibility, claim victory, and promote the most loyal sycophant.
The machine is already starting.
As I've said time and again, it's time for people to wake up. THESE are the true hot-button issues. Not gay marriage. Not prayer in school. Not Terri Schiavo. Not the Ten Commandments. Not "they hate us for our freedom." This is precisely what the federal government is supposed to be addressing -- the big things that individuals cannot address.
Quite simply, we need a better president. No, he didn't make Katrina happen, but his administration -- the very thing he's reshaped (twice) -- has failed time and again because of twisted demagoguery.
Clearly, planes crashing into buildings and monster hurricanes aren't enough to convince this administration that it's time to do a better job. If you need a canary in the mineshaft, where do these stack up?
Has it yet convinced you that we need a better president? Or will we have to wait for something more personal to happen; like a shaky economy, outlandish, skyrocketing energy costs and long lines at the gas pump?
Oh wait....
So far, Mr. President, you're mission is NOT accomplished.
This is an administration that is collapsing and imploding under the weight of its own arrogance and blind loyalty. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't taking the rest of us down with it.
True, George W. Bush has been dealt a tougher hand than many other presidents. But that doesn't matter. Presidents aren't availed the luxury of stacking the deck. Many others have been faced with tremendous adversity and stood tall. And the statute of limitations has run out on passing the buck to your much-hated predecessor, Bill Clinton.
No more excuses, Mr. President.
It's time for you, for somebody -- ANYBODY!!!! -- to stand up and take charge. It's time for somebody -- ANYBODY!!!! -- to be a leader in the face of yet another cataclysmic event. This time, you don't get to piggyback on Rudy Guiliani.
The beltway spinsters are great at getting Bush to talk out of both sides of his mouth to appease the masses (the very thing they accused Clinton of doing, I might add). We all saw the reports where Bush said the response to Katrina was "not acceptable." But then we see him giving an atta boy to "Brownie," who's apparently doing a "heck of a job."
How many days after the storm passed was that?
Bush supporters are very protective of their man, but they're out on that island all by themselves right now. Because even many conservatives have admitted the federal response was embarrassing.
This administration is great at spin, better at vindictive dirty tricks. To whom will the buck get passed this time? My prediction: the victims.
You heard me.
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has already been thrown at Tim Russert as the first of what's sure to be many test balloons. It's subtle, but what Barbour said in response to what's happened to the Gulf Coast was some pithy remark about "the people who didn't evacuate." In print, it doesn't look so bad, does it? But think of the implications of that tone. It's a softening blow that implies those who remained in New Orleans had other options.
I bet you hear many more Kool-Aid drinkers utter sentiments like "if they would've evacuated like they were told to do..."
The name of the game: re-direct, deny responsibility, claim victory, and promote the most loyal sycophant.
The machine is already starting.
As I've said time and again, it's time for people to wake up. THESE are the true hot-button issues. Not gay marriage. Not prayer in school. Not Terri Schiavo. Not the Ten Commandments. Not "they hate us for our freedom." This is precisely what the federal government is supposed to be addressing -- the big things that individuals cannot address.
Quite simply, we need a better president. No, he didn't make Katrina happen, but his administration -- the very thing he's reshaped (twice) -- has failed time and again because of twisted demagoguery.
Clearly, planes crashing into buildings and monster hurricanes aren't enough to convince this administration that it's time to do a better job. If you need a canary in the mineshaft, where do these stack up?
Has it yet convinced you that we need a better president? Or will we have to wait for something more personal to happen; like a shaky economy, outlandish, skyrocketing energy costs and long lines at the gas pump?
Oh wait....
