The Idiot
By Michael J.W. Stickings
With apologies to Dostoevsky, there's a new idiot in town. Not that we haven't known this for a long time, but, should you need more proof, or should you just need to have the point driven home, consider what George W. Bush said about Iraq and the Iraqis during his Rose Garden press conference yesterday:
What? Iraqis "tolerate" the "level of violence" that has left hundreds of thousands dead? Bush was responding to the recent report that found suggested that over 600,000 Iraqis have been killed during the war. He does not consider that report "credible". But even if he's right -- and I have a hard time even typing that -- even if he's right and the actual number of Iraqis killed during the war is smaller, how can he possibly claim that Iraqis "tolerate" the violence that rages all around them?
I, too, applaud the courage of the Iraqis (of many of them, at least). But consider this, from Think Progress (which also has the video and transcript of the press conference): "In reality, 890,000 Iraqis have moved to Jordan, Iran and Syria since Hussein's fall and more than 300,000 have fled to other parts of Iraq to escape the violence. Additionally, 71 percent of Iraqis want U.S. forces to leave Iraq within a year, saying "they would feel safer if U.S. and other foreign forces left Iraq."
But reality isn't part of Bush's views on the matter. For him, it's all about clinging to crazy fantasies that all is going well (and, where possible, covering his ass over one of the biggest debacles in American history). Has there ever been a more clueless president? Has there ever been more of an idiot in the White House?
For more, see Crooks and Liars (which also has the video and transcript), The Carpetbagger Report, Firedoglake, Eschaton (with 1164 comments and counting), Shakespeare's Sister, Attytood, Democracy Arsenal, and co-blogger Creature at State of the Day.
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UPDATE: CNN has the complete transcript here. See also the Post here.
With apologies to Dostoevsky, there's a new idiot in town. Not that we haven't known this for a long time, but, should you need more proof, or should you just need to have the point driven home, consider what George W. Bush said about Iraq and the Iraqis during his Rose Garden press conference yesterday:
I do know that a lot of innocent people have died and it troubles me and grieves me and I applaud the Iraqis for their courage in the face of violence. I am, you know, amazed that this is a society which so wants to be free that they’re willing to -- you know, that there’s a level of violence that they tolerate.
What? Iraqis "tolerate" the "level of violence" that has left hundreds of thousands dead? Bush was responding to the recent report that found suggested that over 600,000 Iraqis have been killed during the war. He does not consider that report "credible". But even if he's right -- and I have a hard time even typing that -- even if he's right and the actual number of Iraqis killed during the war is smaller, how can he possibly claim that Iraqis "tolerate" the violence that rages all around them?
I, too, applaud the courage of the Iraqis (of many of them, at least). But consider this, from Think Progress (which also has the video and transcript of the press conference): "In reality, 890,000 Iraqis have moved to Jordan, Iran and Syria since Hussein's fall and more than 300,000 have fled to other parts of Iraq to escape the violence. Additionally, 71 percent of Iraqis want U.S. forces to leave Iraq within a year, saying "they would feel safer if U.S. and other foreign forces left Iraq."
But reality isn't part of Bush's views on the matter. For him, it's all about clinging to crazy fantasies that all is going well (and, where possible, covering his ass over one of the biggest debacles in American history). Has there ever been a more clueless president? Has there ever been more of an idiot in the White House?
For more, see Crooks and Liars (which also has the video and transcript), The Carpetbagger Report, Firedoglake, Eschaton (with 1164 comments and counting), Shakespeare's Sister, Attytood, Democracy Arsenal, and co-blogger Creature at State of the Day.
**********
UPDATE: CNN has the complete transcript here. See also the Post here.
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
12:33 AM
1 Comments:
Michael
Good Post ...
Likely, Bush was exhibiting the "Kissinger Influence", from all those consultations ...After all, there isn't a war that Kissinger doesn't like ... My buddy, Barry Crimmins used to do (actually, he can revive it) of Kissinger, complete with accent, talking about "We must avoid peace at all costs ..."
Curiously, none of the media assembled followed up and asked how many, or what level of American soldier deaths Bush & Co. "Tolorate"
Peace
JTD
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