Colbert on O'Reilly. O'Reilly on Colbert. Not sure if you caught this, but Salon has a few snippits. Not sure who got the better of whom, but I think one of them should have worn a goatee.
I know I keep harping on this, but it bothers me, and the press [or at least the headline-writing lackeys] don't seem to pick up on the subtleties of our president's so-called frankness. Take this story in yesterday's Washington Post... please!
President Says His Iraq Policy Was Failing
This was the headline, but what our president really said was...
"I had a choice to make," Bush said. "Do what we're doing -- and one could define that maybe a slow failure. Secondly, withdraw out of Baghdad and hope for the best. I think that would be expedited failure. And thirdly is to help this Iraqi government with additional forces -- help them do what they need to do, which is to provide security in Baghdad."
"One could define that maybe a slow failure..." one could, not I, George Herbert Walker Bush, define that as a slow failure. And, not definitely... one could define that maybe as a slow failure.
His reluctance to admit his own fallibility is frightening. Hmmm... Pope George.
The more one thinks about it the further one could maybe be driven into madness.
I first saw this and thought, "Wait! Did we declare war with Germany while I wasn't paying attention?" Then I realized that after 4 unsuccessful days in the Middle East, Condoleezza moved on to Germany where the administration assumes its "peace by whatever means necessary" strategy will be more palatable.
Ok, so I was listening to NPR yesterday in my office and caught this piece about Barack Obama forming his exploratory committee. It's a pretty straight-forward story, save for the fact that Obama sounds like DARTH VADER!! What's up with that?
Follow the link, click on listen and tell me that Barack has not gone to the dark side.
This from today's Washington Post. Good thing our president doesn't like to read, he might get ideas. Not just about silencing his critics either... I mean he might get an idea about anything.
A Moroccan court convicted a magazine editor and a reporter Monday on charges of defamation for printing heard-on-the-street jokes about religion and politics, the latest case in which journalists here have been punished for trying to make readers laugh.
After including his four terms in Congress, a two-year stint at an investment banking firm in the early 1960s, and all the volunteer work he did in college, Rumsfeld said he simply "ran out of room" to mention the high-ranking Cabinet position. Instead, the second-longest-serving Defense Secretary in history only indirectly addresses the past six years under the "Skills" portion of the resumé, touting his extensive experience with "strategic policy, international conflict management, and PowerPoint." He also mentions several awards he won in 2003.
Ok, you've no doubt already seen this, but I only just came across it on Wonkette. Monday night after our president's address NBC returned viewers to their regularly scheduled programming already in progress. The result was much better than any rebuttal Dick Durban could have come up with.
"Every American has an inalienable right to free speech and self-expression," Bush said. "Nonetheless, I call upon the American people to hold off on it for, say, 60 seconds. Just long enough for me to get this all sorted out in my head."
You might have heard, but our president had a televised Come-to-Jesus meeting on Iraq. The Post has a full transcript here. The basic plot: sure the situation in Iraq is bad, but it could be worse... just watch.
Here are some highlights...
The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people, and it is unacceptable to me. Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me.
I've heard and read this quote a lot this morning. The most telling part for me is the last sentence. I love our president's refusal to admit a mistake outright... mistakes were made. There's a Clinton-esque exactness of word usage.
It is clear that we need to change our strategy in Iraq. So my national security team, military commanders and diplomats conducted a comprehensive review.
We consulted members of Congress from both parties, allies abroad, and distinguished outside experts.
We benefited from the thoughtful recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel led by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton. In our discussions, we all agreed that there is no magic formula for success in Iraq. And one message came through loud and clear: Failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the United States.
Remember all those people in 2000 who said things like "Sure Bush is an idiot, but he'll surround himself with capable people who will tell him what to do?" If you happen to run into one of those people today, please slap them.
From Afghanistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian Territories, millions of ordinary people are sick of the violence and want a future of peace and opportunity for their children. And they are looking at Iraq.
They want to know: Will America withdraw and yield the future of that country to the extremists, or will we stand with the Iraqis who have made the choice for freedom?
Actually, we won't know exactly what they want to know until we can get all those tapes translated... about 18 months tops.
Victory will not look like the ones our fathers and grandfathers achieved. There will be no surrender ceremony on the deck of a battleship.
Dear Bush speech-writers, Do you really think it's a good idea for a man whose father was a more successful statesman and who staged an elaborate [and ill-timed] "Mission Accomplished" photo-op on a aircraft carrier to read those words on national television? Really?
Sincerely yours, Dallas Shelby
Fellow citizens: The year ahead will demand more patience, sacrifice and resolve. It can be tempting to think that America can put aside the burdens of freedom.
Yet times of testing reveal the character of a nation.
And, throughout our history, Americans have always defied the pessimists and seen our faith in freedom redeemed. Now America is engaged in a new struggle that will set the course for a new century. We can and we will prevail.
We go forward with trust that the author of liberty will guide us through these trying hours. Thank you and good night.
“There’s been a lack of transparency from the beginning,” said Tony Pederson of the journalism faculty, urging the university’s administration “to be more forthcoming with detailed information.”
A lack of transparency? Withholding information? This administration? Never!
James K. Hopkins, chairman of the history department who was co-chairman of the meeting with Ms. Blair, a professor of theater, said he had asked Dr. Turner under what circumstances the university would “walk away” from a deal with the library.
So, the cochairs of the meeting were from the history and theater departments. Am I the only one who finds that particular combination amusing?
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