BONUS AUDIO CLIP Bush: “Perhaps the most important lesson that I learned in Vietnam is that you cannot fight a guerrilla war with conventional forces.”
Today, George Bush lectured the country about the dangers of deploying out of Iraq by comparing leaving Iraq to the end of the Vietnam war. On “Countdown” tonight, MSNBC played a snippet from Bush at a news conference in 2004 literally bristling at the same comparison, and all but accusing those who made it of hating the troops and giving aid and comfort to the enemy:
Q Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, April [2004] is turning into the deadliest month in Iraq since the fall of Baghdad, and some people are comparing Iraq to Vietnam and talking about a quagmire. Polls show that support for your policy is declining and that fewer than half Americans now support it. What does that say to you and how do you answer the Vietnam comparison?
THE PRESIDENT: I think the analogy is false. I also happen to think that analogy sends the wrong message to our troops, and sends the wrong message to the enemy.
When you hear the sound bites from George W. Bush’s speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars today in which he compares his botched war in Iraq to the Vietnam war, think about what he was doing while thousands of U.S. soldiers were wounded and killed in the jungles of Southeast Asia.
Bush is in effect saying that Vietnam could have been won if only we’d stayed there longer — that winning would have only required a few tens of thousand more lives lost — other than his own, of course.
As is well known, Bush’s elite status entitled him to a cushy berth in a “champagne unit” of the Texas Air National Guard. Associates from that era remember young Bush as being preoccupied with doing drugs, driving drunk and chasing women. There are rumors he seriously damaged a fighter jet while taxiing it on a runway while hungover. And there is strong circumstantial evidence he was discharged less than honorably after failing to show up for a series of Pentagon-mandated drug tests.
The tragedy of Vietnam is too large to be contained in one speech. So I’m going to limit myself to one argument that has particular significance today. Then as now, people argued the real problem was America’s presence and that if we would just withdraw, the killing would end…
In 1972, one antiwar senator put it this way: “What earthly difference does it make to nomadic tribes or uneducated subsistence farmers in Vietnam or Cambodia or Laos, whether they have a military dictator, a royal prince or a socialist commissar in some distant capital that they’ve never seen and may never heard of?” A columnist for The New York Times wrote in a similar vein in 1975, just as Cambodia and Vietnam were falling to the communists: “It’s difficult to imagine,” he said, “how their lives could be anything but better with the Americans gone.” A headline on that story, date Phnom Penh, summed up the argument: “Indochina without Americans: For Most a Better Life.”
The world would learn just how costly these misimpressions would be. In Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge began a murderous rule in which hundreds of thousands of Cambodians died by starvation and torture and execution. In Vietnam, former allies of the United States and government workers and intellectuals and businessmen were sent off to prison camps, where tens of thousands perished. Hundreds of thousands more fled the country on rickety boats, many of them going to their graves in the South China Sea.
And she said this on Fox “News,” according to Raw Story:
“What I think is going to be fun,” she said, “is finding out how much of the architect Karl Rove actually was. I’ve gone back and forth between blaming Karl Rove for the stupid things Bush does and blaming Bush for the stupid stuff Bush does.”
And:
“Rove, they were looking at indicting for a felony [in the outing of Valerie Plame] … which suggests to me that he was not the one involved in that, that that was entirely George Bush’s idea.”
And:
“So you start thinking everything you like about Bush was Dick Cheney or Karl Rove, and the stuff you don’t like is George Bush,” Coulter concluded. “So now we’ll find out.”
1. I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, ‘George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan’. And I did. And then God would tell me ‘George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq’. And I did. Sharm el-Sheikh August 2003
2. I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn’t do my job. Statement made during campaign visit to Amish community, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Jul. 9, 2004
3. I’m also mindful that man should never try to put words in God’s mouth. I mean, we should never ascribe natural disasters or anything else to God. We are in no way, shape, or form should a human being, play God. Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2005
4. God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear. Los Angeles, California, Mar. 3, 2004
5. I tell people all the time, you’re equally American if you’re a Christian, Jew, or Muslim. You’re equally American if you believe in an Almighty or don’t believe in an Almighty. That’s a sacred freedom. Washington, D.C., Mar. 10, 2006
6. Well, first of all, you got to understand some of my view on freedom, it’s not American’s gift to the world. See, freedom is God — is God given. Interview with TVR, Romania, Nov. 23, 2002
7. I’m sure there is some kind of heavy doctrinal difference, which I’m not sophisticated enough to explain to you. Explaining the issues involved in his switching from attending an Episcopal church to attending a Methodist one, (date is approximate:), Jul. 1, 1994
8. I don’t think you order suiciders to kill innocent men, women, and children if you’re a religious person. Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, Jul. 14, 2004
9. And there’s nothing more powerful in helping change the country than the faith — faith in Dios. National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, Washington, D.C., May 16, 2002
10. We believe in an Almighty, we believe in the freedom for people to worship that Almighty. They don’t. Martinsburg, West Virginia, Jul. 4, 2007
The Chicago Tribune put together this handy timeline of the golden years of Karl Rove with the Bushes.
Rover two weeks before the 2006 midterms: “I add up to a Republican Senate and Republican House. You may end up with a different math but you are entitled to your math and I’m entitled to THE math.”
1973 — Rove became chairman of the College Republicans. During his time in Washington, D.C., he became a special assistant to Republican National Committee Chairman George H.W. Bush and met George W. Bush.
1977 — Worked for a political action committee dedicated to making the elder Bush president in 1980.
1978 — Advised younger Bush during his unsuccessful Texas congressional campaign.
1980 — Assisted George H.W. Bush’s unsuccessful presidential campaign.
1994 — Adviser for George W. Bush’s successful Texas gubernatorial campaign.
1998 — Adviser for Gov. Bush’s successful re-election campaign.
2000 — Chief strategist for Bush’s presidential campaign.
2004 — Chief strategist for re-election campaign.
2005 — Currently assistant to the president, deputy chief of staff and senior adviser to President George W. Bush.
Individual dates are missing here, such as the dates Rove called Judy Miller with bogus Iraq weapons of mass destruction intelligence, and when he called Bob Novak, Tim Russert, and whoever else with Valerie Plame’s identity, as well as the date he dissed Sheryl Crow over global warming. My favorite is the date Bush got snitty about Turd Blossom after the disastrous 2006 midterm elections.
“I obviously was working harder in the campaign than he was,†said Bush.
Good times.
But Bush couldn’t be blamed for being pissed at Rover, whose inability to tell which way the wind was blowing led directly to the “good thumpin'” Bush had to take.
Two weeks before the election, Rove showed the world how he reacts when someone disagrees with his interpretation of the facts, and why he is so detested by nice people everywhere. His interview with the polite Robert Seigel on NPR, when it was really looking good for the Democrats, said it all.
SIEGEL: We are in the home stretch though and many would consider you on the optimistic end of realism about…
ROVE: Not that you would exhibit a bias, you just making a comment.
SIEGEL: I’m looking at all the same polls that you are looking at.
ROVE: No, you are not. I’m looking at 68 polls a week for candidates for the US House and US Senate, and Governor and you may be looking at 4-5 public polls a week that talk attitudes nationally.
SIEGEL: I don’t want to have you to call races…
ROVE: I’m looking at all of these Robert and adding them up. I add up to a Republican Senate and Republican House. You may end up with a different math but you are entitled to your math and I’m entitled to THE math.
SIEGEL: I don’t know if we’re entitled to a different math but your…
As Karl Rove leaves the White House to spend more time with his family and work on his memoir, we can’t help but say, “We knew it!”
The timing is suspect, coming just as the Democrats in Congress are really digging in to how the White House has been run, possibly even finally getting at those deleted emails.
The line that was deleted in later versions: “He’s been talking with the president for a long time, about a year, regarding when might be good to go,” Perino said.
This is the quote you’re seeing in all the stories concerning the “why now” aspect of Rove’s departure:
“I just think it’s time,” Rove told the Wall Street Journal. “There’s always something that can keep you here, and as much as I’d like to be here, I’ve got to do this for the sake of my family.”
But look at how the earlier versions quoted White House deputy spokestool Dana Perino when she made the happy announcement.
“He’s been talking with the president for a long time, about a year, regarding when might be good to go,” Perino said. “But there’s always a big project to work on, and his strategic abilities, and our need for his support, kept him here. He said there’s never a good time to leave, just the ‘right’ time.”
He’s been talking to the president for about a year? My bet is he’s been talking to president about it since last November, when Rove proved dead wrong on the midterm elections. I think he was a hair away from following Donald Rumsfeld out the door back then and has been on thin ice ever since, as Scooter Libby was convicted and as the Alberto Gonzalez scandal continues to grow.
Of course, no matter when Rove leaves, we’re just thanking God and Greyhound that he’s going.
You know the Army is getting desperate for recruits when it starts overlooking drug use, criminal records, age, and obesity. But oh yeah, you still can’t tell anyone you’re gay.
Despite spending nearly $1 billion last year on recruiting bonuses and ads, Army leaders say an even bolder approach is needed to fill wartime ranks.
Under a new proposal, men and women who enlist could pick from a “buffet” of incentives, including up to $45,000 tax-free that they accrue during their career to help buy a home or build a business. Other options would include money for college and to pay off student loans.
This would come after the other recent enhancements to recruiting failed to get the numbers up, including:
Increasing to $20,000 the bonus for troops who join by Sept. 30 and leave for boot camp within a month
Raising the enlistment age to 42
Allowing recruits to come in with non-offensive tattoos on their hands and neck
Offering a $2,000 bonus to Army soldiers who refer a new recruit
Enlisting recruits who don’t meet weight standards and must trim down their first year
Advertising that targets potential recruits’ parents
Increasing the number of recruits with general education diplomas (GEDs) rather than regular high school diplomas
Creating a more pleasant boot camp environment
Sending “gung-ho” soldiers fresh from boot camp or war zones back to their hometowns to visit old friends and schoolmates to promote the Army
Increasing to more than 15 percent the number of Army and Army Reserve troops given waivers for medical and moral reasons or for positive drug and alcohol screen tests
The Army blames the dwindling numbers on several factors.
More high school graduates are going to college, and the economy is strong, providing lots of civilian jobs. At the same time, only three of 10 people between 17 and 24 fully meet the military’s standards.
Less obvious factors have also decreased the recruitment pool. They include higher obesity rates, more people diagnosed with mental health conditions such as attention-deficit disorder, more criminal citations due to the increase of the drinking age from 18 to 21.
Let’s see, did we miss anything? Nah, I guess that pretty well covers all the possible reasons people aren’t joining the Army.
Oh yeah, how about THE FRICKIN’ WAR? Maybe the idea of being cannon fodder in an endless and futile bad idea doesn’t appeal to a lot of people.
We’ve all seen the video, and if not, you really can’t watch it enough: George Bush when he was governor of Texas, using big words and whole sentences, making sense and not embarrassing anyone. It’s a marvel!
“Brain fog” involves episodes of cognitive dysfunction or confused thinking and is associated with forgetfulness, losing one’s train of thought, depersonalization, and the inability to remember the correct words when speaking or writing
But Bush now is a whole different animal, leading many to wonder if it’s Alzheimers, if he’s back on the sauce, or if Dick Cheney is slipping something into his fried quail.
An even better explanation is Lyme disease. Although doctors one year ago treated him for what they now claim was early stage Lyme disease, who knows when he got it? And dementia is one of the main manifestations of undiagnosed Lyme disease.
Bush was treated for what his doctors described as “early, localized Lyme disease” last August after developing the characteristic bullseye rash. The doctors said he has had no recurrence.
White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said the disease was not disclosed earlier because it happened after he had his last physical, on Aug. 1, 2006.
Right. So why bring it up until now? After all, it’s not like we ever hear about any of the other Bush health problems, like hangovers — whoops, I mean stomach flu — at global summits.
The president’s main form of exercise and recreational activity is biking. His doctors advised him to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts and use bug spray when in risk-prone areas, such as Maine, where the president is spending a long weekend starting Thursday at his parents’ summer home on the coast.
Bush has had a lifetime of opportunities to contract Lyme disease, if you can get it from mountain biking in Maine. But the curious circumstances of his recent annual exam have really got me wondering what gives.
Last year’s presidential physical was conducted as usual on a visit to the National Naval Medical Center in suburban Maryland. This year’s took place in a series of exams at the White House starting July 17 and ending Tuesday night. The exams were not revealed until Wednesday…
A total of 11 doctors were involved in the exams, overseen by White House physician Richard Tubb and Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the president of The Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. The group included skin, hearing, heart, eye, neurological and sports medicine specialists.
Each signed a statement saying that “within the scope of my specialty” he found Bush “fit for duty” with the expectation that he will remain so for the duration of his presidency.
It’s all kind of odd, don’t you think? It seems like presidents always have their exams at Bethesda. I wasn’t aware the White House kept the equipment on hand that you’d need for 11 different specialists to perform tests.
But listen to what happens when, instead of the early stage Lyme disease the White House claims Bush had, you don’t know you have it and it goes untreated too long. Symptom types include:
…five more ministers announced a boycott of Cabinet meetings — leaving the embattled prime minister’s unity government with no members affiliated with Sunni political factions.
Clueless State Dept. calls Sunni boycott “very healthy political debate”
…The new cracks in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government appeared even as U.S. military officials sounded cautious notes of progress on security, citing strides against insurgents linked to al-Qaida in Iraq but also new threats from Iranian-backed Shiite militias.
…The Cabinet boycott of five ministers loyal to former Iraqi leader Ayad Allawi left the government, at least temporarily, without participants where were (sic) members of the Sunni political apparatus — a deep blow to the prime minister’s attempt to craft reconciliation among the country’s majority Shiites and minority Sunnis and Kurds.
The defense minister is from a Sunni background but has no political ties and was chosen by al-Maliki.
The Allawi bloc, a mixture of Sunnis and Shiites, cited al-Maliki’s failure to respond to its demands for political reform. The top Sunni political bloc already had pulled its six ministers from the 40-member Cabinet of al-Maliki, a Shiite, last week.
So there are no Sunnis at all in the Iraqi Cabinet anymore. But hey, the U.S. State Department isn’t worried. That’s because they’re also clueless.
“There’s a very healthy political debate that is going on in Iraq, and that is good,” [State Department spokesman Sean] McCormack said. “It’s going to be for them (the Iraqi people) to make the judgments about whether or not that government is performing.”
What we need in this country is a very healthy Iraqi-style debate on whether our government is performing.
From Trump’s “stolen election” lies, we can’t get no relief,
He carps on about stolen votes, but he never names the thief.
Somebody needs to tell this guy
Americans aren’t buying his lies,
And that he’s turned us into the United States of Disbelief.
“If you are committing fraud against the American people, all of us in public leadership should be trying to stop it and throw you in prison for enriching yourself off the American taxpayer.”
“We are done, Americans are done with endless conflict in the Middle East, spending trillions of dollars, American lives… this is insane and we have to call it for what it is.”
“The U.S. State Department announced on Monday that it has revoked more than 175,000 visas during President Donald Trump’s administration so far,” Fox News reports.
President Donald Trump is asking for $1,500,000 million for the military for next year. That’s close to $600 billion (adjusted for inflation) more than we were spending on the military in fiscal year 2025, before Trump took office, Alternet reports. This increase is huge by any measure. It comes to around $4,600 per household. It is around 8% of the total budget.
A new Emerson College survey of likely 2026 voters finds the Democrats with an 11-point advantage over the Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, leading 53% to 42%. President Trump holds a 39% job approval rating, consistent with the past two months, whereas his disapproval increased another point, to 57%.
A new American Research Group poll finds just 30% of Americans say they approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president and 67% say they disapprove.
Wall Street Journal: “Around 40% of voters in the 2024 election said the economy was their top issue, far outstripping any other matter. And those voters favored Donald Trump by 60% to 38%. Many say they were moved by his pledges to tame inflation, rebuild U.S. infrastructure, cut red tape and trim government waste. … About a year and a half later, more voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy than approve, 61% to 35%, an average of polls by the Cook Political Report found this month.”
