Unprecedented
Listened to the President's news conference again. Yelled at my radio again. A couple of observations:
First of all, he said, "the only way we lose is if we leave before the job is finished." I think from the President's perspective, this means, "as long as I don't leave, I don't have to admit I made a mistake."
He also said that, as far as accountability goes, "I am accountable. That's what the 2004 election was about."
Ah, right. I remember now. That election was an "accountability moment," and because the President actually *won* the popular vote that time, he decided he had a mandate. The administration seems to have thought that 2004 was the final "accountability moment" for their administration, and that they could act with impunity thereafter; they have certainly acted that way.
I think 2004 was an accountability moment for this administration, and the American electorate whiffed. Horribly. But 2006 gives us another chance. Missing again this year would be a disaster, I think.
(For instance, I can't believe that the people of Connecticut are really going to send Joe Lieberman back to Washington. Please, Nutmeg State people? Vote for Ned Lamont. < /rant >)
If the Democrats aren't able to re-take at least one branch of the legislature, I really fear the consequences: attacking Iran, staying a disastrous course in Iraq, making tax cuts (and deficits) permanent.
***
Going back to something General George Casey said yesterday: "the men and women of the armed forces here have never lost a battle in over three years of war. That is a fact unprecedented in military history."
General Casey, I agree. We've never lost a battle, and still it is indisputable at this point that the situation in Iraq has never been worse, and is detriorating before our eyes.
What is unprecedented is the way the Bush Administration has willfully squandered hundreds of billions of dollars, the talent and resources of the US Armed Forces, and hundreds of thousands of American and Iraqi lives, in the dogged pursuit of a strategy which, at this point, essentially boils down to "refusing to admit we made a mistake."
First of all, he said, "the only way we lose is if we leave before the job is finished." I think from the President's perspective, this means, "as long as I don't leave, I don't have to admit I made a mistake."
He also said that, as far as accountability goes, "I am accountable. That's what the 2004 election was about."
Ah, right. I remember now. That election was an "accountability moment," and because the President actually *won* the popular vote that time, he decided he had a mandate. The administration seems to have thought that 2004 was the final "accountability moment" for their administration, and that they could act with impunity thereafter; they have certainly acted that way.
I think 2004 was an accountability moment for this administration, and the American electorate whiffed. Horribly. But 2006 gives us another chance. Missing again this year would be a disaster, I think.
(For instance, I can't believe that the people of Connecticut are really going to send Joe Lieberman back to Washington. Please, Nutmeg State people? Vote for Ned Lamont. < /rant >)
If the Democrats aren't able to re-take at least one branch of the legislature, I really fear the consequences: attacking Iran, staying a disastrous course in Iraq, making tax cuts (and deficits) permanent.
***
Going back to something General George Casey said yesterday: "the men and women of the armed forces here have never lost a battle in over three years of war. That is a fact unprecedented in military history."
General Casey, I agree. We've never lost a battle, and still it is indisputable at this point that the situation in Iraq has never been worse, and is detriorating before our eyes.
What is unprecedented is the way the Bush Administration has willfully squandered hundreds of billions of dollars, the talent and resources of the US Armed Forces, and hundreds of thousands of American and Iraqi lives, in the dogged pursuit of a strategy which, at this point, essentially boils down to "refusing to admit we made a mistake."
posted by Ish at 10:45 AM
3 Comments:
We Dems have such a nasty habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. I WANT to be optimistic that we'll end up retaking at least one of the houses of Congress, but our track record nervouses me.
Bottom line is that we have not had an act of terrorism on US soil since 9/11. Mission accomplished!
Actually, we've had a good handful of terrorist acts on US soil since 9/11, namely mass shootings which are on a per incident fatality level as suicide bombs. We just don't report those as terrorist because they're not perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalists.
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