Why Bush is Still Dangerous

Last night, Rachel Maddow touched on an issue that has been extremely underreported. I assume that she was informed by this great article by Matthew Blake in the Washington Independent. Watch the clip and read the article, because this is important stuff that could have devastating consequences.

Bush Flip-Flops on Timetables

It's official. Condoleezza Rice has negotiated a draft agreement towards a timetable for withdrawl of US forces from Iraq. The draft calls for the removal of combat forces from cities by the end of June 2009, with all combat forces out by December 2011. Unfortunately, this agreement does leave a little room for so-called "residual" forces. Nevertheless, this is very encouraging news, as it will be good to have the majority of our troops home where they belong. This is, of course, a huge flip-flop for Bush. The administration has long made it clear that they view timetables for withdrawl as tantamount to surrender. Considering McCain thinks we need to stay in Iraq anywhere between 100 and 10,000 years I can only guess that he must've spontaneously combusted when he heard of this news.

It should be noted that the Bush administration has made a wise move here, so I will give credit where credit is due. However, it should be clear that this is a draft agreement so nothing is set in stone. In other words, in the unfortunate event of a McCain victory in November, he could throw this agreement out the window. Moreover, the Times article makes clear that the Americans and Iraqis have somewhat different interpretations of this agreement. In the end though, this is good news and it hopefully means that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the troops over in Iraq.

This ADORABLE photo was used courtesy of Flickr user soldiersmediacenter April 23, 2007

More Bittergate

Via Ezra Klein, I was directed to this wonderfully biting column by Jonathan Chait attacking patent rich boy George Will's newfound affinity for working class voters. Big G scoffed at Barack Obama's "condescending" remarks. This is in the same vain of other pundits like Tim "Blue Collar Buffalo" Russert and Chris "Man's Man" Matthews. Chait singlehandedly deconstructs any vestage of a connection that George Will and co. claim they have with the working class of Pennsylvania. This is my favorite bit:

Bill O'Reilly's or Tim Russert's endless invocations of their working-class backgrounds are the equivalent of the campus activist who introduces every opinion by saying "As a woman of color . . . ." (The one difference being that the latter really is a woman of color, while the former are multimillionaires who retain only the most remote connection to blue-collar life.)

Nice. I was watching Bill Maher last week and he interviewed Chris Matthews and attacked him on his avoidance of anything but "character" issues. Matthews, predictably, wouldn't back down and continued to denigrate Obama and Clinton for their lack of affinity with "normal" people. Bill Maher put it correctly when he stated that this country can't afford to vote for the "better" guy. That's true. But I think he's conceeding a point here. Republicans aren't the "better" guys. McCain and Bush are lifetime upperclass individuals. Bush is just good at pretending that he seems like an everyday American. However, I don't think attending Yale and being a member of the ultra exclusive Skull and Bones is "everyday American." I don't think attending Harvard Business School makes you an "everyday American." Last but not least, being the son of the forty-first President of the United States of America doesn't exactly make you an "everyday American." That's not to say that normal people don't go to Yale and Harvard. Plenty do. But W never would've gotten into any of these prime institutions without a little help from Big Pappa Bush and his connections. Good grief!!!

P.S. I promise that this is the last post on bittergate

P.P.S. Well, ok, that is unless something similar to this comes along again!

Our Conquering Hero

Via Matt Yglesias, I stumbled upon this Reuters article that includes this fancy little tidbit:

"I must say, I'm a little envious," Bush said. "If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed."
"It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks," Bush said.

Wow. Where to start. Actually, nevermind. You all are smart enough that you know that what Bush said is beyond preposterous and it would be insulting of me to point out all that's wrong with that statement. That being said, look on with a mixture of wonder and disgust at our glorious commander-in-chief.

The Love Affair: Bush and McCain

Juan Cole has got another great article over at Salon about John McCain. Cole compares Bush to McCain and it turns out that, at least in terms of policy, they are quite similar. McCain has bought into the neoconservative mantra hook, line, and sinker. McCain supports an ever toughening stance on Iran, staying in Iraq for hundreds if not thousands of years, and perpetual war in general. As I've said before St. McCain loves war. War, in his eyes, is not a means but an end in itself. He believes that the state of war is good for the country. All this is very disturbing to the sane mind.

While Cole is a foreign policy expert by trade, he also delves into holy John's support for tax cuts and radical conservative economic policy. McCain use to oppose Bush's tax cuts, but now he supports them, stating that his previous opposition was concentrated on the absence of offsetting spending cuts. However, at the time, McCain stated that his opposition was based on the fact that only the very wealthy stood to benefit much from the cuts. What this means is that St. John McCain, son of God, heir to the throne of the Lord, is the ultimate flip flopper. He is just as flip floppity as Mitt Romney. McCain has sold his soul in order to lock up the GOP nomination. Interesting that the meida's ongoing love affair with McCain allows them to continue labeling him a "maverick."