Try as they might to contain it, Dubya’s role in the Iraq-Niger component of Weaponsgate continues to leak under scrutiny. Worse still for the White House, many irate columnists are examining the larger pattern of deceit that has characterized this administration. Whatsmore, the I-word is now getting thrown around. How, I wonder, will the Bushies manage to lie their way out of this one?
Tag: George W. Bush
Yeah, that’s the ticket.
It isn’t just Weaponsgate: Dubya can’t stop lying about the economy, either. And with the Dubya deficit ballooning and the states feeling the pinch, don’t expect any further candor from the White House in the months to come.
Out the Door.
Speaking of liars, it’s been real, been fun, hasn’t been real fun. Ari Fleischer prevaricates his way through one last White House press briefing. He will not be missed.
Bring the Pain.
Perhaps taking a page from the Governor of Vermont (whom he declined to attack), Kerry turns up the heat on Dubya and Weaponsgate, as do the Congressional Dems. Good…the pressure from now herein should be furious and unrelenting. And under no circumstances should the Bushies be allowed to get away with lying to America by pinning it on John Bull.
Fratboy Kissinger, Dean Acheson?
What happened to free trade under Dubya? According to this article, it appears Bush prefers the frat trade approach — help your buddies, stiff everyone else. Also in TNR, political scientist Daniel Drezner examines Dean’s foreign policy, and finds more rigorous thinking than critics have given him credit for.
Smoking Gun?
As the Bushies finally admit the Iraq-Niger link was bogus, the Dems call for an investigation into what the White House knew and when. I think it might just be independent counsel time.
Armies of the Nut.
“Democracy, more than any other political system, depends on a modicum of honesty. Ultimately, it is much at the mercy of a leader who has never been embarrassed by himself.” Norman Mailer weighs in on the Iraq War, Weaponsgate, and Dubya’s aircraft carrier stunt.
Paper Cowboy.
A number of other weblogs have already pointed out the sheer idiocy of Dubya’s “Bring Them On” remark to Iraqi belligerents, so I’ll just give an Amen. I highly doubt the men and women on the ground in Baghdad every day share the President’s cavalier attitude about their lives…Amateurish to say the least.
Creeping Doubt.
This is a week old, but I didn’t see it until Meet the Press yesterday: Conservative columnist George Will tries to account for the missing WMD. “But unless America’s foreign policy is New Age therapy to make the public feel mellow, feeling good about the consequences of an action does not obviate the need to assess the original rationale for the action. Until WMD are found, or their absence accounted for, there is urgent explaining to be done.”
Dubya and the Hellfire Club.
“It seems a pretty sunny and conservative and confident moment, despite a hangover of vulnerability from 9/11 and the recently stalled economy…That’s precisely the time when antiheroes are needed and comprehensible.” How the Dubya era paved the way for Marvel’s movie ascendance. A bit goofy, but ok.