The good news is that the President will be out of the U.S. more next year. The scary news is he will be spending the time with foreign leaders.
In Australia yesterday, the Decider gave us a sample of his face-to-face diplomacy, flubbing the name of the group he was addressing (calling APEC OPEC), the country he was in (Austria, not Australia) and then striding away from the lectern toward a steep drop off the stage until he was stopped and redirected to steps leading down to the floor.
More and more, Bush is looking like Chevy Chase’s old “Saturday Night Live” pratfall impression of President Gerald Ford, who couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. The only difference is that Ford talked less and didn’t start any wars.
Maybe Bush can turn it all into a comedy act to regale his peers in Beijing, Bucharest, Lima and northern Japan next year. He has given us enough laughs back here.
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Friday, September 07, 2007
Our Fortune Tellers: Petraeus & bin Laden
Does the word “impotent” ring a bell? While George Bush boasts about “kicking ass” in Iraq during his Australian stay, Americans and their Congress are in a state of suspense awaiting word from one of our own generals and a man who lives in a cave.
Today’s New York Times reflects the waiting-for-Petraeus bind with an anonymously sourced story that relies on “White House officials” and “a senior military officer” to tells us “Petraeus, Seeing Gains in Iraq as Fragile, Is Wary of Cuts” while columnist Paul Krugman predicts:
“Democrats will look at Gen. Petraeus’s uniform and medals and fall into their usual cringe. They won’t ask hard questions out of fear that someone might accuse them of attacking the military. After the testimony, they’ll desperately try to get Republicans to agree to a resolution that politely asks President Bush to maybe, possibly, withdraw some troops, if he feels like it.”
If the Washington spin is not enough to make us feel queasy, there are anonymous sources in the Middle East to promote a 9/11 anniversary TV special that promises a "soon, God willing, video message by the Lion Sheik Osama bin laden, may God protect him."
In the promo, the Lion Sheik appears to have had a makeover, complete with beard dye job, by an Al Qaeda stylist.
When he appears in Washington, Gen. Petraeus will no doubt be his usual trim self and his message more reassuring than bin Laden’s, but the bottom line will be essentially the same: Our safety and peace of mind depend largely on ragged zealots in a part of the world where the richest, most powerful nation in history does not control events.
When Bush gets back from bragging Down Under, maybe he can explain how that happened, but don’t hold your already bated breath.
Today’s New York Times reflects the waiting-for-Petraeus bind with an anonymously sourced story that relies on “White House officials” and “a senior military officer” to tells us “Petraeus, Seeing Gains in Iraq as Fragile, Is Wary of Cuts” while columnist Paul Krugman predicts:
“Democrats will look at Gen. Petraeus’s uniform and medals and fall into their usual cringe. They won’t ask hard questions out of fear that someone might accuse them of attacking the military. After the testimony, they’ll desperately try to get Republicans to agree to a resolution that politely asks President Bush to maybe, possibly, withdraw some troops, if he feels like it.”
If the Washington spin is not enough to make us feel queasy, there are anonymous sources in the Middle East to promote a 9/11 anniversary TV special that promises a "soon, God willing, video message by the Lion Sheik Osama bin laden, may God protect him."
In the promo, the Lion Sheik appears to have had a makeover, complete with beard dye job, by an Al Qaeda stylist.
When he appears in Washington, Gen. Petraeus will no doubt be his usual trim self and his message more reassuring than bin Laden’s, but the bottom line will be essentially the same: Our safety and peace of mind depend largely on ragged zealots in a part of the world where the richest, most powerful nation in history does not control events.
When Bush gets back from bragging Down Under, maybe he can explain how that happened, but don’t hold your already bated breath.
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