If you need any more proof that the GOP is either:
A.) Insane. B.) Completely Out of touch with REALITY. and/or C.) All Of The Above...
The guy they picked to deliver their rebuttal to Obama's State of the Union address was Mitch Daniels.
The same Mitch Daniels who was George W. Bush's Senior Budget Director. The very same dim-witted dolt who claimed that the Iraq War would cost us $50 billion.
(*It cost $3 TRILLION.)
...And now Mr. Daniels/the GOP is promoting himself/themselves as "Mr. Fiscal Responsibility"/"Fiscally Conservative"?
Riiiiiiiigghhtt. (*cough*) Iraq War! (*cough).
Enjoy this revealing article on GOP Rebuttal Choice Mitch Daniels from TruthDig:
TruthDig: Mitch Daniels: Bombast From The Past - Joe Conason
Showing posts with label Iraq war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iraq war. Show all posts
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Obama's Speech/Iraq War End - GOP Says Bush Owed Thanks
President Obama spoke from The Oval Office on Tuesday - marking the end of combat operations in Iraq.
There was one thing which - although it remained unmentioned - still managed to be the unavoidable and enormous elephant in the Oval Office...
In his address to the nation, President Obama did refer to former President Bush's role as the "decider" who had initiated the Iraq War, yet he concluded his speech without ever calling attention to the actions of the Bush Administration - including the seemingly endless string of blatant lies and and fact-free fear-mongering - used by that Administration to - at first - justify the invasion of Iraq and then, to justify maintaining a huge military presence and occupying the country. (The Bush Administration - especially Dick Cheney and GWB himself - proved on more than a few occasions that they had absolutely no qualms about standing before the national and world press and spinning further fabricated fish-tales as needed after the previous one was exposed.)
When Obama referred to his predecessor, he did so only briefly and without including the little tidbit about him being the same man who deserves to be, ultimately, the one person held responsible for every one of the 4400 dead Americans and countless civilian casualties which were a direct result of Bush's decision to go to war.
President Bush is ultimately responsible, as well, for the countless billions of American dollars which were poured into the Iraq war and/or lost to members of the corrupt leadership there... Billions of dollars which would have better served Americans and American interests if invested in education, job creation, infrastructure, etc. here at home.
In keeping his remarks about Bush brief, President Obama continued to prove his previously-stated interest of looking ahead, not behind.
So, even though he could have taken advantage of these issues, President Obama, instead, chose to take the high road.
Once again, President Obama showed that he - for one - has something called Integrity.
You'd think that such graciousness would be appreciated.
Not so.
Despite having been given this hugely-undeserved pass by the current President during a major public address being watched by millions...
Despite the fact that Obama made the conscious decision not kick Republicans when they're already down - something the GOP would never do if the situation were reversed - Senior GOP members of Congress simply couldn't leave it alone.
Apparently, they misinterpreted President Obama's show of integrity as a sign of weakness - which is understandable, as many of them lack integrity and wouldn't recognize such a valuable character trait even if it were right in front... well, where it was.
The GOP leadership's hot air-filled, self-deluded response to Obama abstaining from beating their dead elephant points to their utter inability to simply sit down, thank their lucky stars and shut the hell up - even if it's in their own best interest to do so.
John Boehner criticized Obama's earlier opposition to the Bush surge which led to this "result" - namely, the end of the war.
Mr. Boehner, I have three words for you: "No Exit Strategy".
And, John Boehner wasn't the only windbag who foolishly tried to draw political capital - in a situation where there was none to be gained.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch "Crazy Mac" McConnell (R-KY) also seemed to feel that former President Bush had in some way been slighted by Obama's omission of his "achievements".
McConnell was all fired up over his perception that President Bush hadn't received the credit due to him for his contributions to this moment and moved quickly to call everyone's attention to what Obama hadn't: namely that without Bush's tireless efforts to initiate the Iraq War, the end of combat operations in Iraq wouldn't have been possible.
McConnell stood in front of a microphone and cameras and said, "I think that we should be thankful that another President had the determination and the will to carry out the plan that made tonight's announcement possible.".
* In other words, what McConnell is saying is that if then-President Bush hadn't brought about the start of the Iraq War, then President Obama wouldn't have this great opportunity to be marking The End of it.
Wow.
The senior Congressional GOP leadership actually wants us to be thankful that President Bush started the Iraq War.
Really? You guys want a "Thank You"?
Well, OK...
Senator Boehner, Senator McConnell (and all others of like mind):
I freely offer my "Thank You, President George W. Bush, For Starting The Iraq War":
Thank You, former President Bush, for setting a global precedent - one which other nations may very well invoke in the future to justify their own military actions - in which a sitting head of state chooses - unilaterally - to initiate an utterly unprovoked bombing & full-scale military invasion of a sovereign nation - a nation which was of no immediate nor direct threat... and for justifying all of it with lie after lie after lie and for having no exit strategy.
Thank You. Thanks a lot.
It is my most sincere hope that you, sir, receive all the credit (and everything else) you deserve for all that you did to make the unprovoked Iraq War a bloody, deadly and hugely-expensive reality... which is now, thankfully, coming to an end.
There, Mitch... John... that pretty much covers it.
Peace.
L.
There was one thing which - although it remained unmentioned - still managed to be the unavoidable and enormous elephant in the Oval Office...
In his address to the nation, President Obama did refer to former President Bush's role as the "decider" who had initiated the Iraq War, yet he concluded his speech without ever calling attention to the actions of the Bush Administration - including the seemingly endless string of blatant lies and and fact-free fear-mongering - used by that Administration to - at first - justify the invasion of Iraq and then, to justify maintaining a huge military presence and occupying the country. (The Bush Administration - especially Dick Cheney and GWB himself - proved on more than a few occasions that they had absolutely no qualms about standing before the national and world press and spinning further fabricated fish-tales as needed after the previous one was exposed.)
When Obama referred to his predecessor, he did so only briefly and without including the little tidbit about him being the same man who deserves to be, ultimately, the one person held responsible for every one of the 4400 dead Americans and countless civilian casualties which were a direct result of Bush's decision to go to war.
President Bush is ultimately responsible, as well, for the countless billions of American dollars which were poured into the Iraq war and/or lost to members of the corrupt leadership there... Billions of dollars which would have better served Americans and American interests if invested in education, job creation, infrastructure, etc. here at home.
In keeping his remarks about Bush brief, President Obama continued to prove his previously-stated interest of looking ahead, not behind.
So, even though he could have taken advantage of these issues, President Obama, instead, chose to take the high road.
Once again, President Obama showed that he - for one - has something called Integrity.
You'd think that such graciousness would be appreciated.
Not so.
Despite having been given this hugely-undeserved pass by the current President during a major public address being watched by millions...
Despite the fact that Obama made the conscious decision not kick Republicans when they're already down - something the GOP would never do if the situation were reversed - Senior GOP members of Congress simply couldn't leave it alone.
Apparently, they misinterpreted President Obama's show of integrity as a sign of weakness - which is understandable, as many of them lack integrity and wouldn't recognize such a valuable character trait even if it were right in front... well, where it was.
The GOP leadership's hot air-filled, self-deluded response to Obama abstaining from beating their dead elephant points to their utter inability to simply sit down, thank their lucky stars and shut the hell up - even if it's in their own best interest to do so.
John Boehner criticized Obama's earlier opposition to the Bush surge which led to this "result" - namely, the end of the war.
Mr. Boehner, I have three words for you: "No Exit Strategy".
And, John Boehner wasn't the only windbag who foolishly tried to draw political capital - in a situation where there was none to be gained.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch "Crazy Mac" McConnell (R-KY) also seemed to feel that former President Bush had in some way been slighted by Obama's omission of his "achievements".
McConnell was all fired up over his perception that President Bush hadn't received the credit due to him for his contributions to this moment and moved quickly to call everyone's attention to what Obama hadn't: namely that without Bush's tireless efforts to initiate the Iraq War, the end of combat operations in Iraq wouldn't have been possible.
McConnell stood in front of a microphone and cameras and said, "I think that we should be thankful that another President had the determination and the will to carry out the plan that made tonight's announcement possible.".
* In other words, what McConnell is saying is that if then-President Bush hadn't brought about the start of the Iraq War, then President Obama wouldn't have this great opportunity to be marking The End of it.
Wow.
The senior Congressional GOP leadership actually wants us to be thankful that President Bush started the Iraq War.
Really? You guys want a "Thank You"?
Well, OK...
Senator Boehner, Senator McConnell (and all others of like mind):
I freely offer my "Thank You, President George W. Bush, For Starting The Iraq War":
Thank You, former President Bush, for setting a global precedent - one which other nations may very well invoke in the future to justify their own military actions - in which a sitting head of state chooses - unilaterally - to initiate an utterly unprovoked bombing & full-scale military invasion of a sovereign nation - a nation which was of no immediate nor direct threat... and for justifying all of it with lie after lie after lie and for having no exit strategy.
Thank You. Thanks a lot.
It is my most sincere hope that you, sir, receive all the credit (and everything else) you deserve for all that you did to make the unprovoked Iraq War a bloody, deadly and hugely-expensive reality... which is now, thankfully, coming to an end.
There, Mitch... John... that pretty much covers it.
Peace.
L.
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Forget Waldo... Where in the World Has Dick Cheney Been?
I’ll admit it...
I’ve never been good at the whole linear, one-way, march of death, time thing...
Sometimes it goes forward...
...And sometimes it starts off going forward... but then, before you know it, it’s leaped backwards and you get to work 15 minutes early...
...Even though you were running at least 25 minutes late (Who says prayer doesn’t work?).
I don’t know about your experience of personal reality...
But, to me... in mine, it seems like everything’s been quiet for months... A good 6-10 months...
(if you don’t count the back-and-forth political camPai(g)n poking or the (as GWB put it:) "challenging" (snicker) economic tumult.)
Now...
...Suddenly...
...Out of No Where...
...They begin to arrive...
...Multiple reports of a Sighting... of... HIM!
You listen - somewhat in shock - to the horrible chorus repeated by all the news anchors...
Their words pepper you...their meaning stings...
...It’s like... Well... a shotgun blast to the face...
Heeeeeeee’s Baaaaack!
In spite of the fact that he’s (allegedly) thousands of miles away... the mere mention of his human name makes your stomach queasy... Your heart starts pounding in your chest and thumping in your ears...
... "No!", you silently scream, in anguish. It can’t be! Not... Him!
It had been so long... No one had seen him... Not one news show or front page headline had mentioned his name...for so long that...
... You thought... Well... Hoped against Hope... No... Wished, yeah, Wished (that’s it!) that he was ... well... Gone!
Didn’t We All? (OK, except maybe for the wife...)
Who am I talking about?
Well, the One and Only Terrible Troll himself... The Ho of Halliburton...
Mr. Dick (and I do mean "Dick") Cheney, of course!
Is it me? Or has this carbon-based carbuncle been M.I.A for the last six to ten months?
In my little Reality, Dick had pretty much stopped existing (... OK, stop snickering, you know what I meant.)
It’s kinda been like it was right after the Sept.11th attacks... You know... The media was reporting every detail of GWB’s whereabouts at all times... But you couldn’t get a bead on Cheney to save your life.
Maybe he’s been holed up in another bunker?
Hey, Dick... Did the ol’ Ticker stop ticking?
You know what... Maybe Dick did die... and Halliburton (or a subsidiary) has spent the better part of the last year cloning him...
Until the other day when...
..."Abracadabra!"... or "Rumplestiltskin!"... or even... "He’s Alive!"...
...And now...
In a sorrowful surprise to us all...
Dick has risen up from the grave and found himself in...
...Iraq... (Hmm... maybe he never left?)...
... He’s slapping backs and saying things to the effect of: "Look at all this Progress we’ve made!" and "Everything’s coming up bases... Uh, I mean roses!"
***A Personal Aside Here: L’Chaim!... Now, What about the Hurricane-and-Flood decimated Gulf Coast, Mr. Vice President... Why don’t you make some Formaldehyde-free Progress THERE?***
(Thanks, I just couldn’t help myself.)
"Success", you say? "It was worth it.", you say?
Of course you would sneer that...
"The goal for the invasion was permanent occupation of Iraq as America’s "police station" in the middle east. By that standard the 14 permanent bases are doing just fine, thanks. (Reference: Project for the New American Century)" (Fromsalon.com)
Hey, Dick! Why don’t you crawl/slither/drip back into that hole you’ve been hiding/being reconstituted in... and don’t come back until... well, at least Halloween or January 2nd.
Peace.
L.
I’ve never been good at the whole linear, one-way, march of death, time thing...
Sometimes it goes forward...
...And sometimes it starts off going forward... but then, before you know it, it’s leaped backwards and you get to work 15 minutes early...
...Even though you were running at least 25 minutes late (Who says prayer doesn’t work?).
I don’t know about your experience of personal reality...
But, to me... in mine, it seems like everything’s been quiet for months... A good 6-10 months...
(if you don’t count the back-and-forth political camPai(g)n poking or the (as GWB put it:) "challenging" (snicker) economic tumult.)
Now...
...Suddenly...
...Out of No Where...
...They begin to arrive...
...Multiple reports of a Sighting... of... HIM!
You listen - somewhat in shock - to the horrible chorus repeated by all the news anchors...
Their words pepper you...their meaning stings...
...It’s like... Well... a shotgun blast to the face...
Heeeeeeee’s Baaaaack!
In spite of the fact that he’s (allegedly) thousands of miles away... the mere mention of his human name makes your stomach queasy... Your heart starts pounding in your chest and thumping in your ears...
... "No!", you silently scream, in anguish. It can’t be! Not... Him!
It had been so long... No one had seen him... Not one news show or front page headline had mentioned his name...for so long that...
... You thought... Well... Hoped against Hope... No... Wished, yeah, Wished (that’s it!) that he was ... well... Gone!
Didn’t We All? (OK, except maybe for the wife...)
Who am I talking about?
Well, the One and Only Terrible Troll himself... The Ho of Halliburton...
Mr. Dick (and I do mean "Dick") Cheney, of course!
Is it me? Or has this carbon-based carbuncle been M.I.A for the last six to ten months?
In my little Reality, Dick had pretty much stopped existing (... OK, stop snickering, you know what I meant.)
It’s kinda been like it was right after the Sept.11th attacks... You know... The media was reporting every detail of GWB’s whereabouts at all times... But you couldn’t get a bead on Cheney to save your life.
Maybe he’s been holed up in another bunker?
Hey, Dick... Did the ol’ Ticker stop ticking?
You know what... Maybe Dick did die... and Halliburton (or a subsidiary) has spent the better part of the last year cloning him...
Until the other day when...
..."Abracadabra!"... or "Rumplestiltskin!"... or even... "He’s Alive!"...
...And now...
In a sorrowful surprise to us all...
Dick has risen up from the grave and found himself in...
...Iraq... (Hmm... maybe he never left?)...
... He’s slapping backs and saying things to the effect of: "Look at all this Progress we’ve made!" and "Everything’s coming up bases... Uh, I mean roses!"
***A Personal Aside Here: L’Chaim!... Now, What about the Hurricane-and-Flood decimated Gulf Coast, Mr. Vice President... Why don’t you make some Formaldehyde-free Progress THERE?***
(Thanks, I just couldn’t help myself.)
"Success", you say? "It was worth it.", you say?
Of course you would sneer that...
"The goal for the invasion was permanent occupation of Iraq as America’s "police station" in the middle east. By that standard the 14 permanent bases are doing just fine, thanks. (Reference: Project for the New American Century)" (Fromsalon.com)
Hey, Dick! Why don’t you crawl/slither/drip back into that hole you’ve been hiding/being reconstituted in... and don’t come back until... well, at least Halloween or January 2nd.
Peace.
L.
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