Embarassment 2
Yeah, I know, those of you who have met me may think that it’s difficult for me to feel embarassed.
It is. When you get a certain age, you realize that, ultimately, it doesn’t matter what other people think, as long as you have tried to comport yourself with integrity.
But, dammit, I didn’t vote for him. I didn’t vote for him twice. But he’s still my president, for good or ill.
And he still embarasses me. Dan Froomkin reports:
Asked why Americans should trust his vision for Iraq, given all the mistakes he has made thus far, Bush essentially blamed his commanders — but then said that Americans should trust him because he relies on his commanders.
Asked if he was sufficiently realistic in his appraisal of Iraq, he said “Yeah,” then talked at length about the threat posed by al Qaeda.
He repeated his inaccurate and misleading assertion that “the same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th.”
And he generally argued that disagreeing with his policy is tantamount to undermining the troops and emboldening Al Qaeda.
I wonder whether he actually believes his lies?
July 14, 2007 at 10:16 pm
I listened to most of that news conference on NPR, and what struck me was the palpable bitterness of the press corps. I understand that Bush’s approval ratings are almost as low as Congress’, but I would think at least a veneer of impartiality would serve the reporters well, if only to establish some credibility in other matters.
Helen Thomas began the questioning with this fair and balanced question:
“Mr. President, you started this war, a war of your choosing, and you can end it alone, today, at this point — bring in peacekeepers, U.N. peacekeepers. Two million Iraqis have fled their country as refugees. Two million more are displaced. Thousands and thousands are dead. Don’t you understand, you brought the al Qaeda into Iraq.”
And transcripts don’t even convey the tone of voice.
July 14, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Persons who have been lied to repeatedly tend to get bitter.
It might help if Bush would answer questions, rather than duck them.
But he can’t handle the truth.