NYT: "It's like watching a computerized model of a president."

Op-Ed Columnist
Bush Hits Rewind

By BOB HERBERT
Published: December 1, 2005
It's weird. It's like watching a computerized model of a president. Somebody programs George W. Bush, carefully embedding the information to be dispensed over the next several hours, and then he goes out and addresses the nation - as a computerized bundle of administration talking points.

"We will never back down," said Mr. Bush in his speech at the U.S. Naval Academy yesterday. "We will never give in. And we will never accept anything less than complete victory."

I don't think there were many people who believed him. Members of Mr. Bush's own party are nervously eyeing next year's Congressional elections. They would abandon Iraq in a heartbeat if it meant the difference between getting re-elected or having to hunt for a real job.

This war (which has already cost the lives of more than 2,100 Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis) was cynically launched (it was never about Sept. 11) and incompetently fought (we have never sent enough troops or sufficient equipment), and will be brought to a close by people obsessed not with the security of the United States and the welfare of the troops, but with the political calendar.
http://select.nytimes.com/2005/12/01/opinion/01herbert.html?hp

Oh, it's the NYT. They must have gotten lost on the way. I thought the invites had pretty clear instructions. They seemed to have turned right back at the intersection of nationalist fervor and journalistic integrity.

His columns in March 2003:
Bombs and Blood
With Ears and Eyes Closed
Ready for the Peace?
Casualties at Home
Who Will Rescue Iraqi Civilians?

Bob Herbert obviously has his eyes wide open. My memories of the NYT during that fateful prelude to war are of feeling exasperated and shocked at the lack of questioning. It was like the world had become paralyzed with the fear of being 'unpatriotic.'

on this fools errand cooked up by arrogant fools who were so smart that they couldn't see practicalities and deficiencies.

Now, they talk in more cliche's and miss the real threats in the region. Richard Clark said there is an Iranian hit squad using Iraq as a training ground for urban war fare and sending the newly trained terrorists to Europe and possibly here. What a FUBAR.

They gave the results of "Call Your Shot." Yesterday morning they had people call in and predict the pat phrases Bush would use in his speech. this morning they had the results.

The first one was Press'. He predicted Bush would say "9/11". They started playing the tape of Bush's speech from the beginning, with the "Jeopardy" theme music behind it. During the introduction, before the end of the Jeopardy theme, Bush said "9/11"! 27 seconds! That's how long it took him to say it! Bill Press said he almost fell off his chair.

They went through a whole bunch of other phrases that people had called in and then played the tape of Bush saying every one of them.

Christy said, "Bush's speeches are like magnetic poetry." LOL!

:rofl:

I have to stop myself on making too many Vietnam comparisons as this ugly war is all to itself on its level of attrocities, hubris and ineptness.

This asshat doesn't want to either draw the war down or see it resolved...there's little profit to be made in peace. The current limbo is what this regime has always wanted as it's opened the door to profiteering on a massive and virtually undetected level. If booosh can replace 20,000 soldiers with 20,000 contractors, he'd do it in a heartbeat...but he'd rather have the 20,000 and the additional 20,000 contractors...this makes more money for his buddies. Waiving $150,000 a year tax free along with who knows how much more in "other considerations", all on our dime, is just too much for these people...they are so caught up in the gluttony, they can't see how fat they really are.

Someone here has a chart showing the run-of-the-mill stock market, tooling along almost in a straight line, against the 'defense' contractors and oil/energy producers, which are going up, up, and up since we invaded Iraq.

I've always thought that one of Chimpy's motives for his invasion was the sinking economy that lingered way after 9/11.