Bush's Brave Cowboy Act Is Over-He Can't Just SMIRK & Walk Off Stage

No Light in the Tunnel
William Greider


................the brave-cowboy act is over. He failed himself yesterday in the White House press room.

George W. Bush called the press conference to sell hope--give people a reason to keep on believing--but trampled his own objective. Instead, he deepened the public's fear--not of Muslim terrorists--but of his own leadership at war. Does this guy know what he's doing? He got us into this mess; does he know how to get us out?

A fatal admission was revealed when Bush was asked whether he could envision a day when US troops were out of Iraq. The President shrugged, as though the question does not apply to him. "That'll be decided," Bush said, "by future presidents and future governments of Iraq." When I heard this, I thought, that's going to be tomorrow's headline. Sure enough, it was in the Washington Times, a conservative newspaper that always rallies to Bush's side. "Bush commits until 2009," the banner headline declared.

That remark shuts down hope and kicks it out the door. Want to bring the troops home? For the next three years, forget it. Bush's comment, it is true, was more ambiguous than the headline. But it's too late for White House amplifications. The headline is the shorthand that will linger in public consciousness, repeated endlessly in the political chatter.

Does this guy have a clue? His tone of casual dismissal sends a chill down the spine. His press conference blunder will stalk George Bush until he either makes a big change in policy or personnel or actually gets us out of Iraq. He can't just smirk and walk off the stage.

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion?pid=71061

It's up to the NEXT President to deal with.

In Iraq until '09. All hope was kicked out the door, with that admission. I agree.

the radio was set on NPR from the morning commute. I stopped, I wasn't sure I had just heard that.

My first reaction was -So there ARE going to be other Presidents?

my second one was-WOW they must be running out of the room to cover for that statment just like the "we are addicted to oil" one. Sure enough Gillespie was on CNN saying that that line was overreported overfocused on. McClellan too.

The headline from WaTimes is some kinda powerful spin.

The public needs to hear this. That is the only way it will change. As for the question of does Mr.bush have a clue? No. He can smirk and walk off the stage and this is good, showing how he is.

and once lowered, they never fail to live up to them.

Republicans said we should fear the erosion of states' rights -- then they eroded them.
They said be afraid of a big, expensive, intrusive government -- then they created the biggest and most intrusive.

The man is so out of touch he doesn't have a clue how most Americans feel about the war.

War?...War is Peace. He is a sad, tragic cliche. :eyes:

walk away...and leave the mess for someone else to clean up.

2320 Killed to date

2320 x 3additional years = 6960

If this goes on for 3 more years we can expect a minimu of 6960 total deaths.....of American soldiers
but it will increase if the the civil war grows....

16653 Total wounded to date:
16653 x 3 additional years
Projected 49959 wounded

http://icasualties.org/oif/

somebody else is going to have to clean up the mess he created.

:eyes:

Unfortunately, I believe he WILL just smirk and walk off the stage when all is said and done. He'll dump his "war" -- just like he dumped the COSTS of his war -- on everyone ELSE to clean up for him. SOP for the Crawford Coward.

Mark my words.