VIDEO AT: http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/12/06/countdown-special-comment-the-nie-reflects-an-unhinged-irrational-chicken-little-of-a-president/

Special Comment: Neocon Job Posted: Thursday, December 06, 2007 9:01 PM by Countdown
Filed Under: Special Comment
Full text of Keith's Special Comment after the jump.

Finally, as promised, a Special Comment about the President's cataclysmic deception about Iran.

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There are few choices more terrifying than the one Mr.. Bush has left us with tonight.

We have either a president who is too dishonest to restrain himself from invoking World War Three about Iran at least six weeks after he had to have known that the analogy would be fantastic, irresponsible hyperbole -- or we have a president too transcendently stupid not to have asked -- at what now appears to have been a series of opportunities to do so -- whether the fairy tales he either created or was fed, were still even remotely plausible.

A pathological presidential liar, or an idiot-in-chief. It is the nightmare scenario of political science fiction: A critical juncture in our history and, contained in either answer, a president manifestly unfit to serve, and behind him in the vice presidency: an unapologetic war-monger who has long been seeing a world visible only to himself.

After Ms Perino's announcement from the White House late last night, the timeline is inescapable and clear.

In August the President was told by his hand-picked Major Domo of intelligence Mike McConnell, a flinty, high-strung-looking, worrying-warrior who will always see more clouds than silver linings, that what "everybody thought" about Iran might be, in essence, crap.

Yet on October 17th the President said of Iran and its president Ahmadinejad:

"I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War Three, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge to make a nuclear weapon."

And as he said that, Mr.. Bush knew that at bare minimum there was a strong chance that his rhetoric was nothing more than words with which to scare the Iranians.

Or was it, Sir, to scare the Americans?

Does Iran not really fit into the equation here? Have you just scribbled it into the fill-in-the-blank on the same template you used, to scare us about Iraq?

In August, any commander-in-chief still able-minded or uncorrupted or both, Sir, would have invoked the quality the job most requires: mental flexibility.

A bright man, or an honest man, would have realized no later than the McConnell briefing that the only true danger about Iran was the damage that could be done by an unhinged, irrational Chicken Little of a president, shooting his mouth off, backed up by only his own hysteria and his own delusions of omniscience.

Not Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mr. Bush.

The Chicken Little of presidents is the one, Sir, that you see in the mirror.

And the mind reels at the thought of a Vice President fully briefed on the revised Intel as long as two weeks ago -- briefed on the fact that Iran abandoned its pursuit of this imminent threat four years ago -- who never bothered to mention it to his boss.

It is nearly forgotten today, but throughout much of Ronald Reagan's presidency it was widely believed that he was little more than a front-man for some never-viewed, behind-the-scenes, string-puller.

Today, as evidenced by this latest remarkable, historic malfeasance, it is inescapable, that Dick Cheney is either this president's evil ventriloquist, or he thinks he is.

What servant of any of the 42 previous presidents could possibly withhold information of this urgency and gravity, and wind up back at his desk the next morning, instead of winding up before a Congressional investigation -- or a criminal one?

Mr. Bush -- if you can still hear us -- if you did not previously agree to this scenario in which Dick Cheney is the actual detective and you're Remington Steele -- you must disenthrall yourself: Mr. Cheney has usurped your constitutional powers, cut you out of the information loop, and led you down the path to an unprecedented presidency in which the facts are optional, the Intel is valued less than the hunch, and the assistant runs the store.

The problem is, Sir, your assistant is robbing you -- and your country -- blind.

Not merely in monetary terms, Mr.. Bush, but more importantly of the traditions and righteousness for which we have stood, at great risk, for centuries: Honesty, Law, Moral Force.

Mr.. Cheney has helped, Sir, to make your Administration into the kind our ancestors saw in the 1860's and 1870's and 1880's -- the ones that abandoned Reconstruction, and sent this country marching backwards into the pit of American Apartheid.

Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland...

Presidents who will be remembered only in a blur of failure, Mr.. Bush.

Presidents who will be remembered only as functions of those who opposed them -- the opponents whom history proved right.

Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland... Bush.

Would that we could let this President off the hook by seeing him only as marionette or moron.

But a study of the mutation of his language about Iran proves that though he may not be very good at it, he is, himself, still a manipulative, Machiavellian, snake-oil salesman.

The Bushian etymology was tracked by Dan Froomkin at the Washington Post's website.

It is staggering.

March 31st: "Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon..."

June 5th: Iran's "pursuit of nuclear weapons..."

June 19th: "consequences to the Iranian government if they continue to pursue a nuclear weapon..."

July 12th: "the same regime in Iran that is pursuing nuclear weapons..."

August 6th: "this is a government that has proclaimed its desire to build a nuclear weapon..."

Notice a pattern?

Trying to develop, build or pursue a nuclear weapon.

Then, sometime between August 6th and August 9th, those terms are suddenly swapped out, so subtly that only in retrospect can we see that somebody has warned the President, not only that he has gone out too far on the limb of terror -- but there may not even be a tree there...

McConnell, or someone, must have briefed him then.

August 9th: "They have expressed their desire to be able to enrich uranium, which we believe is a step toward having a nuclear weapons program..."

August 28th: "Iran's active pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons..."

October 4th: "you should not have the know-how on how to make a (nuclear) weapon..."

October 17th: "until they suspend and/or make it clear that they, that their statements aren't real, yeah, I believe they want to have the **capacity**, the **knowledge**, in order to make a nuclear weapon."

Before August 9th, it's: Trying to develop, build or pursue a nuclear weapon.

After August 9th, it's: Desire, pursuit, want...knowledge technology know-how to enrich uranium.

And we are to believe, Mr.. Bush, that the National Intelligence Estimate this week talks of the Iranians suspending their nuclear weapons program in 2003...

And you talked of the Iranians suspending their nuclear weapons program on October 17th...

And that's just a coincidence?

---

And we are to believe, Mr.. Bush, that nobody told you any of this until last week?

Your insistence that you were not briefed on the NIE until last week might be legally true -- something like "what the definition of is is -- but with the subject matter being not interns but the threat of nuclear war.

Legally, it might save you from some war crimes trial... but ethically, it is a lie.

It is indefensible.

You have been yelling threats into a phone for nearly four months, after the guy on the other end had already hung up.

You, Mr.. Bush, are a bald-faced liar.

--

And more over, you have just revealed that John Bolton, and Norman Podhoretz, and the Wall Street Journal Editorial board, are also bald-faced liars.

We are to believe that the Intel Community, or maybe the State Department, cooked the raw intelligence about Iran, falsely diminished the Iranian nuclear threat, to make you look bad?

And you proceeded to let them make you look bad?

---

You not only knew all of this about Iran, in early August...

But you also knew... it was... accurate.

And instead of sharing this good news with the people you have obviously forgotten you represent...

You merely fine-tuned your terrorizing of those people, to legally cover your own backside...

While you filled the factual gap with sadistic visions of -- as you phrased it on August 28th: a quote "nuclear holocaust" -- and, as you phrased it on October 17th, quote: "World War Three."

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My comments, Mr. Bush, are often dismissed as simple repetitions of the phrase "George Bush has no business being president."

Well, guess what?

Tonight: hanged by your own words... convicted by your own deliberate lies...

You, sir, have no business... being president.

---

Good night, and good luck.

http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/06/501450.aspx

Thanks kpete for being so fast :hi:

Right in the kisser!

It's almost a guarantee that this clip will surface on "Crooks & Liars"...I look forward to seeing it and posting it.

:patriot:

say what he says. I COMPLETELY AGREE with him, but we really are talking about some really straight talk that NO OTHER person (other than Malloy) is or ever has said! I have to say, I enjoy hearing him say the things I've said to my TV, but I'm really getting afraid that he's going to be taken off the TV!

that he'll take a trip on a small airplane...

was BLANCHED when they cut to him.

They BOTH must stay off the small planes.

He is direct to a point in special comments as usual! I always enjoy these.

Impeach this administration!!

That was enough to frighten even the sleepiest of us. Keith has what it takes.


Oh yeah, and juxtaposed against the FREE LIVE coverage Romney got for his campaign speech. Sick. Just sick.

I hope people on the hill are paying attention., Maybe, just maybe, they will get a backbone and start impeachment hearings.

electric! My husband and I stood up and cheered, and we visualized lots of our fellow DUers doing the same.

(Watch your back, Keith. And stay off of small planes.)

K&R

"... a president who is too dishonest to restrain himself ..."

"... a president too transcendently stupid ..."

"A pathological presidential liar, or an idiot-in-chief. "

"... a president manifestly unfit to serve ..."

"... an unhinged, irrational Chicken Little of a president ..."

"... this latest remarkable, historic malfeasance ..."

"... Dick Cheney is ... this president's evil ventriloquist ..."

"... an unprecedented presidency in which the facts are optional, the Intel is valued less than the hunch, and the assistant runs the store."

"... a manipulative, Machiavellian, snake-oil salesman."

"You, Mr.. Bush, are a bald-faced liar."

"George Bush has no business being president."


:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

Keith was on fire again.

"A pathological liar or Idiot In Chief"

I vote-both.

:party:

Going from speaking "Truth to Power" to spinning "Truth for Power"?

I have faith that KO won't ever do that. Even for Kucinich. :hi:

Now that's Telling It The Way It is!

Thanks, kpete for the transcript. I do not have cable and am unable to watch K.O.

This should be seen by every person in this country.

I missed the entire program.

That was brilliant.

as he was saying it. KO :thumbsup: :patriot:

K and R

K&R

asked Richard Wolfe of Newsweek point blank why Bush's lies aren't garnering mainstream media attention. Wolfe didn't answer the question. Danced around it like somebody who knows his paycheck would be at risk if he cut through the bullshit and gave an honest answer. Keith is so refreshing. Wish there were more like him.

And of course Bush could never in a thousand years have been elected President were it not for the majority of Wolfe's own colleagues, AKA the corporate media whores, who did such excellent work persuading almost half the population that indeed you could have a silk purse from a sow's ear.

but they sure don't escape KO!

Another KnockOut as usual, and I believe THIS one left a mark.

I truly believe the Wregime may try to "silence" him.

The only thing I'd change is where W is quoted in text, nuclear should spelled the way in which he incorrectly pronounces it. Jeeezus. Commander in Cheif who can't flippin' pronounce nuclear. He's an abomination.

that after all of the years he's been president, wouldn't someone politely point that out? He has loads of handlers. Why would he insist upon pronouncing it incorrectly?

situations -- or audible.

Wow. It also gives one the opportunity to parse the text for fragments that might not otherwise jump out at you.

Like this one, for instance:

"...throughout much of Ronald Reagan's presidency it was widely believed that he was little more than a front-man for some never-viewed, behind-the-scenes, string-puller..."

Reinforcing the Cheney as evil-ventriloquist line. One president had Alzheimer's, this one's a gibbering drunk, so who the heck are the Puppet Masters?

The ones stealing elections and robbing the treasury blind, through war profiteering and graft?

Kicked, reccommended, bookmarked, scattered, smothered & covered-with-love.:bounce:

If they don't move toward hearings and impeachment now they are complicit in every crime this admin had perpetrated.

I wrote him an email suggesting this.

kolbermann@msnbc.com


k/r

My everlasting thank you to Keith Olbermann for putting his life on the line to connect the dots for the American people and for the cause of world peace and our Constitution and our democracy. He is undoubtedly at the top of the list for being suicided should BushCo gain much more power than they have now -- or even if they don't. :applause:

And the rest of the Democrats that are too worthless to even mention to keep funding this liars wars, this criminal of the white house and his entire administration of traitors.

Thank You.

Day in and day out Kieth Olbermann is the only network journalist present, the only person willing and with the courage to speak truth to the constant lies. He stands alone and walks alone. If history has any integrity, it will question why Olbermann did not win the Pulitzer.

edit: spelling

you got to love Keith, he talks for all of us.

Keith has NOTHING to fear when the majority of Americans are behind him.

If anything, the selected prez, the enablers in the Democratic party and corporate whores should be sweating knowing that the end is near for them.

"People should not be afraid of it's government.
The government should be afraid of its people."