Thursday, November 09, 2006

harry and nancy should recruit Kofi Annan. just for fun.

* tpmm:
"What will the 110th Congress bring? More muck, we hope. The FBI's anti-corruption squad is bigger than ever and roaming the Hill, and Democratic congressional investigators are just cracking their knuckles and getting out their subpoena forms. Our muck rakes mayn't be fit for service anymore -- we'll likely need shovels, don't you think?"
* georgia10:
"The Democrats didn't win because of the press. They won in spite of it, in spite of a press that gave wall-to-wall coverage of Kerry's blunder and call-me ads, in spite of a press that chose feigned scandal over true substance. In the face of such a hostile media environment, the Democrats still won. And that, my friends, is a true miracle."
* froomkin:
But even more astonishing to me was the "New Bush" I saw today in his press conference. Owning up to reality. Speaking well of Democrats. Acknowledging voter skepticism, and vowing to overcome it with deeds. Self-deprecating (rather than bullying). Who is this guy? Will it last?
[]
What's particularly interesting is the idea that there is a difference between "Campaigner Bush" and "President Bush."

Is "President Bush" the "New Bush" I alluded to in my intro? Has he been "Campaigner Bush" for the last six years, and without another campaign ahead, that's what's so different?
* atr:
"It's so nice to have the sane evil people back running a few things. Oh sane evil people, I will never take you for granted again."
* harry and nancy should recruit Kofi Annan. just for fun.

2 comments:

notjonathon said...

Yes, that's what I thought about Gates. The ones we thought were intolerably evil turn out to have been so much better than their replacements. As noted, they are at least sane.

Apparently, the big battle now looming is between the Cheney faction (and the first domino there has already fallen) and the Bush I faction, who, if given the chance, will sweep the WH clean of the Cheney group and Rove (Bush I and Rove do not get along). If Cheney loses out, expect him to be thrown to the dogs in exchange for a de facto Congressional pardon for the Resident. With the greatest of luck, Bush II, tail between his legs, will slink back to the Democratic majority and avoid the certain Constitutional crisis that will ensue if he displays a Cheney-led stonewall of Congressional investigations. No matter how much we desire a real accounting of all the High Crimes and Misdemeanors of this Maladministration, the old American way of finding a scapegoat might serve the nation best in the short run. For example, Cheney could be forced to resign over his ties to Halliburton, for example, and a "respected" Republican Senator--not McCain, but more likely someone like Specter or Warner--could be named to replace him in exchange for letting the Fraudulent off the hook.
I say, "in the short run" because that will not bring any long-term accounting to the political process, and it will allow the "victimized right" narrative to fester and at some later time once more boil to the surface.
On the other hand, if Bush were to sign off on legislation rolling back his authoritarian power grab and laws governing campaign contributions in order to stave off revelation of his crimes, the Republic would then have peacefully resolved the greatest threat to its continued existence in a century and a half.
That might be worth the trade, no matter how much we desire satisfaction.

Miguel said...

Sad news. The man who first introduced most of America to Sibel Edmonds, Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes, has just passed away of leukemia.