THE BULLHORN
When Things Look Tough for the Future, You Go Back to What Has Worked in the Past George Bush’s poll numbers on Iraq continue to sink into the dark ooze of a deep ocian and the message of the Downing Street memo is seeping into the national conscience.
For those who will not have a chance to see the President speak tonight, Scott McClellan gave the short story for what the president will say. Déjà vu all over again may hit some on the head as some recall they have seen this scene before. Tonight George Bush, the prophet of the new apocalypse, will come down again from the mountain we have so publicly seen him climb and he will give us his word of God. The new words we will hear will be mixed with some old ones. What a sorry stew it is suggested we eat: Commander in Chief, threat, strategy, Iraq, mission, nature of the enemy, ruthless, victory, mission. September Eleventh. Also: strategy for success, clear path to victory. September Eleventh.
WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING JUNE 27, 2005
Q The question is, is there a new direction, though, or not?MR. McCLELLAN: You're going to hear from the President tomorrow night. I think we have a clear strategy for success. He's going to be talking in a very specific way about what that strategy is. It's an opportunity for the American people to hear about the strategy. We've all seen on the TV screens the images of bloodshed and violence. They are disturbing. The President is disturbed by those images. The terrorists have inflicted great suffering. There have been tremendous sacrifices. But the cause for which we are in Iraq is an important one, and there is great progress being made on the ground.
The terrorists' only alternative is to spread violence and chaos and destruction because they know that when a free Iraq takes hold, a democratic Iraq, that it will be a major defeat for their ambitions. You've heard terrorists talk publicly about the importance of trying to stop the progress that is being made in Iraq.
Q Isn't the message really more patience? Isn't that really what the President is going to be requesting, something he's --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think if you go back to September 11th -- remember, on September 11th the threats of the 21st century were brought to our shores. We saw in a very clear way the threats that we face on that day.
And the President said shortly after the attacks of September 11th that this is a long struggle that we're going to be in, that this is a different kind of war, one which we have never seen before. And we do face a determined and ruthless enemy, an enemy that has no regard for innocent human life. That's the nature of the enemy that we're up against. That's the nature of the enemy that the President will be talking about in his remarks tomorrow night.
[WHITE HOUSE]
We have come so far to find ourselves in the same place. We are back in the dark times. Bush climbs up the rubble of the Trade Center, sacred holy ground and profanes it. Yet again Bush the false prophet climbs over the bodies of the dead to make his diabolical connection. We were attacked by Osama Bin Laden . . . so we must go after Saddam Hussein. And now we must stay in Iraq . . . because we are there.
OTHER PRESS BRIEFING NOTES: Someone named John has replaced Jeff Gannon for giving Scott McClellan a break and a chance to reiterate the day's message.
Go ahead, John.
Q Scott, could you talk a little bit more about the nature of the enemy?
[WHITE HOUSE]
This press briefing lasted all of twentysix minutes with not one question asked about the Downing Street Memos. Still Iraq and its postwar condition deteriorate further. When the future of the war requires a return to its dubious, dark beginnings, you know the what is coming out of that bullhorn.
WHAT OTHER BLOGS ARE SAYING:
I try not to go around saying that those who were in New York City or Washington on 9/11 understand the attacks differently from those who weren't. I try not to say it because it sounds snotty, and it's not something you can prove. But I know I've said it a few times, because I think it's true.
The first time I went back to the Midwest and saw people wearing commemorative 9/11 T-shirts--burning towers in background, weeping American eagle in foreground--I was stunned. Just the idea of a commemorative 9/11 T-shirt seems obscene to me. And if you don't understand that, then you don't understand 9/11 the same way I do.
I can only speculate, but I do think many Americans got a big vicarious thrill out of the attacks. It must've been great television. But even better, it was a five-star excuse to wallow in self-righteousness and indignation. And the villians of the drama were swarthy Islamic aliens, which was great for xenophobes. When the towers collapsed, suddenly it was socially acceptable to haul xenophobia out of the darkness and place it on a pedestal. Party time!
[MAHABLOG] [KEITH OLBERMAN]
THE HERETIK HAS A QUESTION: How long will we waste our time against an enemy who never attacked us the way the president says? How much more time has the real enemy been given because of that? How long will we indulge our misplaced vengeance?
According to Donald Rumsfeld we will waste about 12 years.
You're right about Bush's speech tonight. It will be all about September Eleventh. Well, that's how he won re-election right?
Posted by: Agitprop | June 28, 2005 at 09:19 AM
How long, how long baby,
how long has it been?
How long you gonna keep me wondering?
How long before you see
stallin' me was wrong --
how long?
How long, how long you gonna keep
slappin' my hands away?
How long you gonna keep my love at bay?
How long before you're sure
my love is strong --
how long?
How long, how long you gonna keep
tellin' me you like me fine?
How long until I'm gonna make you mne?
How long before you wake up
and find your good man gone?
Oh, whoa, how long?
Oh, whoa, how long?
(Dire Straits, "How Long" -- couldn't help myself, Heretik, I get this way on occasion...)
Posted by: Mimus Pauly | June 28, 2005 at 09:25 AM
For a "clear strategy" it was remarkably short on specifics.
Da Prez would've saved us a lot of time if he'd just done the bullhorn version of the speech.
Posted by: Rob | June 29, 2005 at 08:56 AM
9-11, where failure can accomplish the impossible dream!
Attacked by Saudis, fly al l over the country whisking the perpetrators accomplices out of the country.
Find a guy who had nothing to do with it and lock him up for well over three years without trial, representation,or any contact with the outside world.
What about charges? Exactly!
Bribe and blackmail other countries to forgo any war crimes prosecutions, illegally divert money from Iraq and start a secret airwar months before you ask Congress for permition.
Why would anybody be interested in hearing about the smoking guns of this crime or the thousands of pages of evidence?
Posted by: grannyinsanity | June 30, 2005 at 01:00 AM
Super natural activity exists, doesn't exist
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