I was raised in a household where saying the four words “I told you so” rendered you obnoxious and subjected you to a kick in the ass.
I was also, however, raised in a household that instructed me not to hide my light under a bushel.
Therefore, I may just say it before this essay is through.
For more than five years, we have lived under a president who has lied, abused his power, made grossly incompetent decisions, hired cronies, empowered charlatans, massacred the English language and strained the military to the breaking point.
His chicanery, his failure to own up to his mistakes and his spectacularly poor grasp of history and the world around him have put our nation’s credibility, nay our very security in grave jeopardy.
I wrote a column about Mr. Bush in 1998 when rumblings of his candidacy were growing louder. As I recall, this column (syndicated in newspapers) remarked upon Bush’s “fact finding tour” in Egypt and other areas—his first trip out of the United States in his life. I pointed out then, that if he somehow became president, we were in deep doo-doo.
When he stole the presidency, I was joined by a chorus of voices who predicted he would be a one-term laughing stock. None of us foresaw what is perhaps one of the most terrible consequences of 9/11: the transformation of a Laughing Stock into someone perceived to be a Leader.
The terrorist acts did more than murder innocents and destroy buildings. It transformed a Chauncey Gardner with a mean streak into a Righteous Warrior. It emboldened him to seize the most power in a chief executive since Lincoln. We have watched him and his spineless, rubber-stamp congress defenestrate the Bill of Rights. He and his minions have made a virtue of ignorance. He has legitimized mediocrity. He has made us all small.
I have numerous family members who supported and continue to support Bush. I do not have many friends who did—after all, I can choose my friends. The family who supported Bush did so for the usual reasons: a misplaced belief that Bush was “God’s candidate,” an equally misplaced belief that he was a stronger man—alcoholism aside--than war hero John Kerry. Let’s have a near-beer with Bush!
Some of them have so much money, ego or both invested in being a “Bush Man” that they cannot see him destroying the fabric of the nation. He is tearing us apart, and they refuse to see it. They have made the mistake of equating the president with the nation. He is not the state. He works for us. Or at least, the president is supposed to work for us.
I warned them. I told them he would be a disaster.
Now, not all are still in the Shrub’s corner. Some of these former Bush fans have lately been scraping their bumpers in the dead of night. Windows proudly previously festooned with a large “W” are now Windexed clean in the cold light of day.
Consciences are not so easy to clean.
Not everyone has seen the light. Many still equate blind obedience with patriotism. They hungrily devour the bullshit that is served them. These edacious cravers of bullshit are still hungry. You see, truth does not digest. Truth passes harmlessly through their systems. Truth is only palatable to them when it is red, white and blue.
Now we see on an almost daily basis new reasons to suspect I was right. Dominos fall…Cunningham, DeLay, Allen, Libby…but the 33 percent of hardcore Bush supporters disown them—hey, it’s not the president’s fault! They switch to Fox News and drink their Diet Sprite. They leave the lights on. (And screw New Orleans while we’re at it…building a city in basin, they deserve it. Right?)
But the masses are awake now. The 67 percent are watching. And angry.
I have had more than a few family and friends admit to me that I was right. Bush is a disaster. They are sorry they ever voted for him or supported his bullshit war.
It doesn’t make me feel good. It is a pyrrhic victory for me when I see Bush falling apart. He falls apart, and the walls of our shining city on the hill are crumbled.
I told you so.
There, I said it. It hurts my guts.
Cross posted from Soonerthought.com
Wow, what a week. Everything from the fall of Tom DeLay to Scooter ratting out the president as the leaker-in-chief. What else can the
LC write about?
All Facts and Opinions reflects on Jill Carroll.archy desconstructs a dino-denier.Bark Bark Woof Woof goes after the Eddie Haskell of right-wing politics.blogAmY celebrates Opening Day at Fenway.bloggg has the word on Chris Matthews sucking up to Tom DeLay.Collective Sigh has the contraception concept as a wedge issue covered.Dodecahedron has some interesting results from a memory test of pot-smokers. I was going to say something about that, but I forgot what it was.Dohiyi Mir has some stats about the "sanctity of marriage."Echidne has a fun filmstrip (caution: not work-safe).the farmer on Katherine Harris and paranoia.David Neiwert guest-posts at FDL about the resurgence of extremism.First Draft has the transcript of the Man Who Dared Talk Back.The Fulcrum is back and discussing the changing landscape.Happy Furry Puppy on the musique returning to NOLA.iddybud on Chinese trading news.Before going on temporary hiatus, Left Is Right leaves us with a story of life in El Salvador.Lefty Brown on another white man talking about race.Liberty Street on the next level of warrantless wiretapping.Make Me a Commentator makes it easy to be successful.MercuryX23 has a quote from the Time Traveler.Michael takes his first step into a larger world.Pen-Elayne's had it with some aspects of the news, and Robin gets interviewed.Rick on snow in NYC in April.Rook finds that there is a commonality in religions.rubber hose on immigration and a simple question.Coturnix links to an explanation of why the wingnuts hate Plan B.Scrutiny Hooligans remakes a commercial.Sooner Thought has four little words for you.Speedkill on apologetic Christians, among other things.Steve Gilliard on stupid racist baseball players.T. Rex on the Sunshine State Progressive Blog and taking it to all 50 states.Keith has a thought on Batman Begins.Scott guest-posts at Words on a Page about Gitmo.WTF Is It Now?? on another Republican congressman in trouble with his constituents.Steve weighs in on McCain....You Are a Tree on hockey happiness.
Cross-posted from Bark Bark Woof Woof.
Ok, I have had some time to think about Tom DeLay's announcement. Now, normally bad news announcements are made on Friday. At least that had been the usual timing. Yet, here we have an announcement at the start of the week. This announcement is going to get a full news cycle. If the majority of the nation did not know what Tom DeLay's legal problems were, they will after this cycle is complete.
Also, this timing signals a break from standard operating procedure, as I mentioned above. So, does this mean DeLay is no longer on the team? Will we start to hear more about an even higher placed politician connected to the legal problems of Abramoff and DeLay? Let's remember that Bush is the pinnacle of the Texas Republican political machinery. Even if it does not touch him directly, it sure as hell plays a part in supporting his ascension to the Oval Office. Ultimately, the same logic, as evoked by
Josh over at TPM, that ties DeLay to the dirty deeds of his staff can be used to tie Bush to the dirty deeds of the Texas Republican political machine. And with DeLay's announcement of dropping out of the race and resigning, I am more incline to believe a path to the White House has just been cleared. It's just a hunch, but I'd say the odds of impeaching Bush just improved.
As Sean-Paul says clearly and eloquently:
The Bug Man Gets Exterminated! | The Agonist
Tom DeLay has now officially proven that he is a weak, bullying coward who cannot accept responsibility for his own actions.
He's a coward who held one of the highest offices in the land, held more power than almost any other Americans and he cannot face Ronnie Earle, a simple city DA in Austin.
What a weak, cowardly cut-and-run resigning Republican.
Now we will see just what kind of loyalty exists in the Texas Republican political establishment. Me? I believe DeLay is going to sing like a bird. Honor among thieves is an oxymoron. And honor requires integrity. Does what Sean-Paul describe above sound like honor? Oh, hell no! Like I even needed to answer my own rhetorical question.
If DeLay had any integrity, he would allow the voters to pass judgment on him. But since he obviously is now faced with a serious legal charge, one apparently severe enough to require his utmost attention, I would say integrity is in short supply. And with it honor, and of course, loyalty. Tom DeLay is the man that can establish whether or not a connection exists between Abramoff and Bush. There is not a chance in hell that Tom DeLay would take a fall for President Bush. Remember, this is a man who cowardly cut and run. In fact, he plans on
leaving the state of Texas altogether.
You can generally tell the character of a man by the company he keeps, or the people he hires. Well, considering the people who worked for DeLay have now turned on him, I'd say DeLay will follow suit and turn on anyone in an effort to reduce his sentence.
Keep a close watch on Bush. It will be interesting to see just how he reacts over the next couple of weeks or months. I figure there will be one, maybe two more bicycle accidents. We might even see more evidence of his drinking. Or, at least more pictures of him drinking some undisclosed beverage. Also, Bush tends to fall back on his image of resolve when he is in a tight spot. Watch for an increase in the expression of resolve in regards to Iraq, and with Iran. Let's see if Bush starts sweating.
Finally, look for some misdirection from the White House. Whether or not the MonoMedia bites is another matter. Quite frankly, there is blood in the water and the sharks are circling. No amount of distraction will divert their attention at this time.
This has been cross posted at
Rook's Rant.
They're up at
Wampum; go take a look and congratulate the winners.
Special kudos go to
Echidne of the Snakes for taking home
Most Deserving of Wider Recognition. No doubt about it, and I'm proud to have her as a member of
The Liberal Coalition.
And congratulations as well to
Shakespeare's Sister for
Best Group Blog.
As for
Bark Bark Woof Woof making it to the semis in MDWR; hey, it's an honor to be nominated, and wait 'til next year!
Cross-posted from Bark Bark Woof Woof.
