Dowd: Our No-Can-Do Nation

[kskiska]

Young Americans are bravely fighting and dying in Iraq, trying to fulfill the audacious vision of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to remold Iraq in the image of America.

But while we try to turn them into us, who have we become?

The president presents himself as an avatar of American values, plain-spoken cowboy and tough flyboy.

But Condi Rice's testimony on Thursday raises the depressing possibility that we've lost the essence of our frontier spirit: the ingenious individualist who gets around the system and faces down the drones.

(snip)

This ominous passivity was threaded through the testimony of Ms. Rice, a brainy and accomplished woman who should represent the best of America. She blamed "systemic" and "structural" impediments that prevented the C.I.A. and the F.B.I. from sharing. She complained that other people hadn't recommended what she should do; even the terrorists were faulted for not giving specifics.

The screeching chatter in the spring and summer of 2001 — "There will be attacks in the near future" — did not yank Mr. Bush and his team from their Iraq fixation. "But they don't tell us when," Ms. Rice protested. "They don't tell us where, they don't tell us who, and they don't tell us how." Paging Nancy Drew.

Inconclusive intelligence did not bother the Bush team when it wanted to be "actionable" on Iraq, or engage in "tit for tat" with Saddam.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2004/04/11/opinion/11DOWD.html

[gmoney]

1. 233 days was plenty of time...

to pass tax cuts to cripple the economy and government at the expense of the lower and middle classes, all to benefit the richest of the rich.

But it's not enough time to have a meeting to discuss terrorism... no way.

And I thought *I* was a bad procrastinator.

[senseandsensibility]

2. Maureen Dowd-Love her or hate her

Although Ms. Dowd "piled on" Al Gore for being stiff, pompous and other meaningless adjectives during the 2000 election, she pretty much gave the * a free ride. This angered me greatly, and still does. But when Ms. Dowd is good, she's very, very good. And she's been good a lot lately.

[The Zanti Regent]

5. It does NOT absolve Whoreen for what it did in 2000.

We would not be in this mess if Whoreen D PRESSTITUTE and its' fellow Press Whores were so obsessed with kissing Chimp's ass.

[senseandsensibility]

6. I agree

and I don't forgive her. My comments were made in appreciation of her truly great writing ability, and in sadness that she misused it so tragically in 2000. I"m still angry, but I enjoy her anti-* columns. They're genius.

[Prodemsouth]

3. LOL, "even the terrorist were faulted for not giving specifics."

But Maureen, I got to say maybe if you would have examined W more closely instead of Al's balding spot..things might be different today.

[kichigai usagi]

4. Ole Communista Risen...

did not read her job description very well, did she? As head of the NSA it was HER JOB to co-ordinate the flow of information between the FBI and the CIA. I guess she left her brain back in Moscow along with all her knowledge about the Soviet threat.

Heads up...her comes a Soviet Missle attack!!

AL GORE....the President in Exile.

[Old and In the Way]

7. What would you have done?

I'd have amped up the AF and put a whole lot more fighters on stand by. 4 planes covering the entire US? Why? Bush had a SAM battery covering his sorry ass at the Resort he was staying at on 9/10. But only 4 fighters to cover the entire US.

I'll accept that no one could know all the details of the attack beforehand, but there was nothing that they did to increase national security while Bush enjoyed the remainder of his vacation at the pigfarm.

[DEM FAN]

8. Come On MoDo. Come On Over To Our Side. It's Better Here.

I Want To Really Like You. Just Like Arianna Huffington. :-)

[gonefishing]

9. That about says it all...

"On Iraq, they ran roughshod over the system. On Al Qaeda, Condi blamed the system, saying she couldn't act on Richard Clarke's plan until there was a strategy, a policy, "tasking," meetings, etc."

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Some great lines that show that CEO manager-styles don't work at

upper government levels:

"They don't tell us where, they don't tell us who, and they don't tell us how."

"even the terrorists were faulted for not giving specifics."

It t'would be funny if it weren't so sad. Condi is a typical do-nothing M.B.A. from an Ivy league graduate. Doesn't know how to roll up her sleeves and get the job done herself.

[susu369]

11. Best line

"W. kept fishing and denouncing Saddam, while Condi sat for a glam Vogue photo shoot and interview."

Actually, that was informative because I did not know about Condoliesalot's Vogue deal.

[displacedvermoter]

12. she can't resist the "Cowboy" crack, though,

although it seems perfectly logical that a man like Dick Clarke was very familiar with firearms and would feel the need to be armed. She's always got to get in some petty dig -- at least she didn't find a way to bring CLinton in -- to seem "balanced".

She's been good lately, bad conscience perhaps.