BOB HERBERT: "the disturbing realm of utter delusion"

[nostamj]

The White House seems to have slipped the bonds of simple denial and escaped into the disturbing realm of utter delusion. On Tuesday, there was President Bush hanging the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on George Tenet, the former C.I.A. director who slept through the run-up to Sept. 11 and then did the president and the nation the great disservice of declaring that it was a "slam-dunk" that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
It was a fatal misjudgment.

Another Medal of Freedom was given to Paul Bremer III, the chief civilian administrator of the American occupation, who made the heavily criticized decision to disband the defeated Iraqi Army and presided over an ever-worsening security situation. Thousands upon thousands have died in this unnecessary and incompetently conducted war, yet here was the president handing out medals as if some kind of triumph had been achieved. If these guys could get the highest civilian award, what honor is left for someone who actually does a good job?

A third medal was given to Gen. Tommy Franks, who led the invasion of Iraq, which Mr. Bush, in his peculiar way, has characterized as a "catastrophic success." It's an interesting term. Some people have applied it to the president's run for re-election.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/17/opinion/17herbert.html

[Atman]

1. Where are the Swift Boat Vets?

They certainly must have something to say about these medals, and the way they're indiscriminately handed out like candy. If Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa were alive right now, they'd be tossing THEIR "Medal of Freedom" award back over the White House gate.

Bush has lowered its significance to that of a "Participation Award."



1st Amendment Shoppe

[nostamj]

5. more likely they're pissed off

that they didn't get one too.

[itzamirakul]

2. Sadly, 50% of the nation

believes in this man and his delusions. This is the most frustrating situation I have ever been in.

[barb162]

4. That's why this country is totally sunk. We can't handle 4 more yrs.

Things will just keep getting worse and worse and we hit the point of no return on 11/2/04. Even if we elect a Dem in 4 yrs, we won't recover

[itzamirakul]

6. We are so busy fighting within our own party...

the DLC has brought us to this new low and now they are going out demonizing Michael Moore for doing the work they should have don. We have to find a way to get the DLC totally out of power if we plan to win anytime in the near future.

[barb162]

10. Oh yeah, the Dems leaders are in sad shape agreeing with the

pugsand I am sick of all this cooperation talk. They should be obstructing and ranting against the GOP crap all they can and be proud of it. Yes we are at a new low. But even if we got our act together, I am in a mood right now where I don't think we can win in the next elections. Even if we had a depression, the fundies would love Bush even more as their Saviour's right hand man...he won;t get the blame for any of it. The fundies, the media, the election fraud, the country seems to be shifting to the right or something, etc. The republic as we know it will turn into an economically depressed theocracy.

[itzamirakul]

13. The rightwing agenda IS...

a one party, fascist state. There is no interest in democracy in the rightwing. It is about corporate control. In the end, America will be totally owned (publicly, because it already is owned in secret) by a handful of very rich people, who will charge us for even living in this country. It will not matter whether or not they are Americans - if they have enough money, they can be from ANY country.

What is most pathetic is that men like Limbaugh and O'Reilly are misleading their fanatical masses into believing that some good is coming of this. When they wake up (the masses) it will be too late for anything but perhaps another populist uprising.

[nostamj]

3. oliphant on the medals...

[nostamj]

7. kick

[NorthernSpy]

8. it's like Caligula appointing his horse to the Roman Senate

Or was that Nero? Someone of that sort.

Ah, madmen and their little flights of whimsy!

[nostamj]

9. it was caligula...

40 AD Caligula decides that there's no point in putting off the inevitable and lets slip that he is a god and would everyone be kind enough to treat him like one. His favourite horse is made a senator and sardonic wags chuckle over the news that there's one more horse's arse in the senate. Caligula lavishes entertainments on the citizens of Rome and levies every imaginable tax in order to pay for it all. The tax hike takes the biscuit and in...

41 AD self-appointed representatives of angry tax payers assassinate Caligula, his wife, child and horse. Fearing that a return to the republic might prejudice their employment prospects the Praetorian Guard quickly grabs Claudius, the socially awkward uncle of the previous incumbent, and announces that he is the new emperor. With the Guards' swordpoints at their throats the senators humbly concur. A magnanimous Claudius rewards the Praetorians' performance with a huge bonus payment.

http://www.scarrow.fsnet.co.uk/new_page_3.htm

[kiki]

11. UK comics reference:

All hail Judge Fish!

[HCeline69]

14. That takes me back

Judge Cal. Poor Aaron Aardvark wanted to be first in the phone book...

[goforit]

12. I love Bob Herbert!!!.........Always says it like it is.

Heaven help us all!