Why Is The Bush Camp Fumbling So HORRIBLY In The Last Days?

[Placebo]

It seems strange of them to be making so many major mistakes. Now, they make mistakes everyday, but in the past week we've seen a departure from the usually well-planned rapid response and reaction capablity of this White House.

Bad response to Iraqi weapons gone missing, waiting days to respond; making the 'you don't want a commander in chief who rushes to conclusions without knowing the facts...' statement which is ONLY coming back to bite them in the arse; Giuliani blaming the troops for not securing the weapons, etc...

So what the F is up? Is the Bush camp naturally fumbling so horribly or could there be a reason behind their exceptionally poor & sloppy performance leading up to Election Day?

[apnu]

1. the wheels have come off the baby cart. 'nuff said.

[aden_nak]

3. "the wheels have come off the CRASHcart. 'nuff said."

[Gloria]

23. Rove was actually run over by those plane wheels that day as he

sat meditating in front of them with his luggage....so, without Rove, there are no longer any signs of life in the campaign...

[liberal N proud]

29. And no one know what to do with out the puppet master!

[aden_nak]

2. Fear. Panic. Defeat.

Sometimes staring into the eyes of an angry mob can be utterly paralyzing.

[lil-petunia]

43. they did that 4 yrs ago after the erection theft.

Remember Shrub's limo getting pelted?

Why do you think they really pushed for the patriot act? To stop terra-ists? no, to control the general public.

[skypilot]

4. Why ask why??

Just enjoy it and hope it last until next week.:)

[RoyalWickedness]

5. Well, they must be tired.

After all, it IS hard work, you know!

[benburch]

6. Two possibilities...

1. They really are fuckups.

2. They plan to steal it regardless of votes.

[InternalDialogue]

26. I'll add to benburch's list:

3. Congnitive dissonance.

The sheer lack of logic in what emanates from them lately (more so than usual) makes no sense -- but it leads into a balloon fight of words while they move to the next photo op and deny saying what they just said. Meanwhile, the talking heads beef about who said what when. "But.. oh, I thought you--wait a minute, didn't... hold on here, everyone... let me get this straight..."

Tick-tock, Clarice.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

7. Because...

As many of us hoped and expected, The Mighty Wurlitzer is in full cry and doing a full data dump.

Just the sort of thing one would expect when rank and scabrous amateurs go up against The Pros from Dover.

[tomfodw]

8. To be honest, and I could be wrong, I don't think they expected it...

...to be this close. I think they genuinely expected to have blown Kerry out long before this, so all they'd have to do was triumphantly tour the country playing mop-up and preparing for the coronation.

Living in a bubble has its major disadvantages.

(Mind, they haven't lost yet, and we haven't won. But I'm reasonably certain, however it turns out, that they never expected it to be this close. They never thought Kerry would fight as hard as he has, and they probably haven't a clue as to who or why all of us fighting so hard for him are.)

[PCIntern]

16. they spent 120 million dollars

on negative ads against Kerry and they weren't worth a dime.

fuck 'em.

[Jackpine Radical]

9. Pitchforks. Torches. Rope.

It's our turn.

[archineas]

10. the election has provided us one important thing

a constant eye trained on everything they say and do, and a powerful set of voices to call them on every step.

shrubbie's atmosphere of not tolerating any question to his presidency is biting him in the ass. he has NO practice at dealing with bad news, especially when there are people calling him on it.

i sense too much defensiveness in the shrubbie campaign to think they are actually confident of a win.

j, kerry landslide!

[AnIndependentTexan]

it is hard work says it all

[Kierkegaard]

11. Maybe because they are incompetent?

This is a micro-focus of the last 4 years. Everything they touch turns to pure excrement. It was only a matter of time before the wheels fell off. I think they were just hoping it wasn't going to happen before Nov 2.

Either that, or it's one of those 'Trading Places' $1 bets that they can run the most obnoxious, upside-down campaign in history and still steal it in the end. We'll see, but I'm betting on the former.

[michigandem2]

12. i think when the election cycle is under this huge microscope

and the internet is available..rove and co. can't seem to pull off the tricks..they threw EVERYTHING at Kerry..now they have NOTHING...they got screwed..by playing their own game

[GeorgeBushytail]

13. List the things * has done right. There's the answer.

[Spinzonner]

14. Two Words: Pigeons Roost

ANd, perhaps, because they always expected to be able to pull out a close one through extralegal means.

[KansDem]

15. They let Bush out of this cage...

They had to for the debates, and that was the beginning of the end.

It's been downhill for them ever since.

[Generator]

17. Clearly, they's evil just not smart evil

[NewJeffCT]

18. very simple - they are on the defensive

Most of the year, the media has allowed the Bush team to stay on the offensive. Finally, a few stories break against them at the same time, with one of them being HUGE in Al Qaqaa and then stunned Bush team does not know how to play defense. Kerry is like Ali - using his rope-a-dope tactics to wear down his opponent, and now that Bush is tired, Bush gets hit with the big Ali combo.

(BTW - they expected the debates to be bad, so were able to at least anticipate things there. Al Qaqaa was unanticipated)

[Lilli]

21. Yep. My thoughts exactly. n/t

[barb162]

19. I don't know but I love it, nobody should be blaming the military

for not getting those weapons. Bush sends them there undermanned, without any reason, etc., and they should never be blamed.

[Bonhomme Richard]

20. His people are all out meeting with real estate agents. n/t

[Sean Reynolds]

22. This happens when you're in the final stretch...

Either everything goes wrong or everything goes right. It's the political game because now when you've hit the FINAL week every move you make is analyzed like crazy. People are taking a keener interest to the election now and that means the scope of things is much larger than they were a few weeks ago; hell even probably TWO weeks ago.

It's like a basketball game. You're playin solid ball through the first 3 1/2 quarters of play. Then when the pressure starts building you miss a shot, give up a shot...come down and lose the ball out of bounds...just to have the other team hit a three. Then you find yourself passing badly and it's picked off, just to give up a foul and watch the guy sink the two free throws....instead of being tied, now you're 7 or so points down with less than a minute to go.

When it rains, it pours.

[InternalDialogue]

33. Mosh

> When it rains, it pours.

If it rains, let it rain, yeah, the wetter the better.

[Firespirit]

24. Well-known psychological fact

Panic is rarely helpful.

The Bushies are in deep Qa-Qaa and they know it. All they had to run on was fear, and manipulating the public into thinking that * is their Great Protector from Terra. Now the explosives story -- which is on its DAY FOUR -- is blowing a big ol' hole in THAT myth. Kerry played it perfectly. The story is now as much about "unbelievable incompetence" as it is about where the stuff may be.

Meanwhile, Kerry is gaining in one state after another... even with the polls excluding new voters and cell phone users.

Of course, I also believe in fate... these SOBs had it coming to them, and after learning about Kerry's history I have come to believe that he is fated to become president.

[npincus]

25. don't complain about it!

I think they were caught offguard about the al-QaQaa revelations and were thrown off their game.

[Kber]

27. Bush is the frat boy who parties through the semester

but realizes suddenly that the final exam is next week and he really does have to take it. It's making him a bit testy I guess.

[Stuckinthebush]

28. They never were as good as they were given credit for...

They had a sense that they were great. They thought that Rove was a magician. They forgot that they had to stay on message and not say stupid things. Also, events got them where it hurts. It is hard to cover over four years of the screw ups of this administration.

[Bonhomme Richard]

31. LOL, that's right. They did lose the last election.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

45. Take away a compliant (worshipful) media...

and this would have been the Bush Administration every day since January 20, 2001. It's just that in these last few days, almost nobody outside of Fox News is willing to carry water for this administration. They know he's going down like Jenna Bush on a busload of fratboys, and they're not going down with him.

[Robeson]

46. I've been thinking the same thing...

...It reminds me of the scene in All the President's Men, when, regarding the Nixon administration, Deep Throat says something to the effect that they just weren't terribly bright men.

Just becuase these guys are in the White House, doesn't mean they're bright men.

[catmandu57]

30. It's the incompetence stupid

I've said it before this bunch couldn't change a tire, not if the car was already lifted and all the nuts loose. The Peter Principle: Everyone rises to their level of incompetence.

[nostamj]

32. you can add the photoshopped ad to the list...

hell, even woofwoof HAD to report on it.

Bay B. said it was a 'slight embarrassment' that the advertising people had done it....

[Technowitch]

34. One word: Panic.

They smell the scent of failure, and know damned well that when they lose, some of them will be charged with some very serious crimes against the nation and against humanity.

[Robeson]

47. I think that is a very real fear that many of them are having...

...right now. Right now would be a good time to buy stock in a paper shredder company, because they will be working overtime.

[hatrack]

35. Remember the Battle of Isandhwlana?

Well, probably not, but here's the picture nonetheless.

January, 1879, in the northeast of what is now South Africa, where the British invasion has touched off war with the Zulu kingdom. Six companies of British infantry, strictly disciplined and heavily armed, line up to face the Zulu regiments swarming down the hillsides.

At first, it's an unmitigated slaughter. Zulu warriors fall by the dozens, by the hundreds at the methodical volley fire of the British line.

Then, as the ready ammunition supply dwindles, thanks to inept leadership, the rifle fire begins to slacken. Troops turn and look at the non-coms and officers, waiting for more packets of paper cartridges, but only a few hatfuls and handfuls reach the soldiers in line. Some take cartridges from the few wounded and killed in their own ranks, but it's not enough.

Finally, as the last spattering of shots from the British formation dies out, the Zulus leap to their feet. The vast majority are armed only with spears and clubs, but at least 20,000 of the toughest and bravest soldiers on the planet are seriously pissed off and are heading at top speed towards six companies of riflemen who are now completely out of ammunition.

The ranks of the British begin to bend. Allied troops and mercenaries flee in panic, and the British enlisted men look helplessly about for guidance from their officers as the Zulus sprint into killing range, shouting their battle cries.

That's about where we are now, and that explains the confusion and disarray. Confusion and disarray in the ranks of the empire's servants are only natural at times like these.

[babylonsister]

37. LOL! No, Hatrack, I completely forgot about that battle

til you mentioned it. Thanks for jogging my memory!:crazy:

[oscar111]

40. Rove's busy dreaming up Intimidation of Voters tricks

and related tricks, like challenges to voters-in-line.
Tricks are HARD WORK, inventing them that is. Creative effort involved, top pay to those who can invent at Heritage.

Plus natural turkeydom. They failed to snatch bush out of sight as Pet Goat was being read, remember.

[giant_robot]

36. They've polished the turd for over four years

but now it's starting to look like a plain old piece of shit. It was bound to happen.

[RaleighNCDUer]

38. Maybe Rove's little interview threw him off his game

knowing he's looking at 2-5 years.

[fugop]

39. They never saw this scenario coming

I agree with those who said the Bush camp never in a million years expected it to be close. I think they felt they could destroy anyone who ran against them with their lies and distortions and incredible marketing machine. And they've insulated Bush for so long from real people that he, too, never saw this coming.

I, for one, am thrilled. Let's hope that things keep breaking Kerry's way over the next few days. I was listening to a great NPR thing about the African American vote and the young voters, and I got chills. I really do believe that the young voters are the ones who aren't being picked up in the polls. Gawd, I would NEVER have taken a poll in college (if I was ever in my room to take the call to begin with). And my two nieces, both of college age, are incredibly fired up. One of them registered just to vote Republican a few years back. Now in college, she's changed her outlook (thank God) and is very, VERY anti-Bush, but also very, VERY pro-Kerry.

I feel good about the young 'uns. I really do!

[Clinton Crusader]

41. devils advocate: maybe they know the fix is in and

they dont have to say or do anything positive, correct, interesting, honest, forceful, upbeat, challenging, honest, reassuring, presidential, honest. Did I mention honest? Maybe they have a few states fixed and they know they'll win no matter what the f they say..

Just playing devils advocate, no flames

:kick:

[Skidmore]

42. We gave them enough rope,

lord knows. Now they are hanging themselves. It's called hubris.

[AVID]

44. You can sweep the shit under the rug for only so long

before the truth really starts to smell