For Clinton Imitation is the highest form of flattery.

George W Bush is everyone's favorite punching bag. And at slightly below 30% approval I say why not. Senators Clinton and Obama have taken shots early and often at the beleaguered POTUS. But it if imitation is the highest form of flattery then Senator Clinton is praising W to the heavens. Over the course of the last week, we've heard her say things like, "I'm not going to cast my lot with economists." when challenged to name one credible expert who thought the gas-tax holiday was a good idea. Essentially putting herself above and beyond things like fact and logic, not unlike a certain someone we've come to know and love.

Then of course there's everyone's favorite middle eastern straw man. Iran. Despite our own country's National Intelligence Estimate stating that Iran was not presently developing nuclear arms, Senator Clinton decided to threaten to "totally obliterate" Iran if she attacked Israel with nuclear arms. A credible presidential candidate might have pointed out facts, instead direct threat of force was he stand of this presidential candidate. Given the chance to back off the comment she simply restated her threat. Ah yes decisive cock-sure leadership, the kind Americans crave. The kind President Bush has provided.

Am I trying to equate Clinton with Bush on policy, no. But when it comes to leadership style, I was struck by a certain feeling that I had seen this movie before...

Reaction: 28%??? That's still an A right?

I just wanted to post a quick response to our Reader submitted post.

While I agree with the need for more local civic involvement (especially of younger people). I think Bush is feeling the brunt of America's dyspeptic sentiments because most of our issues are Macro versus Micro.

The issues roiling most Americans today are not those of the 80's and 90's, when crime (for instance) was the topic most Americans saw as their chief issue. Crime might have been seeing a rising macro-trend, but it is dealt with largely on the micro scale. It's pushing your local police department into action, organizing community watches, giving troubled youth something to do with their time besides graffiti. It's an example of a localized issue.

The problems Americans are worried about are macro-issues. The economy as a whole, the cost of college education, the cost of health care, the war in Iraq, national security, the cost of energy, and global warming. These are issues that we can encourage our local officials to take up, but can't really be addressed on the micro-level. President Bush has failed to really attack any of these issues in a meaningful way.

Bush on the War

One last thing...

I think its pathetic and disgusting that the President gets to stand, no hide behind the decorated chest of David Petraeus and the experience and expertise of Ambassador Crocker. Then the next day speak of a draw down in troops. Speak of how he can continue his "return on success" policy. The surge troop levels were unsustainable and we knew that before it began. By the way, last year and this time we had 130,000 American troops in Iraq, the surge put that number to 160,000, when the surge recedes we will have 140,000. That's not a draw down. That's an escalation. Remember those things as you watch the following....

Will Ferrell Brings Back Bush

I Am Not Stimulated!

Last week, I received my notice from the IRS informing me of the Economic Stimulus Payments I might receive as a result of Bush's stimulus package. Needless to say, what I read did not turn me on. The stimulus package is the most ridiculous idea since the helicopter ejection seat. If the stimulus package were Viagra, old people would never have sex. In fact, they'd probably have less sex than they did before because their egos would be so annihilated. Think about it...the government wants to stimulate spending, so they offer anyone who files at least $3,000 of income a $600 payment ($1200 for joint couples filing together) . $600??? Are you kidding me? Consider that people need this money to pay their mortgages before they're foreclosed. Consider that they need this money for groceries. Consider that the last thing people will be thinking is that they need to go buy that new, Spring wardrobe at the Gap. Oh, not to mention that this tax cut does nothing for the folks who may need this as much or more than the lower tax bracket: the middle class family. $600 does nothing for the middle class...but that's moot. Anyone making $75,000+ doesn't get a full payment or any payment at all. This clearly demonstrates that President Bush and Congress are so far out of touch with America. You want national security to be a priority this election season? With the dollar taking a royal swan dive and our economy floundering like a fish out of water, I think the economy is the utmost matter of national security.

Bushie, You're Doing a Heck of a Job

How low can you go? Take down that limbo stick another notch for President Bush! On the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, as death tolls and injury tolls and deficit tolls continue to climb, the President's approval rating has dipped to an all-time low. 31% of Americans approve of his handling of the job, according to a latest poll. 67% of those questioned in the survey, disapprove the President's performance. The 31% approval number is 40 points lower than the President's number at the start of the Iraq war. Interestingly, Bush's approval number is still better than the lowest number for his father, George H. W. Bush. But don't fret...there's still time to live up to dear old dad's expectations. Er...down to them...er...he can still keep screwing the pooch until we all just egg his limo. Oh, wait...that already happened at his inauguration. Maybe for his potential impeachment...

The Nobility of War

President Bush defended the Iraq War yesterday on it's fifth anniversary, which frankly he needed to do. Overall his statement did not phase me. With one exception, "The battle in Iraq is noble, it is necessary, and it is just. And with your courage the battle in Iraq will end in victory," he told an audience of Pentagon brass, soldiers and diplomats.

The use of the word noble bothers me greatly in this context. Why? Because the president is subtly hijacking the nobility of our brave men and women, which no one would deny, and connecting it to his larger, failed scheme. The Iraq War is a mistake. Simply because our brave men and women are performing their duty with nobility, grace and honor under enormous difficulty, does not mean we get to call the entire folly "noble."

Mr. President words either have meaning or they don't.

EVERYONE STOP WORRYING.....RIGHT NOW

It turns out Global Warming isn't real.

Rush Limbaugh just informed me that its all a plot cooked up by Al Gore and eco-terrorists.

WHEW!!!

And here I thought we had a real problem on our hands. Thankfully Rush tells me that based on his years of scientific study, this whole thing is a hoax. THANK GOD! In fact, for the sake of all Policythought Readers out there, I will post one of Rush's many, many brilliant insights into this topic....

"This is nothing more than typical media behavior. Nothing more than typical media distortion and really what it is, is constant focus on crisis. If somebody they think is credible, a scientist or an expert, comes out and says, "We got global warming. It's going to happen," you had a former vice president with a movie out there, they love it. It's crisis. It sells newspapers! It gets ratings! It promotes liberalism! It promotes big government! I don't think, folks, based on where some of our thermometers are that take official temperature readings in this country and around the world, I don't think we can possibly know for sure whether it's getting warmer or colder climate-wise worldwide. How can in the middle of global warming we set record lows in the summertime and have record highs in the winter? Some of these things just don't make sense. But aside from all that, you don't factor precipitation, you throw the sun out of the equation, and you only factor in rich countries and wealthy human beings and then point the finger of blame, you don't think that's liberalism? That's liberalism to its core, combined with a compliant media that is focused not on facts and truth and open exchange of ideas, but just promoting crisis, pure and simple. Don't fall for it. It's a hoax!" The entire transcript can be found here

Let me just say, I am really really pleased Rush told me that. Otherwise I might have gone on believing.

Now the question of course is who does President Bush believe? Rush or his own EPA? Well according to this article in the Washington Post, the President personally intervened at the last minute to kill smog restrictions a new code the EPA was releasing. I guess the EPA are just a bunch of environmentalist wacko-s too.

A Surge of Success?

The NY Times reports today that defense secratary Robert Gates has approved a "pause" in troop withdrawal from Iraq. To summarize, after meeting with General Petraeus, Secretary Gates supports the decision to pause the draw down while commanders assess if violence can continue to be suppressed with troops reduced to pre-surge levels. A report on post-surge troop levels will be presented to the president in the early spring. The full NY Times Report can be found here.

This immediately had ramifications on the campaign trail with Senators Clinton and Obama voicing their disagreement and reiterating their individual commitments to bringing troops home beginning in the first year of their respective administrations.

For the record, at the time of the invasion of Iraq, I was unsure about the need for us to get involved there militarily. I doubted the evidence presented by the administration, but at the same time so soon after 9/11, I felt that trusting the president was in the best interest of the country, "surely, they must know something we don't."

Then it turns out they didn't know something we didn't. They thought they knew things they didn't. I don't think it's worth wasting the screen space to explain all of the pitfalls and nonsense that went on in the years of the war before General Petraeus took command. For those interested in the failures of President Bush and Donal Rumsfeld buy this. What matters is where we are now. I was certain, like many others that the surge would not, could not work, I will admit I was proven wrong.

But the point must be, so what? We are where we are now. Relatively low levels of violence because of the troop surge has led to a relative calm. (I feel it necessary to post a side-note: This link is a youtube video of the venerable Martha Raddatz on Bill Maher's show giving her point of view on the surge) However, the political reconciliation and stabilization are far from complete.

Is it appropriate for the Democrats to be calling for an immediate withdrawal or "redeployment" out of Iraq? Is Senator McCain reasonable when he says we can stay in Iraq for 100 years and the American people won't care if our troops are safe? All I can say is we broke Iraq, and now to some extent we bought it. The Iraqi government is clearly not ready to lead on their own, and certainly could not provide security to its people. While I don't think I'd be OK with our troops their indefinitely, no matter how safe they are, I think it is reasonable to think we will need to be there in a peace-keeping capacity anywhere from 5 to 10 years. As the government builds a democratic structure and as the army and police begin to see past their sectarian differences we will see the Iraqi people taking advantage of their oil wealth and begin rebuilding their country. Patience is required. It was fair to criticize a poorly working plan, and it is fair to forever hold President Bush accountable for a misguided mission. But the last thing America needs or wants is a withdrawal that only leads to more chaos and death in the Middle East. The right wingers that blindly followed President Bush into his foolish crusade cost young Americans their lives. Let's not let left wingers with their blinding desire to leave something that they see as unjust cost the Iraqi people more.