Karl Rove may have capitalized on falsely pegging John Kerry as a flip-flopper, but it is master George Bush that excels at the practice. Not only did Bush reverse himself on important foreign policy mandates for Kosovo, he forgot what he said in the first place. Maybe all of those beers are having an affect on his already patchy memory.
From Crooks and Liars:
Bush at a press conference on Saturday:
Q: And on the deadline [for Kosovo independence]?
Bush: In terms of the deadline, there needs to be one. This needs to come — this needs to happen. Now it’s time, in our judgment, to move the Ahtisaari plan. There’s been a series of delays. You might remember there was a moment when something was happening, and they said, no, we need a little more time to try to work through a U.N. Security Council resolution. And our view is that time is up.
Bush at a press conference on Sunday:
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Yesterday you called for a deadline for U.N. action on Kosovo. When would you like that deadline set? And are you at all concerned that taking that type of a stance is going to further inflame U.S. relations with Russia? And is there any chance that you’re going to sign on to the Russian missile defense proposal?
Bush: Thanks. A couple of points on that. First of all, I don’t think I called for a deadline. I thought I said, time — I did? What exactly did I say? I said, “deadline”? Okay, yes, then I meant what I said.
At which point assembled reporters started laughing at him.
The moment may be laughable, but the big picture surely isn't. How can there be anyone left out there that trusts this sad excuse for a man. He tries to change his mind from the day before, but that decision is saved because the reporter called him on his previous remarks. I'm not surprised at his behavior, the astonishment wore off long ago. I think the event that will amaze me most is when we get a competent President in 2009 when the nation elects a Democrat.
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