Blagojevich Has Nothing But Sunshine

I wonder how much of what the impeached Governor says, he actually believes. Either this guy is completely delusional or....well, his ego is off the charts:

Bush Tries To Blame Dems For Gas Prices, Fails Miserably

George Bush stepped up to a press conference today to talk about pressing issues, but his aides forgot to wipe off the Kool-aid stains around his mouth, for he had been drinking it heavily before this event. The pResident blamed the Democratic Congress for not giving away more of our nation's coastline to the oil companies, despite admitting that it wouldn't do any good except to " reverse the psychology" problem we have (what is up with all the psycho-babble talk coming from the Republicans these days?).

From RawStory:

"It's time for members of Congress to address the pain that high gas prices are causing our citizens," the president said. "Every extra dollar that American families spend because of high gas prices is one less dollar they can use to put food on the table or send a child to college. The American people deserve better."

Bush acknowledged it could take years before opening the Continental Shelf to oil drilling would result in increased U.S. production. But, he said, at least it would put the nation on the right track toward reducing its reliance on imported oil.

"There is no short term solution," Bush said. "The president doesn't have a magic wand. You can't just say, 'Low gas."

Well he could open the strategic reserve for starters, but that wouldn't be good for the swelling profit margins of his friends in Big Oil. The problem isn't so much finding supplies close to home, but forcing a change in what our energy sources are. The President could have led the nation towards a path of energy independence, but he chose not to time and time again. Appeasing the Saudis and invading Iraq are his way of trying to get more petroleum-based energy.

What the Democratic majority should do is move the debate to alternate energy and promote a bill that takes advantage of the renewable resources we have here at home. Wind and solar power can take care of our needs if we help companies to build the solar panels and wind turbines at a pace that can sustain us in a short period of time. Not only are gas prices skyrocketing (yes, it is this bad) but global warming is getting worse by the moment. By cutting the President off and looking ahead to the future of renewable energy, gas prices and the health of our planet get taken care of. Now if only Reid and Pelosi had the common sense to do it....

To George Bush, Truth Is "Slander"

George Bush and "facts" never really got along that well. Whenever the truth got in the way of things, truthiness was always ready to take its place. Now that almost eight years has passed us by with George as President, there is a lot of truthiness under the bridge (and waterlogging the Constitution). If someone like Adam Boulton of SkyNews wants to talk about truth instead, the wall of delusion that surrounds our 43rd President goes up quicker than you can say "Bring em' on!"

From Crooks and Liars:

Download | Play Download | Play

BOULTON: And yet there are those who would say, look, let’s take Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib and rendition and all those things, and to them that is the, you know, the complete opposite of freedom.

THE PRESIDENT: Of course if you want to slander America, you can look at it one way. But you go down — what you need to do — I think I suggested you do this at a press conference — if you go down to Guantanamo and take a look at how these prisoners are treated — and they’re working it through our court systems. We are a land of law.

The standard response whenever one criticizes American policies, of course, is to proclaim that that person is an anti-American slanderer. The irony, though, is that the policies this President has pursued over the past eight years could not be more “anti-American” in the classical sense. You know, things like rule of law and respect for human rights.

But wait, there’s more:

BOULTON: But the Supreme Court have just said that — you know, ruled against what you’ve been doing down there.

THE PRESIDENT: But the district court didn’t. And the appellate court didn’t.

BOULTON: The Supreme Court is supreme, isn’t it?

Where does one even begin with this sad excuse of a man? Slandering America? Does anyone still believe the crap that comes out of his mouth? No George, it isn't slandering and it isn't slandering America, this is the truth of your Administration and the spoiled fruit of your policies as President.

As for that bit about the Supreme Court....I guess it is only Supreme when the decisions go for you and against democracy. This wasn't one of those times.

Oh how I wish it were January 20th already, it seriously can not come soon enough.

Cheney Takes A "Stroll" In Baghdad

Gee, you know Baghdad has gotten so much safer because of our five year presence in Iraq. If you don't believe President Bush, then just go ask his overlord and master Vice President, Dick Cheney. Remember when we were in the last throes of the insurgency? Well things haven't gone according to plan and despite that, we are going to continue the same failed ideas about installing a "democracy" over there. To make the point clear, Dick Cheney spoke from Iraq, on one of his....strolls.

From Yahoo News:

Cheney landed at Baghdad International Airport, then flew by helicopter into the dusty, heavily secured Green Zone for talks with U.S. military and diplomatic officials and the Iraqi prime minister. It is Cheney's third vice presidential trip to Iraq where 160,000 American troops are deployed and the U.S. death toll is nearing 4,000. His visit came while Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, also was in Iraq.

For security reasons, Cheney officials divulged few details about the vice president's schedule and asked reporters not to report on his location until he had moved on to another. Cheney was expected to make stops throughout the country, speak to troops and spend time with other Iraqi leaders.

Cheney's motorcade zigzagged through Baghdad to meetings as helicopter gunships circled overhead. Explosions were heard in parts of the city, but none were near the vice president.

Are those explosions signs of progress? Perhaps they were fireworks celebrating Cheney's presence in the capitol. They must love him so so so much with all that he has done for them....

Of course, no one's love can match that of Cheney's pocketbook, which has profited immensely from the hard work of Halliburton in Iraq these past five years. He can highlight all the reduction he wants, but the reality on the ground seems to always differ from what he says.

Canary Paul Squawks, Other GoOPers Can't Hear Him

The Republican candidates had themselves another debate last night, and when it comes to the GOP, not much was really said. The man that stands out here, Ron Paul offered some reality on the war...but no one listened. He knows their stance on the war (is part of) the reason the Republicans are going down in flames yet it seems everyone prefers the fire for fear of not looking tough.

From Yahoo News:

DURHAM, N.H. - Republican presidential contenders voiced support for the Iraq war Wednesday night despite a warning from anti-war candidate Ron Paul that they risk dragging the party down to defeat in 2008.

"Even if we lose elections, we should not lose our honor," shot back former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, "and that is more important than the Republican Party."

Huckabee was in the majority, Paul very much in the minority on a University of New Hampshire debate stage when it came to the war. The politically unpopular conflict has emerged as the dominant issue of the 2008 race for the White House.

Tough is all these busters have. No one has any real ideas. Certainly not Giuliani, definitely not Thompson and Romney just sails around on the wind with no clear principles in sight. Huckabee, who showed some promise in the Iowa straw poll, is another conservative who would rather die a gruesome political death than deal with reality.

Save for Paul, they all have this convulted notion that they have to seem stoic like their minds tell them Ronald Reagan was. The only problem with this is that Reagan was nothing that his image creators made him out to be. He was full of hot air for eight years and his ideas are just as hollow now as they were in 1980.

McCain Now Attacking Children

Anyone who offers something that counters McCain's delusional quest to become the next President better watch out. Although you may be one of many, if your words become public, expect the "wrath" of Senator John. That is exactly what happened to one high school student in Concord, NH today.

From ThinkProgress:

During a question and answer session, McCain jokingly called a high school student a "little jerk" after the young man questioned the Arizona legislator about his age.

"If elected, you'd be older than Ronald Reagan, making you the oldest president," the student said. "Do you ever worry that you might die in office or get Alzheimer’s or some other disease that might affect your judgment?"

"Every campaign I've ever been on in my entire life, I've outcampaigned all of my opponents," responded McCain. "And I'm confident that I will. Thanks for the question, you little jerk."

After laughter from the crowd, McCain then quipped, "you're drafted."

Sounds like that over-inflated ego has a thin shell these days.

Peggy Noonan Makes A Good Point About Bush

George Bush lost the confidence of the Reagan official turned political pundit over the immigration debate, being the xenophobe that she is. But she made a good observation about the President and his delusional state of mind yesterday in the Wall Street Journal (of all places). It is getting so bad for Bush that he is now being consistently attacked on both the left and the right. Despite the attacks and the realities of war, Bush doesn't seem to mind, and that is exactly what Noonan makes light of.

From The Wall Street Journal:

....I'm not referring to what used to be called Bush Derangement Syndrome. That phrase suggested that to passionately dislike the president was to be somewhat unhinged. No one thinks that anymore. I received an email before the news conference from as rock-ribbed a Republican as you can find, a Georgia woman (middle-aged, entrepreneurial) who'd previously supported him. She said she'd had it. "I don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth." I was startled by her vehemence only because she is, as I said, rock-ribbed. Her email reminded me of another, one a friend received some months ago: "I took the W off my car today," it said on the subject line. It sounded like a country western song, like a great lament.

As I watched the news conference, it occurred to me that one of the things that might leave people feeling somewhat disoriented is the president's seemingly effortless high spirits. He's in a good mood. There was the usual teasing, the partly aggressive, partly joshing humor, the certitude. He doesn't seem to be suffering, which is jarring. Presidents in great enterprises that are going badly suffer: Lincoln, LBJ with his head in his hands. Why doesn't Mr. Bush? Every major domestic initiative of his second term has been ill thought through and ended in failure. His Iraq leadership has failed. His standing is lower than any previous president's since polling began. He's in a good mood. Discuss.

Is it defiance? Denial? Is it that he's right and you're wrong, which is your problem? Is he faking a certain steely good cheer to show his foes from Washington to Baghdad that the American president is neither beaten nor bowed? Fair enough: Presidents can't sit around and moan. But it doesn't look like an act. People would feel better to know his lack of success sometimes gets to him. It gets to them.

The first thought that comes to mind is that maybe Bush isn't human, but that might be reaching a bit much. Is it his alcoholism perhaps? Nah, that would take a lot of booze to create that much numbness and Bush doesn't appear to be drunk all the time (at least not yet). I think the issue is that he just thinks that he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, that he will be remembered as one of the greatest Presidents despite the overwhelming disapproval that the nation gives him. He perceives that he leads for a higher calling, on a mission from god and that he will be exonerated long after he is gone.

That kind of arrogance can get to anyone, even arrogant conservatives like Noonan.