19 March 2008

I meant to do more here...

It's been a few days of big speeches. The first, Barack Obama's, was monumental, though it's hard to say if it's monumental for its content or simply monumental as a media event. The second, George Bush's, was simply more of the same "State of Denial" speech he's issued more or less since he opened the Iraq Boondoggle.

We're entering our sixth year of Iraq. Six years. U.S. involvement in WWII lasted less than four years.

Bush got up and blathered out -- against all facts to the contrary -- several moronic statements:
"For the terrorists, Iraq was supposed to be the place where al Qaeda rallied Arab masses to drive America out. Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined with Americans to drive al Qaeda out."

For the record, any PoliSci 101 graduate could have told Bush that al-Qaeda held most power with Sunnis and didn't cotton to Shiites. But then again, John McCain couldn't keep that straight either...aren't they all "A-Rabs"...well, actually no, except to your base.
Bush said critics of the war -- such as Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton -- "can no longer credibly argue that we are losing in Iraq, so now they argue the war costs too much."
Maybe Bush is finally hearing the long-time criticism that the Iraq War is costing too much. Maybe he's once again showing his out-of-touch daft doddering self who wasn't aware of the predictions of $4 a gallon gas....because it would take a hermit or a FOX News viewer to be unaware that war critics have been calling attention to the cost since day one.

Jesus. Now I'm too pissed off to talk about Obama's speech. Except I will say that anyone who references Faulkner is making a hell of a speech:
Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past."

Word.

3 comments:

m.a. said...

Word indeed. Write about Obama's speech next, Cuff. I want to know what you think. I feel like a jerk because I don't know that I agree with everyone's estimations that it was such a perfect speech, but I don't know...

Grad School Reject said...

I thought Obama effing clocked that speech. I was ambivalent before that speech about which Democrat got the nod for Presidential candidate - I am ambivalent no longer.

cs said...

I'm in Yosemite and not likely to comment much on Obama's speech except to say that it's crazy how worked up everyone's getting over a preacher's sermon. Hasn't anyone ever heard of a Jeremiad before?