W'S DRIFT TO IMPOTENCE

N Y Post ^ | December 6, 2006 | JOHN O'SULLIVAN

[Sabramerican]

JOHN Bolton's resignation as the American ambassador to the United Nations makes it official: The Bush administration is now drifting idly toward a mixture of centrism and impotence.

In less than a month, two of President Bush's stronger and more independent aides - Donald Rumsfeld and Bolton - have been dispatched. Rumsfeld's designated successor, former CIA head Robert Gates, is a leading member of the Beltway's permanent bureaucracy.

The administration seems to be waiting for the Baker-Hamilton commission of old Washington hands to dictate U.S. policy on Iraq. Leaks from the commission suggest it will recommend a gradual U.S. withdrawal camouflaged by negotiations with Iran and Syria over a new Mideast grand bargain.

All of this feeds an exaggerated defeatism in the United States over Iraq.

.....

Rumsfeld's abrupt firing was an act of flagrant disloyalty to a loyal subordinate. The defense secretary had made his share of mistakes - notably, his failure to crush looting immediately after the fall of Baghdad - but he had followed the president's policy faithfully.

.......

We don't know for certain the reasons for Bolton's departure: Either the White House wasn't prepared to fight for him, or he was no longer prepared to lend his voice to the diplomatic charade over Iran and North Korea. Either way, his departure demonstrates timidity on the administration's part. The net result will be that Bush has one less loyal subordinate in the shrinking ranks of his own administration.

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

It is already quite a bit lamer than it used to be. A lot of very interesting posters have been lost and the level of discourse is generally at "I don't like what I think you said so you must be a troll" or "George Bush is a nice guy and better then Clinton so what is your problem". Pathetic, really.

But there still is some very good information to be gleaned from this site so it's worth a look now and then. And every once in a while I'll throw my 2 cents in and be told "We don't need your f***ing vote anyway".

[Indy Pendance]

This can only be countered by the 'blue dress'. It's all a huge government ploy to get us looking at politics while they subserve the real issue. It's a real pity people here live by sound bites and not reality.

[Indy Pendance]

Files nails....

[veronica]

Sadly, I must agree. I was expressing such thoughts to a friend earlier today.

Then there is Poppy Bush - blubbering like a little girl for all the world to see. UGH...

[Carolinamom]

I will NOT give up my support for President Bush and our brave troops, no matter what the swarm of stinging political hornets here at FR, in the media or in D.C. try.

They have become one w/our enemies, the terrorists. Would another 9/ll convince them that we are at war for our very existence? I doubt it. God help us all.

[Sabramerican]

The only ones left are anti Israeli Arabists and some would have us believe it is a coincidence having nothing to do with Bush himself.

[Indy Pendance]

"I believe that the situation in Iraq is much better than is being reported."

My daughter was there a year, in the army, stationed at Taji. If this was a dem president, the ENTIRE situation would be reported differently, it would be all glory and great, because it's a republican president, they have to do everything in their power to trash this good man. I have no use for the MSM, their reporting during Bush's term and the outcome they want, they only want a dem controlled everything. It's pathetic, it's pandering, and it's outrageous. And all you who fall for it are just contributing to the dem success. And those posters on Free republic who support this are just trolls and dem plants. And I'll continue to out you. You don't like it, go over to du and post your crap there. We know your number.

[Steve_Seattle]

If it is Obama, the Republicans will need to nominate Giuliani.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Of course I've been reading the comments here (and I'm not a "faux Conservative -- you're really on a rant here)... what I see is a party that is badly fractured right now and people trying to voice what it is they are not happy about. We can either stick our heads in the sand or we can pay attention and learn enough to pull everyone back into one tent before 2008. Maybe instead of insults we should look at what has so many people in a dither.

I, for one, am not happy about the Iraq Study Group -- it appears the President is being supportive of their findings, one of which is to flip Syria to our side by handing them Israel on a silver platter. HOWEVER, I'm also waiting to see what he actually does regarding the report.

[NRA2BFree]

JOHN Bolton's resignation as the American ambassador to the United Nations makes it official: The Bush administration is now drifting idly toward a mixture of centrism and impotence.

Drifting? Not drifting, he's already "drifted!"

[Indy Pendance]

The party is "badly fractured" because the msm created it. If you really followed conservative values, you'd see, this is a msm manufactured phenomena, and those 'true conservatives' have bought it hook line and sinker..

[edsheppa]

I think it was Ann Richards who describe Bush as "all hat and no cattle." The President is getting dangerously close to fulfilling her description. But let's see if he rejects the ISG's loser mentality suggestions. I wish I could say I was hopeful.

[vetsvette]

"Kindly point me to the "bragging" part, Bunky. That part I missed."

Since you're clearly not very bright, here it is:

"And it's one of the wonderful -- it's like earning capital. You asked, do I feel free. Let me put it to you this way: I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it. It is my style. That's what happened in the -- after the 2000 election, I earned some capital. I've earned capital in this election -- and I'm going to spend it for what I told the people I'd spend it on, which is -- you've heard the agenda: Social Security and tax reform, moving this economy forward, education, fighting and winning the war on terror."

And, just in case your mother never told you (I know she never taught you any manners, so who knows what else she left out) -- "if you can do it, it ain't braggin'" The fact is, he couldn't do it.

[Arizona Carolyn]

I have great disdain for the MSM, and they have been a disaster in our Britney Spears society, but this past year there has been enough that the MSM didn't create happen that a person has to step back and ask what is going on here?

I saw through their Foley crap, it didn't stop me from going out to vote last month and yet there is a lot of people here who are proud to say they voted Libertarian.

I don't think they voted L because of the MSM (I may be wrong, but don't think so), but because they were angry and voted their anger. The MSM is dying a slow death of their own choosing, one could make the same case for our party right now and hiding from it or trashing the people who are spewing things you don't like (or because they signed up on FR in 2004) doesn't provide a solution... instead trying to engage these people in discourse to determine what they are angry about and hashing out the differences is much more productive. In the end that person may still vote L or C and not R in 2008, but if we can hash things out maybe a lot fewer will do so.

[photodawg]

Misunderestimated again!


'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The rope-a-dope will be culminated by an Israeli attack of iranian nuclear capacity, with us support. The mullahs will never get nukes.

[HarmlessLovableFuzzball]

..The Bush administration is now drifting idly toward a mixture of centrism and impotence.

...."Drifting? Seems more like a steady march to me."

....More like a full sprint.

Make that a mad dash.

[FlipWilson]

Quote: "It's pathetic, it's pandering, and it's outrageous. And all you who fall for it are just contributing to the dem success. And those posters on Free republic who support this are just trolls and dem plants. And I'll continue to out you. You don't like it, go over to du and post your crap there. We know your number."

You are pathetic. My reply to you indicted the press, indicted the dems, i.e. agreed with you 90% and all I get is the label of troll!?! So, if I don't agree with you 100%, because I find a bit of fault with Bush for being too nice to the dems and MSM, I am a troll!!! Now, you get to define who can and can't say what on FR. You get to tell us all that we have to support everything Bush does or we are not worth of FR. Who the eff do you think you are? You are just another member here on FR like the rest of us. If you don't like what people are writing or it disturbs you so much that you would like to erase it, perhaps you are the one who doesn't belong on a FORUM.

[andy58-in-nh]

You are right - the President did offer support for Donald Rumsfeld on many occassions. He just failed to do so at a time when it was most needed. Our failure in Iraq (and let's not mince words here) is due to a lack of will and manpower, and for that the SecDef is penultimately responsible. Ultimately, though, the responsibility lies with the President, and that is why George Bush ought to have supported Donald Rumsfeld even while letting him go. He should have admitted that our military failures were due to his own misplaced faith in the Pentagon's strategic planning, which depended on too much technology and too few boots.

We screwed up in Iraq and need to admit it now in order to make it right before the Democrats have a chance to memorialize and make permanent our defeat. And mark my words, they will, because there's nothing that Liberals love more than American defeat and impotence. I saw it in Vietnam and I see it here. We can still triumph - but our President needs to communicate that message every day, because the stakes are much, much higher this time.

[Steve_Seattle]

I think Bush has been very strong in advancing his views, but he's finally been worn down by the media, the Dems, and events in Iraq. I remember the day of his first inauguration, it was cold, blustery, wet, and miserable in DC, and I thought it was a bad omen for his presidency. It seemed like the forces of evil were arrayed against him, and they've been unrelenting.

In Iraq, Bush was fighting three wars: against the insurgents, against the Dems, and against the press. Or more precisely, the insurgents, the Dems, and the press were all united against Bush. An incident like Abu Ghraib, for example, was a minor story, really, and was being dealt with by the military, but the press morphed it into a major, months-long story, featuring it and re-hashing it every night, bashing the military, bashing Bush, bashing America, and emboldening the insurgents. And that sort of thing happened over and over, and they finally just wore out Bush.

[Diverdogz]

That is largely Linc Chaffe's fault.