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.

[tarheelswamprat]

......I am more and more convinced this is a silent coup.......

You are correct. It's actually been going on in slow-motion for several years, and different components of it have been thoroughly discussed and argued over right here on FR, e.g. the sabotage and leaks from the CIA and State Dept., to name just one.

The difficulty lies in being willing to break through the natural human tendency for denial and finally have the courage to call a spade a spade, or in this case, to call treason treason.

There is a lot of anger and frustration on this board right now, which mirrors the anger and frustration permeating the general populace. A big factor in that anger we as a people are currently venting and taking out on each other is derived from fear, and the awful realization that our lives and our futures have somehow slipped out of our control and there's not a damn thing we can do about it.

We also realize that those who are actually in control are out of our reach, and since we are powerless to get at them, it is human nature to project our fear and rage against the only people can get to, ourselves, collectively speaking. Hence the ongoing orgies of self-flagellation we are witnessing on FR and elsewhere.

All of which is my much too voluble way of saying I understand your frustration - I feel it too.

If it is any comfort, in however small a way, I believe that this situation cannot last long. It is inherently unstable, and those who believe they are in control have also badly miscalculated by misreading the fundamental reality. They are going to be swept aside by events, and those who survive the coming darkness will be able to rebuild. We must strive to be of good cheer, and remember our faith.

[Indy Pendance]

Hunting ping!

[Howlin]

Just the people I've seen on TV tonight and today, all repeating the same mantra - "unanimous" "unprecedented" "bipartsan" and the latest "real power" -- are enough to set my teeth on edge.

It is just so damn concerted.

[Texasforever]

The Bush administration is the opposite of the month of March: It started as a lion but will end as a lamb.

I'll try this again. I have seen you strut around here with your chest out for a month when you should have slinked away in shame after your pathetic defense of Harris in Florida. You are the last person that should be criticizing anyone, especially the president.If Bush took your plan to elect Harris and applied it to Iraq we would REALLY lose this war.

[Howlin]

Oh, don't agree with me! I don't want to be a conspiratorialist (because I can't spell it!) :-)

[Texasforever]

IT doesn't take a lot of words to tell a skunk it stinks. You are really smelling it up around here.

[Arizona Carolyn]

I don't intend to cave, I can picture us losing things like this forum or Conservative Talk Radio if the dems gain any more power, especially the WH along with both houses so "they" can consolidate their power in an Iranian manner.

[He Rides A White Horse]

I don't intend to cave, I can picture us losing things like this forum or Conservative Talk Radio if the dems gain any more power, especially the WH along with both houses so "they" can consolidate their power in an Iranian manner.

I've had that thought, believe it or not; Nancy or Hillary declaring some 'state of emergency'; perhaps FR would be designated a terrorist website under their 'rules'.

Not farfetched as some may think, I like to be prepared for any and every potential possibility.

I've given a great deal of thought to this.

[Dolphy]

Soros it may well be, he certainly has the history. The trouble we are in is really frightening to me tonight. And the worst part is that we wouldn't be here had we not fallen apart on the right.

[Howlin]

I feel a lot better after talking to you all and having a few laughs.

I've gotten past that "let's all slit our wrists" feeling I had earlier today...............maybe we can do this more often, like group therapy?

[He Rides A White Horse]

When that 'common good', or 'it's for the children' phrase is cut loose, be on guard; it's the budding sign of a totalitarian.

[roses of sharon]

Bill Bennett's take on today's disgraceful behavior of the surrender group:

I’ve now read the report, and I can’t add much beyond what Andy McCarthy and Rich Lowry have written about its contents and internal contradictions. For a report to identify the outside agitators (which happen to also be the worst terrorist-sponsoring states in the world — Iran & Syria) as “provid[ing] arms, financial support, and training for Shiite militias within Iraq,” i.e., fomenting war, and then say we should negotiate and offer incentives to those countries is simply too much to bear. Insult is added to injury with the absurdity that Iran and Syria then become members of something called the Iraq Support Group. Committeeism simply got out of control here.

But bear this report we have — for many months in the making. The denouement of the report may not be, however, the contents themselves (we had a pretty good idea of what was coming) but the behavior of the commissioners and the media.

James Baker opened his thoughts today by saying Iraqis “have been liberated from the nightmare of a tyrannical order only to face the nightmare of brutal violence.” So much for any moral distinction between a terrorist sponsoring dictatorship and an embattled, weak, effort toward self-government. The distinction between permanent darkness and days of light and darkness both, and a hope for dawn was lost.

Here’s what I observed from the press conference and subsequent commentary on cable news.

One reporter got it exactly right in his question: “[T]ell me, why should the president give more weight to what you all have said given, as I understand, you went to Iraq once, with the exception of Senator Robb. None of you made it out of the Green Zone. Why should he give your recommendations any more weight than what he's hearing from his commanders on the ground in Iraq?”

Who are these commissioners and what is their expertise in Iraq — or even foreign policy? Ralph Peters has made the point, “Washington insiders pretend to respect our troops but continue to believe that those in uniform are second-raters and that any political hack can design better war plans than those who've dedicated their lives to military service.” The entire report is contemptuous of the military, spoken of as pawns on a chess table, barriers, observers, buffers, and trainers. Never as what they are trained to be: the greatest warriors in the world. Would it have been too much to ask that one general, or even one outspoken believer in the mission from the get-go, be on this commission?

I’ve heard again and again — at the press conference and on subsequent interviews — variants of “this is how a commission should work in Washington,” “this has been great bi-partisanship,” “it’s too bad we can’t operate this way more,” “if any message is to be sent it’s the message that five Republicans and five Democrats of goodwill sat down since March and put together a remarkable document.”

This is the triumph of the therapeutic, where bipartisanship — a hug across the aisle — has become a higher value than justice. The crisis of the house divided has been inverted; we no longer are worried about the crisis but the House, the moral, the good, and the just take a backseat to collegiality. Does history really give a hoot about bipartisanship? Who cares whether they are getting along? The task is to do the right thing, especially in war. But, when relativism is the highest value, agreement becomes the highest goal, regardless of right and wrong. And, woe to those who disagree, they will be sent whence they came — the outer reaches of “extremism.” This is the tyranny of the “best people” today’s equivalent of the Cliveden set.

One reporter asked if the president would accept this “edict,” as if there's force of law here. (the press has bought into the tyranny already). Another asked how hard it would be for the president to give up his power, “to take his hands off the wheel.” Do we all need a civics lesson? I’m tempted to go on about knowledge of American government, but for brevity, can we just say the president is the commander-in-chief and in charge — because he is elected by the people.

Perhaps the most systemic problem with the report is it didn't tell us how to win; it answered how to get out. The commissioners answered the wrong question, but it was the one they wanted to answer.

In all my time in Washington I've never seen such smugness, arrogance, or such insufferable moral superiority. Self-congratulatory. Full of itself. Horrible.

[He Rides A White Horse]

maybe we can do this more often, like group therapy?

...sign me up.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

You replied to Sawdring and also added uncbob to the ping; now uncbob wasn't on this thread, BUT........within minutes of answering Sawdring, I had told uncbob to get off the Daily Dose thread.

Tsk, tsk. Somebody got mentioned by name, without a courtesy ping. Rules is rules. Except for those that project themselves into a classification of "Desperate Housewives Club". If such a thing exists, my apologies for not using the proper pinglist.

[Texasforever]

Stop whining like a little girl.

[Dolphy]

Yep, this is a calculated PR event, not one of substance or worthy of the threats we face.

[DCPatriot]

The truth of the matter is, he is the only one in Washington who is NOT impotent.

I hope you're right on that.

I haven't seen nor heard about Secretary of State Rice since James Baker put on his red tie again.

[ohioWfan]

This is getting interesting....

This punk (who has also stalked me) is a RETREAD??

I'm sorry, but that really strikes me funny, because he is a Class A trouble-making jerk who can't even string together a sentence due to high level ADD.

Do I get to be part of your Desperate Housewives club, punk?? I need to go tell my hunk of a husband that I'm desperate, and then maybe I'll finally get some attention.....ROFLOL!

(Actually, I AM going to bed, so if said 'punk' replies, I will get to see it after a good night's rest. ;)

[Arizona Carolyn]

Why.. doncha know, that's Hillary's favorite saying.

[You Dirty Rats]

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.

Fight for him? What is the President supposed to do -- have the 82nd Airborne take over the Senate Chamber and gun down all Senators who are blocking the vote on his confirmation?

Bolton is leaving because a minority of the Senate refuses to allow a vote and the majority won't force the issue. Those like this columnist who blame that on the President are either monumentally ignorant of Senate realities or else are being blatantly unfair. Either way, I continue to be proud of the President for nominating this fine man and contemptuous of the Senate, the Media and those posters here who are so blinded by irrational hatred that they cannot be either rational or fair.