Bush Ex Machina (Dowd alert)

The New York Times ^ | 03/02/03 | Maureen Dowd

[Pokey78]

WASHINGTON — George W. Bush has often talked wickedly about his days as the black sheep of a blue-blooded, mahogany-paneled family. But the younger rebellion pales before the adult revolt, now sparking epochal changes.

The president is about to upend the internationalist order nurtured by his father and grandfather, replacing the Bush code of noblesse oblige with one of force majeure.

Bush 41, a doting dad, would never disagree with his son in public, but in a speech at Tufts last week, he defended his decision to leave Saddam Hussein in power after Desert Storm.

"If we had tried to go in there and created more instability in Iraq, I think it would have been very bad for the neighborhood," he told the crowd of 4,800. (Was he referring to Baghdad or Kennebunkport?)

He conceded that getting a coalition together is harder now, because the evidence about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction is "a little fuzzier" than was his evident invasion of Kuwait. But 41 still thinks coalitions work: "The more pressure there is, the more chance this matter will be resolved in a peaceful manner." (Maybe he should enter the Democratic primary.)

At the very same moment the father was pushing peace, the son was treating the war as a fait accompli. At the American Enterprise Institute, he finally coughed up the real reason for war: trickle-down democracy.

Unable to handcuff Osama and Saddam, he soft-pedaled his previous cry for a war of retribution for 9/11. Now he was being more forthright, calling for a war of re-engineering.

"A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region," he said, adding: "Success in Iraq could also begin a new stage for Middle Eastern peace, and set in motion progress towards a truly democratic Palestinian state."

Conservatives began drawing up steroid-fueled plans to reorder the world a decade ago, imperial blueprints fantastical enough to make "Star Wars" look achievable.

In 1992, Dick Cheney, the defense secretary for Bush 41, and his aides, Paul Wolfowitz and Scooter Libby, drafted a document asserting that America should prepare to cast off formal alliances and throw its military weight around to prevent the rise of any "potential future global competitor" and to preclude the spread of nuclear weapons.

The solipsistic grandiosity of the plan was offputting to 41, who loved nothing better than chatting up the other members of the global club. To Poppy and Colin Powell, this looked like voodoo foreign policy, and they splashed cold water on it.

In 1996, Richard Perle, now a Pentagon adviser, and Douglas Feith, now a Rumsfeld aide, helped write a report about how Israel could transcend the problems with the Palestinians by changing the "balance of power" in the Middle East, and by replacing Saddam.

The hawks saw their big chance after 9/11, but they feared that it would be hard to sell a eschatological scheme to stomp out Islamic terrorism by recreating the Arab world. So they found Saddam guilty of a crime he could commit later: helping Osama unleash hell on us.

Mr. Bush is his father's son in his "trust us, we know best" attitude.

After obscuring the real reasons for war, the Bushies are now obscuring the Pentagon's assessments of the cost of war ($60 billion to $200 billion?), the size of the occupation force (100,000 to 400,000?) and the length of time American troops will stay in Iraq (2 to 10 years?).

A Delphic Mr. Wolfowitz tried to blow off House Democrats who pressed him on these issues: "We will stay as long as necessary and leave as soon as possible."

Rahm Emanuel, a congressman from Chicago, chided Mr. Wolfowitz, saying, "In the very week that we negotiated with Turkey, the administration also told the governors there wasn't any more money for education and health care."

The president's humongously expensive tax cuts leave less for all programs except the military.

Asked if we should give up the tax cut to underwrite the war, the president demurred, replying, "Americans are paying the bill."

Nobody knows if the Bush team's hubristic vision for redrawing the Middle East map will end up tamping down terrorism or inflaming it.

Either way, deus ex machina doesn't come cheap.   

[Pokey78]

2003 Oscar nominations: Best Supporting Actress

Kathy Bates: "About Schmidt"
Julianne Moore:"The Hours"
Queen Latifah: "Chicago"
Meryl Streep: "Adaptation"
Catherine Zeta-Jones: "Chicago."

From Oxblog:

IMMUTABLE LAWS OF DOWD

1. Ashcroft never deserves credit.

2. Offering constructive solutions to problems, instead of whining endlessly about them, is a sign of weakness.

3. The People Magazine principle: all political phenomena can be explained with reference solely to caricatures of the personalities involved ("Dubya" is stupid; "Poppy" is an aristocrat; Cheney is macho-man; etc.). Any reference to the common good or even to old-fashioned politicking is, like, so passe.

4. It is much better to be cute than coherent.

5. Maureen knows best. Her long years as a columnist (doing basically what your great-aunt Tillie does in the nursing home bull sessions, but getting paid for it) have given her deep insight into foreign relations, politics, welfare, the Constitution, and all other topics. To disagree with Maureen in any way is not only a sign of being wrong, it's a hallmark of pure evil...or at least membership in the NRA, which is pretty much the same thing.

6. It is usually possible and always desirable to name-drop and name-call in the same sentence.

7. The particulars of my consumer-driven, shamefully self-involved life reveal universal truths.

---

Explanation of the Dowd/Douglas connection: by Miss Marple- 2/11/03

Ms. Dowd was escorted around New York and DC for many months by one Michael Douglas of Hollywood fame and fortune. She got to go to all the best parties, was photographed for the tabloids, and was picking out a gown to wear at the Oscars. Of course, Michael had become interested in her during Clinton's impeachment, when she had written some very anti-Clinton columns. After a few weeks of the Michael treatment, she began to write anti-Starr, ant-Newt columns, ignoring Clinton.

Then Clinton was acquitted by the Senate. In an amazing coincidence, Michael Douglas dropped Ms. Dowd like a hot potato, and instead picked up a hot tomato, Catherin Zeta-Jones, who subsequently bore him a son and they were married.

Ms. Dowd cannot get over her tragic loss. Her columns are increasingly anti-Bush, in the hope of impressing her lost love, Michael.

In addition, we think she has a secret crush on the President and is trying to get him to pay attention to her. Ha!

[tet68]

Rahm Emanuel, a congressman from Chicago

And now Maroon, since you have told us the prehistories
of cheney, Wolfowitz, and Scooter ( I didn't know you knew him that well Mar?) Libby how about letting the readers and the folks at home in on Mr. Emanuel.

Didn't he have a job during the Clinton scandals?

Oh, and Maroon, she is so way beyond you, and she's got Michael too.

[ewing]

[annyokie]

I think MoDO just pulls up her Cliche-generating program and types in a few Key Words.

[ewing]

Wonder whats been bothering Maureen.. (besides the two kids Zeta is popping out, while Dowd is stuck looking at R.W. Apple, Adam Clymer and Howell Raines everyday)

[ewing]

I had the same reaction you did, I really cant tell the difference between her columns anymore.

[tet68]

Jeez will you look at the size of that rock!
Bet Mo wishes she.......... well, nevermind.

[ewing]

And it ain't cubic zirconia, I can guarantee that!

[Choco]

If we had tried to go in there and created more instability in Iraq, I think it would have been very bad for the neighborhood," he told the crowd of 4,800. (Was he referring to Baghdad or Kennebunkport?)

No, he's talking about neighbors. That would be Saudi Arabia. Bush Sr. just basically admitted that more "instability" in Iraq, and the possible Saddam-free government in Iraq wouldn't have been good for Saudi Arabia, or at least our "Saudi friends".

And how much good has this done in the past 12 years?

[kcordell]

My thoughts exactly. Is she of French ancestry?

[Miss Marple]

Hi, Pokey! This week Mo seems to be vascillating between the father/son rift and the empire builder theory.

I liked it better when we were on the Godfather theme. At least I could put theme music in the background.

Well, we are ramping up to the Oscars. I am, of course, rooting for Catherine, as Mo will no doubt have to see some articles and pictures, not to mention Joan Rivers will feature Catherine in the E! pre-Oscar fashioin extravaganza.

I can't wait.

[laurav]

You know, I always thought the NYTimes was supposed to be in English. Maureen Dowd appears to have run out of words and so is constantly seeking le mot juste in some other language. Did anyone else notice this about this column?

Aside from the normal problem of having no point.

[ewing]

I imagine Mo downing about half a bottle of cherry looking at these pics..

[ewing]

Something Mo will never have...

[ewing]

Something Mo will never have...

[ewing]

[opinionator]

Could someone please provide definitions of the following Dowdisms:

epochal
noblesse oblige
force majeure
fait accompli
solipsistic
eschatological
Delphic
hubristic
deus ex machina

[baseballmom]

Jeez will you look at the size of that rock!

LOL That was EXACTLY my first thought when I saw that picture. She is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.

Drinking Sherry?? I think ol' Mo is shrieking under the covers. I love it!!! Couldn't have happened to a more deserving shrew.