Rose Colored Glasses


Thanks to Cursor for the link.

While the boy-chimp sees nothing but blue skies (despite his colored shades), another from-the-ground report in Baghdad confirms what I and others keep saying--it's an Enduring Clusterfuck:

MICHAEL WARE, "TIME" BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Anderson, this is all clearly from the president, political gymnastics. Like a magician, he's attempting to create something out of nothing. It's very clear that U.S. policy, on the ground in Iraq, is not winning, it's not creating a victory. The question is, can America get out of there with anything close to a semblance of success, of any kind? I mean, let's look at Iraq. He refers to an inclusive government. That simply does not exist and is back and owned now by a member of the axis of evil, Iran. Listening to commanders on the ground who have described to me the "big lie," that we can't really tell the truth of what's going on, we can't ask for the resources that we need for fear of betraying the true situation, here in Iraq. And this is a policy. Born of success that is seen U.S. administrations now turning to the insurgents themselves, bringing back the Ba'ath party.

In this war, all we have seen is an emboldening of Al Qaeda, which has become stronger in so many ways and emboldening of Iran. And the spillover of democracy, we're starting to see that in Palestine, with the coming to power of the Hamas Islamic extremist government that we're seeing in Iraq itself, which has brought to power a pseudo-Islamic series of parties backed by Iran. And this is a success that the president wishes to build upon.

The "great lie" of his address is the success of Iraq. The great truth is that the only long-term way out is developing alternative energy strategies. And he talks about a battle of ideologies. Well, so far in that test of wills, that test of ideas, we're simply gain no traction whatsoever.

A couple of days ago, it was Christiane Amanpour who delivered a sobering dose of reality.

Wingnuts can bark themselves hoarse, but you can only mask truth for so long. Over there, we keep spending money like an alcoholic on a expense account bender--with NOTHING to show for it except shattered bodies, seething hatred--and corruption of the kind that allegedly makes Team Bush wary of spending money to restore the Gulf Coast (though they're more than willing to sink it into a drug plan/boondoggle, for instance).

Here in the United States, the Gulf Coast is...ignored, despite its ongoing testament to the distinctive lack of qualifications possessed by this administration...and their cynical, no doubt poll-driven decision to throw the region to the wolves.

Speaking of throwing to the wolves, Firedoglake and Glenn Greenwald both point out the ominous trend in ejecting both Cindy Sheehan and Beverly Young from the House Chamber for exercising their right to free speech. Reddhedd posts this interesting graphic showing what a difference a year makes:



Greenwald links to a Carpetbagger Report post chronicling a number of instances where Team Bush demonstrates their selective regard for a fundamental principle of freedom...which means, when they crow about their commitment to "freedom," well, they're talking out of their ass.

But I digress. The point here is simple: calling Team Bush a lying sack of shit is an insult to sacks of shit, which at least are capable of fertilizing fields. And while the Kool-Aid faction of the GOP--and their mediawhore hacks like Chris Matthews--think of everything as merely a political game, eventually reality WILL catch up with them...

It's not going to be a pretty sight.