Loothing Faith
I imagine that like me you hate to miss a Frank Rich piece lately. He's been on a roll. I gather the NY Times has realized that in addition to Krugman and a few others Rich is a winner and is pulling in readers; they apparently have made the infamous "business decision" to erect a pay-wall to keep us freeloaders out (hmmph - I prefer to think of myself as a news-junky!). As a result, I rarely bother with the NYT online (and their advertisers!) these days, generally settling for vital op-eds I find posted elsewhere. The demise of the Gray Lady continues.
Try thith on for size:
The Faith-Based President Defrocked
To understand why the right is rebelling against Harriet Miers, don't waste time boning up on her glory days with the Texas Lottery Commission. The real story in this dust-up is not the Supreme Court candidate, but the man who picked her. The Miers nomination, whatever its fate, will be remembered as the flashpoint when the faith-based Bush base finally started to lose faith in our propaganda president and join the apostate American majority.
Though James Dobson, America's foremost analyst of the gay subtext of SpongeBob SquarePants, was easily rolled by Karl Rove and dragged back into the Miers camp, he's an exception. The pervasive mood on the right was articulated by Cathie Adams, president of the Texas branch of Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum. She told The Washington Post: "President Bush is asking us to have faith in things unseen. We only have that kind of faith in God."
[clip]
Like most Bush fictions, the latest are driven less by ideology than by a desire to hide incompetence. But there's a self-destructive impulse at work as well. "The best way to get the news is from objective sources," the president told Brit Hume of Fox News two years ago. "And the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what's happening in the world." Thus does the White House compound the sin of substituting propaganda for effective action by falling for the same spin it showers on the public.
Beware of leaders who drink their own Kool-Aid. The most distressing aspect of Mr. Bush's press conference last week was less his lies and half-truths than the abundant evidence that he is as out of touch as Custer was on the way to Little Bighorn. The president seemed genuinely shocked that anyone could doubt his claim that his friend is the best-qualified candidate for the highest court. Mr. Bush also seemed unaware that it was Republicans who were leading the attack on Ms. Miers. "The decision as to whether or not there will be a fight is up to the Democrats," he said, confusing his antagonists this time much as he has Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.
[clip]
But skepticism is widespread. It's refreshing to realize that when dubyah and his fellow puppets speak, more and more have learned to doubt:
No sale
Over the last weeks, the White House quietly has been trying out a new argument on Iraq. Aimed at shoring up public support, the tactic compares the difficulties there with historic conflicts, such as World War II and the battle against communism.
What Iraq shares with those periods, the argument goes, are bouts of doubt and confusion followed by victory - if we are resolute and patient.
It's a good argument, but not good enough. My bet is that it's too late and has too many holes in it to be persuasive for those sick of the carnage in Iraq.
[clip]
A new sales pitch won't cut it. Only clear progress will bolster a doubting public. We need convincing proof that the brutal insurgency is being defeated. Until then, all talk will remain unconvincing.
Indeed, some of the talk is counterproductive. It doesn't help when Bush, on Thursday, vowed that "we never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory."
That's complete nonsense. No one, including in the White House, can possibly believe that "complete victory" is in the cards. The goal, as Bush himself has said, is to get Iraqis ready to fight for their own country. The minute they can, we're outta there. And Bush knows it.
At least I hope he does.
And if you're still with me, here's a little reward, courtesy of cousin Steven in Adelaide.
Try thith on for size:
The Faith-Based President Defrocked
To understand why the right is rebelling against Harriet Miers, don't waste time boning up on her glory days with the Texas Lottery Commission. The real story in this dust-up is not the Supreme Court candidate, but the man who picked her. The Miers nomination, whatever its fate, will be remembered as the flashpoint when the faith-based Bush base finally started to lose faith in our propaganda president and join the apostate American majority.
Though James Dobson, America's foremost analyst of the gay subtext of SpongeBob SquarePants, was easily rolled by Karl Rove and dragged back into the Miers camp, he's an exception. The pervasive mood on the right was articulated by Cathie Adams, president of the Texas branch of Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum. She told The Washington Post: "President Bush is asking us to have faith in things unseen. We only have that kind of faith in God."
[clip]
Like most Bush fictions, the latest are driven less by ideology than by a desire to hide incompetence. But there's a self-destructive impulse at work as well. "The best way to get the news is from objective sources," the president told Brit Hume of Fox News two years ago. "And the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what's happening in the world." Thus does the White House compound the sin of substituting propaganda for effective action by falling for the same spin it showers on the public.
Beware of leaders who drink their own Kool-Aid. The most distressing aspect of Mr. Bush's press conference last week was less his lies and half-truths than the abundant evidence that he is as out of touch as Custer was on the way to Little Bighorn. The president seemed genuinely shocked that anyone could doubt his claim that his friend is the best-qualified candidate for the highest court. Mr. Bush also seemed unaware that it was Republicans who were leading the attack on Ms. Miers. "The decision as to whether or not there will be a fight is up to the Democrats," he said, confusing his antagonists this time much as he has Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.
[clip]
But skepticism is widespread. It's refreshing to realize that when dubyah and his fellow puppets speak, more and more have learned to doubt:
No sale
Over the last weeks, the White House quietly has been trying out a new argument on Iraq. Aimed at shoring up public support, the tactic compares the difficulties there with historic conflicts, such as World War II and the battle against communism.
What Iraq shares with those periods, the argument goes, are bouts of doubt and confusion followed by victory - if we are resolute and patient.
It's a good argument, but not good enough. My bet is that it's too late and has too many holes in it to be persuasive for those sick of the carnage in Iraq.
[clip]
A new sales pitch won't cut it. Only clear progress will bolster a doubting public. We need convincing proof that the brutal insurgency is being defeated. Until then, all talk will remain unconvincing.
Indeed, some of the talk is counterproductive. It doesn't help when Bush, on Thursday, vowed that "we never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory."
That's complete nonsense. No one, including in the White House, can possibly believe that "complete victory" is in the cards. The goal, as Bush himself has said, is to get Iraqis ready to fight for their own country. The minute they can, we're outta there. And Bush knows it.
At least I hope he does.
And if you're still with me, here's a little reward, courtesy of cousin Steven in Adelaide.
posted by Sir Gumbo at 10:37 PM
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