Bush's Last Laugh: Whether Moron Or Liar, Who Cares?

It's become borderline amusing, though I scurry to stress the borderline angle. We have in the White House either a dangerous moron or a heinous liar, or perhaps he's even a twofer. And that seems to be the Great Debate of our era: Is our president an epic halfwit, or Nixon squared, or some fantastic combination of the two not seen since Nero? Yet whichever of those limited possibilities his character happens to be, the joke's on us.

Our Great Debate -- or what should be a great debate, one leading to a great resolution -- is nothing but a piddling parlor game.

We and our elected representatives sit and ponder and at times even chuckle over Mr. Bush's increasingly tangled and twisted lies, delivered with decreasing competency, and repeatedly conclude that he's too stupid or too corrupt to sit at the apex of power. While we're doing that, however, Mr. Bush is collapsing in incredulous joy and relief that there quite obviously is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- he can do that will lead Congress to the water of serious investigations and, consequently, and, inescapably, impeachment.

In short, while we and Congress are laughing our asses off at his vile stupidity, he's laughing his ass off at our vile timidity.

The latest presidential spectacle will someday have historians in stitches. From the bowels of the Bush 43 Presidential Library, one will hear the raucous laughter of researchers, interrupted only by disbelieving giggling and the occasional, "And this idiot really got away with this crap? Two friggin entire terms of this friggin insanity?"

Insanity, indeed. And yes, he got away with it. And yes, the joke was on us -- and on any remnants of systemic checks and balances and legislative oversight and investigative doggedness and all that other tedious constitutional stuff.

The latest spectacle to which I painfully refer with a touch of amusement was and is, of course, Mr. Bush & Staff's laughable contortions over what he knew, with epistemological verifiability, and when he knew it -- with some emphasis on the additional question of what he's capable of knowing.

The president first would have had us believe that his grimly somber director of national intelligence just happened to pop by the Oval Office one morning in August and just happened to mention a "great discovery" about the supposedly greatest threat to our national survival since the development of TV sitcoms like "My Mother the Car," yet the idiot of the first part didn't happen to say, "Huh?"

But, even after lo these many years of much-ballyhooed presidential incuriosity, that failed to pass the laugh test. Questions were asked. Inquiries were made. Is, was, he really that intellectually catatonic?

So White House fax machines whirled in defensive clarification and somebody wound up misspokeswoman Dana Perino. The machines spewed no, no, no, the DNI had, in fact, informed the clueless one that "Iran does in fact have a covert weapons program, but it may be suspended," meaning Iran does have a weapons program, except maybe it doesn't.

Meanwhile the automaton of Ms. Perino spewed that the DNI had cautioned the president that "the new information might cause the intelligence community to change its assessment of Iran's covert nuclear program, but the intelligence community was not prepared to draw any conclusions at that point in time, and it wouldn’t be right to speculate until they had time to examine and analyze the new data."

And what the DNI meant by that, implicitly according to Ms. Perino, was that it was wholly acceptable for the president to then go out and draw the conclusion based on his own speculations that Iran's probably nonexistent nuclear weapons program threatened us all with the nuclear apocalypse of a World War III. Got it. Thanks for clearing that up.

Now, one might think that Congressional types might be all over this public-policy oddity like Oprah on Obama, but -- drumroll -- they aren't. Here we had a president of these here United States thrashing about, frightening church ladies and thrusting right wingers into bellicose orgasms, spewing personal speculations about a thermonuclear war that was as fantastically unbelievable as the dire and global threat of Saddam Hussein -- and it was, of course, all buncombe. And he knew it.

But, responds Congress, that's the way it goes. It's just Mad Ludwig at it again. Heaven forfend we should take this dangerous idiot down, and out. Our electoral prospects are of much greater concern than the launching of proper constitutionalities, or even the very real prospect that this profoundly dangerous idiot could yet transmogrify into something even more tangibly dangerous -- again.

The joke is indeed on us -- the Great Debate that never was; fellatio is a national crisis, while manufactured hysteria over a manufactured war is not -- although I doubt the Founders are laughing.

Comments

[beamer]

hard to laugh at this bloody point in time

[NCBlueneck]

Our poor Republic is like a broken-down, smoking and clanking, beater of a car. And the Democrats are just hoping to keep it running until 2008. They keep pouring more gas, oil, and prayers into it hoping it won't break down along the freeway. There ain't no AAA for broken countries, and these a$$wipes refuse to perform even routine maintainance. A pox on both houses, I say -- and the Executive Branch as well. Do your friggin' jobs or "spend more time with your families".

[Krashkopf]

"Impeach. Prosecute. SAVE AMERICA!"

- Naomi Wolf

[CScheid]

It is a disgrace for congress not live up to their constitutional responsibilities for oversight of the executive branch. The fact that the president is a lying criminal is apparent, but that is the reason the founders gave congress the authority to act. The fact that they have not is inexcusable. Hearings into the administrations lies and distortions would bring them to their knees without the political repercussions of impeachment. When the public learns the truth they will demand the administration step down. Only cowards hold out till the next election to fix this. Each new military and civilian death in Iraq is on their heads. Shame on you! Shame on you!

[Dana Hatch]

I heard some right-winger on NPR this morning testing out the latest spin on the report. He says the report only covers weapon development not enrichment or delivery systems. He concludes, somehow, that Iran is less than a year away from getting the bomb. Also, the moon is made of green cheese.

[Clemsy]

Just another elephant turd in a mountain of elephant turds high enough to soil the moon. If the MSM starts noticing now, than someone will ask why it didn't notice then (Oh my!), so they figure if they just keep ignoring what everyone's used to being ignored, they'll just wait out the term and breathe a sigh of relief.

But once a democrat is back in office, well then the kid gloves come off, dammit!

[Zee]

Clemsy nailed it.

[chanceny]

Bolton, talking points still slightly wet on the page, began the finger pointing of blame at our corrupt intelligence agencies - all 16 of them no less - intent on discrediting dear leader and his careful analysis of the eminent WW111 dangers of Iran. Seems that NIE's that promoted irrational nuclear holocaust fear, they're right on the money (as proven by the invisible WMD in Iraq), but this, this telling of the facts that should be good news for our nation, this blasphemy, is the result of disrespect toward W and the end product of enemies of his most competent administration. Case closed. I'm hoping, since the dems seem once again stupified by stupid, these accusations of treasonous behaviour by those working in our national intelligence agencies, will rise up and demand retractions of the use of deceiptful scapegoating (at their expense this time) and collectively attempt to bring this house of card cheaters down in flames. After all, they don't give a rat's ass about polls. They'll be rightously pissed and wish to avenge the besmirchment of their reputations.

[epppie]

How far are we from seeing a horse appointed to the Senate? Not very far, I think.

[RenoMike]

Don't worry, Eppie, an entire horse has never been appointed to the Senate.

[Timothy Liebe]

Eppie - at this point, a full horse would be an improvement over the horse's asses currently in residence. Which was, after all, Caligula's point in appointing the racehorse Incitatus to the Senate....

Gaius "Caligula" Ceasar - madman or simply a REAL smartass with contempt for the pompous lames in the Senate?

[Timothy Liebe]

Eppie - at this point, a full horse would be an improvement over the horse's asses currently in residence. Which was, after all, Caligula's point in appointing the racehorse Incitatus to the Senate....

Gaius "Caligula" Ceasar - madman or simply a REAL smartass with contempt for the pompous lames in the Senate?

[Bill]

The American people for the most part are just too plain stupid to keep up with or be concerned with anything that comes out of this moron's lying mouth. Remember, this clown was elected twice by the American sheeple.JUST PLAIN STUPID.

[kevin]

impeachment would take too long and take time and energy away from the campaigns and other important stuff. JOE BIDEN SHOULD BE DOING HEARINGS... to get to the truth, but, everyone knows what bush has done. the key is to never let it happen again. also we need to find out if there is any way we can incarcerate the moron in chief and his henchpeople.
i believe his own people will kill him and try to blame it on the "terrorists", so they can manipulate us into finishing the job the neo-cons and the duped dope started.
that bush and co. may get away with out being put in jail is what chapps my ass.

we need to make WHOMEVER may be the next president SWEAR TO GIVE BACK all of the powers that bush has illegally taken as "war powers". NO MORE GODDAMN SIGNING STATEMENTS.

i want those motherfuckers in jail.

[mike]

stupified by stupidity....in a nutshell...goddam, i hate being laughed at by countries we claim to be better than, jokes truly on us.

[c.e.stokes]

it is past time to run them out of town. but it still has to be done! it would most definately help renew our relations overseas.

[Iron Man]

With each passing gaffe, it becomes crystal clear. It's clear that the pardoning of Bush's tactics in the original GOP primaries were excused by McCain. It's clear that the 2000 election was stolen. It's clear that what Paul O'Neill said about Bush's bloodlust for Saddam leading him to inquire out loud about excuses to invade Iraq prior to 9/11 is true. It's clear that there are many, many questions about 9/11 that will never be answered and yet have let all of us with troubling suspicions. It's true that the election of 2004 was stolen, as well. The list is endless, and that is most troubling is that the democrats have done nothing. Their protests have been muted and their threats of action have been non-existent. After watching this administration run roughshod over everything our republic is supposed to be about, and after having watched as NO ONE has spoken up about the continued egregious, cavalier mentality that states that this administration sees no checks and balances, how can any of us NOT believe something is afoot. We don't have to wait for historians. This administration is criminal. Guess I'd have to wonder---since elected leadership will obviously do nothing to stop these maniacs, how far would the military brass be pushed before taking them out? Certainly, true patriots can spot megalomaniacs. The stench must be something.