I don't have anything to say about the content of the declassified portions of the recent National Intelligence Estimate that suggests that the war in Iraq has made terrorism more, not less, virrulent. I have yet to read it and while I want to comment on some of Bush's non sequiturs that arise from his assertion that there has always been terrorism so feelings over Iraq makes no difference, I'll leave the fevered rehashing of reporter's takes on other reporter's takes on the declassified fragments of a much broader report to others for now.
The most interesting thing yesterday was that in responding to questions about the report, Mr. Bush became most grumpy when considering the implications of the leaks for his party's fortunes in the November elections. At one point he said angrily:
"Here we are, coming down the homestretch of an election campaign and it’s on the front page of your newspapers. Isn’t that interesting?" (Full story, NY Times 9/26/06)
This suggests one of two things. Either he is such a master operator that he can blithely accuse others of attempting to exploit national security for political gain while never once acknowledging that he has built his entire post 9/11 career on the exact same expolitation; or he is a brittle, spoiled little rich boy who behind the surface bonhomie has the personality of Francis in Pee Wee's Big Adventure and while able to dish it out in spades is unable to take even a thimbleful in return.
I wonder if the President ever gets suspicious about the fact that he is never wrong. Even the infalible pope admits mistakes sometimes, but this guy... It must be quite unnerving, always being so certain.
2 comments:
Oy! Weasel! Good blog. Sorry about the tea out the nose, old sport. I hope it wasn't any of that expensive stuff.
Mr Geezer, thanks for stopping by old bean. No worries about the tea- it was smuggled PG but I'm still giggling about 50 degrees to port.
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