President Bush – Mostly Harmless

March 12, 2010

I know it’s Karl Rove, but geez

Some people will never get it and this debate will never go away.

George W Bush’s former top adviser has said he is “proud” of the use of harsh interrogation techniques – including waterboarding – during the War on Terror.

via Bush aide Karl Rove insists ‘waterboarding is not torture’ – Times Online.

Why stop at waterboarding? The number one compelling reason was to protect Americans and save lives, so why was waterboarding the only method used?

It is pointless to keep discussing it: President Obama’s administration won’t do anything and political hacks like Rove only do it to score radical conservative “street cred”. But really, what can’t be rationalized away?

Note: The dunce cap photo was taken by Cogdogblog on Flickr. Creative Commons is very cool.

December 14, 2008

Now why didn’t Helen Thomas try that?

I don’t think this Iraqi journalist is going to be invited to the United States anytime soon.

The President dodges well. It’s a fitting ending to President Bush’s last visit to Iraq.

October 9, 2008

That was totally expected, no release for those 17

Those 17 not-enemy-combatants that Pakistan handed to the U.S.? An emergency motion blocking their release was granted to the administration.

That’s not surprising; I expected that the administration would not have bothered with a court order. I mean, they could have just refused to comply.

This whole situation is ridiculous. If this is really an immigration issue, why not transfer them to an immigration detention center? Isn’t that where immigrants who are being processed for deportation go? That way it really does become an immigration status problem.

The Bush administration has already released over 400 prisoners to other countries. While the 17 do not have a place to go, keeping them in the U.S. gulag can’t be the right thing to do.

October 7, 2008

Will the U.S. actually release these prisoners?

It would be amazing if these Chinese Muslims actually get released. The U.S. has admitted that they are not enemy combatants so I don’t understand what the risk really is.

August 15, 2008

President Bush and Russian Bullying

Mr. Bush said, “The people of Georgia have cost their lot with the free world, and we will not cast them aside.”

Bush, Decrying ‘Bullying,’ Calls for Russia to Leave Georgia – NYTimes.com.

The Bushism’s just keep coming. I happen to agree with him (kind of) but man, he needs a full time speech writer. This game with Russia can become very castly.

August 14, 2008

Is President Bush a shill for the next guy?

I know he’s a college frat boy first and President of the United States second but honestly, can we have a little common sense and dignity when he’s abroad?

July 9, 2008

The Senate rolls over and plays dead

President Nixon Bush got what he wanted: Senate bows to Bush, approves surveillance bill.

The news article mentions that the old FISA rules were a problem, and that Congress did not want to deal with this in an election year. Even Senator Obama folded on this one.

I guess his ambition is greater than his morals. “Vote for change”, what nonsense.

King George must be pleased to have such tame pets. It was never demonstrated that there was any issue with using the old FISA rules. It was only an issue because the Bush Cheney administration wanted more power.

The current administration does not want this law passed because they need it. They don’t torture people because they need to. They don’t disregard the Constitution because they need to. They don’t eliminate habeas corpus* because they need to.

They do all these things because they can.

I’m pissed again, I really can’t wait till January 20th to welcome our new king.

*Some people may think that habeas corpus was something denied only to non-American citizen away from our shores. The fact is, this administration grabbed an American in an airport in Chicago and then John Ashcroft bragged about it from Moscow. That American, who may have been the most vile scum, was held for years and subjected to abuse before the administration moved him where the law says he should have been. If they can do this to the worst, they can do this to anyone.

July 3, 2008

Judge got wiretapping issue right

This judge apparently rejects the “It’s a State Secret ’cause WE say so” idea. Cool. And since it’s an election year, I expect Congress to mess this up.

January 22, 2008

That’s the Rudy NYC remembers

Rudy can smile The New York Times has a good article on Rudy Guiliani which highlights many of his bad temper abuses. It’s a little long but some of the examples I had forgotten about. I like the photo from the article, it shows a “lighter” side of the presidential candidate.

I think the Rudy 2008 campaign is beginning to realize that his tough guy 9/11 hero bit is not going to get him delegates. Lately his stumping in Florida is lacking his 9/11 rhetoric and his latest ad does not even use the word “terrorism”.

When Rudy was mayor he did improve things but he did so without any class. It was a “my way of the highway” but it was needlessly mean spirited and he became a real bully. From petty arguing with radio show callers to slandering a victim of a police shooting, he made it clear that he wanted to be a mean SOB.

Rudy was tolerated because he did get things done and the city was a mess. But previous mayors proved that you could work with people and still get work done. Ed Koch was quite a character but he was effective. David Dinkins made lots of mistakes but he did have class.

I can’t imagine Rudy as president. We’d have a bigger melt down than we have with President Bush. The Bush Cheney administration is petty, no-bid, ignores disagreement (on good days), and has a demonstrable contempt for the law. President Rudy would trump that; President Bush is sadly not too bright. But he’s not really mean or a bully.

What an image, the school yard bully having his finger on top of the button to launch the missiles.

December 18, 2007

Senator Harry Reid Senate Majority “Leader”?

I think Senator Reid forgot what the word leader means. It does not mean roll over and play dead.

Seriously this is why the next president will be a republican. Likely Rudy, maybe Mitt. They’ll get all Jack Bauer and the Democrats will fall over themselves again.

I continue to not get it. I understand that the Democrats want to be “the grown ups” and not get all partisan with the administration. But what ever happened to just following the law?

The telcos and the administration may have broken laws in the warrentless wiretapping cases. In the administration’s case they always claim it’s a state secret, they did not break the law, and if they did break the law then it did not apply to them.

The telcos are not the administration and should not be able to pull off that nonsense. If the administration got them to break the law then that needs to come out in the lawsuits. Why not let people see what is really going on?

The immunity bill is not dead just delayed. During the Thanksgiving not recess, congress kept things going to prevent President Bush from pulling his usual fast ones. I hope at the end of the year someone is keeping an eye on Harry Reid.

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