Joe Conason: Why Bush's Speech Didn't Matter

[marmar]

from Truthdig:


Why Bush’s Speech Didn’t Matter


Posted on Jan 25, 2007

By Joe Conason

If America’s need for substantial leadership were not so grave, we might find some dark amusement in George W. Bush’s latest attempt to escape his own political quagmire. Sinking to Nixonian levels of public distrust and disdain in most polls, and facing a Democratic Congress, he tried to shift the focus to healthcare, climate change and educational reform in his annual address to Congress.

As his presidency enters its twilight years, Bush evidently wishes he could revisit the sunny days of “compassionate conservatism,” when gauzy proposals and happy talk so easily beguiled so many voters.

His problem is that we have heard all this before, and we know him too well by now.

Every year in his State of the Union address, he feigns deep concern over the same issues. He always urges independence from foreign oil, rapid development of alternative energy sources, effective use of conservation and improvement of the environment. (Remember his “switch grass” biofuel program from last year?) He always promises to make affordable healthcare available to more of the uninsured and their children.

The chances are that few, if any, of the proposals advertised in his speech will actually arrive on Capitol Hill as legislation—or that he will even bother to mention them again, unless he recycles the same ideas next year. They are really desperate cries for approval from a president who has permanently forfeited the popularity he once brandished like a weapon.

His bigger problem, of course, is that he still refuses to face the failure of his military and diplomatic policies in Iraq—and the rejection of his escalation plan even by members of his own party. He seems to believe that he can buy off or distract the burgeoning opposition to the Iraq debacle by promising to deal with other issues “that people care about,” as his flacks would say.

Today, however, there is no issue that people care about more than the war. And on the question of how to extricate us from the disaster that he and his administration have created, he simply has no credibility. When he claims that his critics have no alternative to his military escalation, they should refer him to the best-selling Iraq Study Group report, which outlines a highly specific plan for reconciliation, amnesty and negotiated withdrawal of U.S. forces. ....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20070125_joe_conason_bushs_speech/

[CrazyOrangeCat]

1. Thanks for posting.

Conason is correct, in that Bush's speech is worn-out, meaningless, and truly doesn't matter.

But it has been clear for some time now, that Bush doesn't want out of Iraq. The Neocons never intended to leave, as is proven by the largest "embassy" (read fortress or "oil headquarters") in the world, being constructed near Baghdad.

The big picture here, that Conason misses, is that the cabal running (and ruining) the United States, is intent on dominating the Middle East forever. Forever. "Blood for Oil Forever" is the new motto of our country.

Someone in Congress is going to have to start getting that big picture pretty quick. Non-binding resolutions and hand-wringing isn't about to stop Big Dick Cheney and his boy-king.

[tanyev]

2. Yep, talk is cheap.

Especially from the all hat no cattle president.

[tom_paine]

3. K & R

[Catfight]

4. There's no issues near and dear to his heart except killing people

in countries with oil. He spoke about the importance of stem cell not being used last year, steroids, oh, steroids, now there's an issue that is ruining this country, terri shievo, gay marriage the year before, he always touts out what he 'thinks' people care about, and he's always 100 miles off. He has sealed his fate in 2004 with Katrina, last state of the union was in New Orleans with a back-light of eerie importance, one year later, NOLA is in dire straights and not one mention of it by a little man that really blatantly doesn't like black people or poor people and certainly not the middle class. I said 'fu'k' him in 2001 after his weak response to 9/11 and I stick to my guns....he's the worst president american history has and will ever know.