Bush is now the embarrassing uncle (Op-Ed in The Guardian, London)

[Apollo11]

Bush is now the embarrassing uncle the Republicans just can't hide

With the departure of Karl Rove, the stench of failure hangs over the president - and his party wants to ignore the smell

Gary Younge
Monday August 20, 2007
The Guardian (London, England, UK)

George Bush likes his sleep. While campaigning for the presidency in 2000 his prize possession was a feather pillow. On the night that Saddam Hussein was executed he went to bed at 9pm with strict orders not to be woken. When the then CIA director, George Tenet, tried to alert him to news of the first night's bombing of Iraq he was sent away. "He is the type of person who sleeps at 9.30pm after watching the domestic news," Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah told Okaz, a Saudi newspaper.

But one can't help wondering if Karl Rove's resignation might not disturb his slumber for his remaining months in the White House. Rove, Bush's consigliere for the past 30 years, left last week in much the same manner as he had stayed: misleading the public. He told the nation that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Maybe he should have checked with his family first. His only son leaves for college in just a few days.

Rove is leaving because there is nothing more for him to do; Bush is letting him go because he no longer has any use for him. His departure effectively marks the end of the Bush presidency - from hereon in Bush's tenure is about keeping the troops in Iraq and as many of his administration out of handcuffs as possible. Last week Fox News asked the neocon commentator Charles Krauthammer how much time Bush had to promote his agenda. "None," said Krauthammer. "It's over. There is no agenda."

(...)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2152380,00.html

[banana republican]

1. I tried to go to sleep at 9:30

but I could not be because of the the *shit....

[tanyev]

2. LOL!

He told the nation that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Maybe he should have checked with his family first. His only son leaves for college in just a few days.

[Stuckinthebush]

3. Wow! Look at this comment from a reader...

America's decline is a result of structural, systemic and ideological factors beyond George W. Bush, but he (with a little help from Bin Ladin) has certainly accellerated the decline dramatically.

In the space of a generation it has gone from the nation that put a man on the moon to the nation that took 5 days to get water to the Superdome. It has gone from the nation that played a critical role in defeating Facism to the greatest threat to peace on the planet. It has gone from a being promoter of human rights to being a nation practices torture and 'rendition' and that clings to the archaic vengance of the death penalty. It looks up more of its own people than any other nation in history. It's failing healthcare system has led to financial nightmare, reduced life expectancy and even shorter heights for its citizens. It must borrow or sell assets to the tune of $2.5 billion every day in order to get by. It is a pariah, albiet a powerful one, among the world community.

America will never recover from the Bush presidency.

[Felix Mala]

4. The wealth and goodwill of a great nation and its people... squandered...

And for what? For a little bit of money.
There's more to life than money, you know.
And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day...

[Apollo11]

5. great quote from a great movie

From the Coen Brothers movie "FARGO" (1996), which won the Academy Award for best screenplay.

Now what are the odds that I would also be a huge Coen Brothers fan?

I think I have all their movies on DVD - except Ladykillers.

My favorite of their movies is probably "Raising Arizona" B-)