Rosa Brooks in LA Times: "President's Remarks On Iranian Threat Suggest He Is Psychotic. Really."

[Hissyspit]

Straitjacket Bush

The president's warmongering remarks on the Iranian threat suggest he is psychotic. Really.
October 25, 2007

Forget impeachment.

Liberals, put it behind you. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney shouldn't be treated like criminals who deserve punishment. They should be treated like psychotics who need treatment.

Because they've clearly gone mad. Exhibit A: We're in the middle of a disastrous war in Iraq, the military and political situation in Afghanistan is steadily worsening, and the administration's interrogation and detention tactics have inflamed anti-Americanism and fueled extremist movements around the globe. Sane people, confronting such a situation, do their best to tamp down tensions, rebuild shattered alliances, find common ground with hostile parties and give our military a little breathing space. But crazy people? They look around and decide it's a great time to start another war.

That would be with Iran, and you'd have to be deaf not to hear the war drums. Last week, Bush remarked that "if you're interested in avoiding World War III . . . you ought to be interested in preventing from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon." On Sunday, Cheney warned of "the Iranian regime's efforts to destabilize the Middle East and to gain hegemonic power . . . cannot stand by as a terror-supporting state fulfills its most aggressive ambitions." On Tuesday, Bush insisted on the need "to defend Europe against the emerging Iranian threat."

Huh? Iran is now a major threat to Europe? The Iranians are going to launch a nuclear missile (that they don't yet possess) against Europe (for reasons unknown because, as far as we know, they're not mad at anyone in Europe)? This is lunacy in action.

Writing in Newsweek on Oct. 20, Fareed Zakaria, a solid centrist and former editor of Foreign Affairs, put it best. Citing Bush's invocation of "the specter of World War III if Iran gained even the knowledge needed to make a nuclear weapon," Zakaria concluded that "the American discussion about Iran has lost all connection to reality. . . . Iran has an economy the size of Finland's. . . . It has not invaded a country since the late 18th century. The United States has a GDP that is 68 times larger and defense expenditures that are 110 times greater. Israel and every Arab country (except Syria and Iraq) are . . . allied against Iran. And yet we are to believe that Tehran is about to overturn the international system and replace it with an Islamo-fascist order? What planet are we on?"

Planet Cheney.

MORE

[acmavm]

1. All the truth, all the reality in the world is not going to stop this

bunch. It will take impeachment (go Dennis!!) or a major revolt by military leaders. Because I can guarantee Pelosi & Reid ain't gonna do a damn thing about it.

[bdamomma]

4. or something more than that to stop them.

[Zodiak]

10. No, they will take their AIPAC money

...and distance themselves from anyone who is against the war. At least until they need our votes again.

[CoffeeCat]

14. As far as I'm concerned, they can go fuck themselves...

Do they actually think that we'll vote for them,
when they enable more war and hand the pResident
the open doors to ram through his sick PNAC agenda.

The PNACers have specifically stated--Iraq, Iran, Syria--in that
order. Don't blame the PNACers. They're just following
their stated goals.

Blame the Democrats, who are not standing up and decrying
this horrendous, evil group of thugs that is destroying
our country and dismantling our democracy.

You barely hear a whimper from them, and when you do hear
more than a whimper--it's quickly followed by a sniveling
apology.

"Hello. Harry Reid. This is yer President. You said something
bad about me wanting to spy on the Americans. I need that
surveillance bill passed and yer making me look bad. Now
go apologize and pass it!"

"Yes sir! Yes, Mr. President!"

I'm pro Democrat. I've been a loyal Dem my entire life. But
one must face sooner or later--that the actions we're seeing now
are not the actions of Democrats. This behavior is the behavior
of complicit enablers.

[BrklynLib at work]

2. Some of us knew this about prez shit-for-brains before the SCOTUS gave him the office.

The media just did a great job of hiding the facts from most of the people.

[Cha]

23. It is the corporatemediawhroes..

that are the bottom feeders who handed us the bushit coup..if they had not been such whores they would have unearthed all kinds of clues that bush was bullshite for our country.

[tom_paine]

3. Everyone is afraid of what will happen to them if they speak the truth above a whisper

Der Fuhrer is insane.

I mean, remember when even mentioning World War III in a public forum would not even been considered to be spoken aloud, as being sociopathic as well as imprudent?

Sigh, those were the days.

[Cha]

24. Remember when the Dems won

in 2006 and many of us got all hopeful?

Now, more of us are going to be politically cynical for LIFE.

[BrklynLib at work]

5. Great sounding article. Would like to read more. I think you forgot the link.

[bdamomma]

6. no one to stand up against this little man, there are more of us than them.

.............sigh.......

[mwb970]

7. It's bush's War On America.

We outnumber him by hundreds of millions to one, and he's winning.

[bdamomma]

11. he can be controlled if we only had the initiative to take it

or will we after he strikes another country. I want to see humpty dumpty fall along with all the king's men.

[ProfessorPlum]

8. K&R - Link please!

[jhain]

9. this should link

http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-oe-brooks24oct25,0,810778.column?coll=la-news-columns

[ProfessorPlum]

18. Thank you!

[Dhalgren]

12. The American People do not care enough to stop this.

The American People are going to stand by and watch this happen. Oh, they want it to stop. They want Bush out of power and an end to this madness, but not enough, not yet. The People have not yet come to understand that there is no political solution to this. There are even people on this board who haven't yet grasped the fact that we have been had by the political class in this country. As long as the corporations and the pig-rich want death and destruction, conquest and annihilation, this government will continue to provide it.

Will congress step up and stop this? Who? What will they do? Will the military stop this? How? What will happen then? Will the rest of the world stop this? Which countries will step up and go toe-to-toe with the Empire of Caligula?

This is tragedy any way you look at it...

[ananda]

13. Most of this country is so racist and..

.. fascist at heart.. that they'll go along with
anything as long as it doesn't help minorities
or immigrants.

In fact, they'll allow corporofascism to flourish..
even to their own detriment and that of the
planet's ability to support human life.. as long
as dark-skinned, non-American, or non-xtian
people are left out of any possible prosperity
or power loop.

Sue

[Grandrose]

20. You nailed it!

It's really ironic that my mother and I were discussing your same point tonight!

Every time I hear the Bush/Cheney cabal chastise Iran, I cringe and think how minorities have been treated from Native Americans to the slaves.

I think Americans believe, since we have never been invaded, we are superior and untouchable.

Iraq was disastrous and Iran will be beyond imaginable, where will it end?:grr:

[DemoTex]

15. Impeachment is not about punishment.

Impeachment is about removal from office.

[Fly by night]

16. Psychotic and/or suffering from testosterone poisoning (having never used any to defend the country)

Bush and Cheney give all us silver-backed males a bad name.

Time to banish them from the band.

[Supersedeas]

17. spot on

[Kurovski]

19. K&R.

Nukey McCrazycakes. And Cheney's worse.

Where's the cavalry when we need them? They must be holing up in a broom closet somewheres in the Pentagon.

[Generator]

21. Exactly and if I read DU

I'm only to blame the lunatics. Here's the deal-the lunatics are crazy.

Congress-the blood's on your hands too-the "D" behind your name is not going to protect you. Ignorance is not an excuse. History will hold you to blame as well.

[Cha]

22. Thank you, Rosa Brooks! Good

of this to come out on the day bushit goes for his millionth photo op and this one in Fire Torn California.