Newsweek: Erasing Bush

[marmar]

Erasing Bush
With a call for 'relentless' diplomacy, Hillary further obliterates W's legacy.

Jan 22, 2009


After Inauguration Day, departed presidents usually become footnotes pretty quickly. What we are witnessing now is far more dramatic. It's closer to a liquidation, or a cauterization. George W. Bush is being turned into an unperson, like a character out of Orwell. It's been only two days, and there is scarcely a trace of not only his personal presence, but of his policies. Or at least that is the impression Barack Obama would like to convey.

The process of erasing the last eight years from American history began with President Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday. Between condemning torture and expressing a willingness to talk with enemies, the new president began eliminating Bush even as the former president sat listening behind him. Then, on his first work day, Obama signed executive orders reversing the Bush administration's emphasis on secrecy and reliance on revolving-door lobbyists, to be followed by three more orders: closing Guantanamo Bay (within a year), forbidding torture and suspending military tribunals for foreign terror suspects. Meanwhile Treasury Secretary-nominee Timothy Geithner (whose nomination was finally approved by the Senate Finance Committee) said brand-new strictures would also be applied to financial bailouts.

Then, on Wednesday, Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the appointment of two permanent envoys to major trouble spots—George Mitchell to the Mideast and Richard Holbrooke to Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was perhaps the surest sign of all that Obama intends a 180-degree reversal from the ultimatum-heavy approach of the Bush administration, which saw diplomacy mainly as an exercise in stating terms for surrender, whether to Iran, Hamas or North Korea (except over the last couple of years). "Anything short of relentless diplomatic efforts will fail," Clinton said, making it clear that Holbrooke and Mitchell would each be spending much of the next four years away from home. Both men, Holbrooke and Mitchell, gained fame by ending what seemed to be intractable conflicts, Bosnia (Holbrooke) and Northern Ireland (Mitchell). "There is no such thing as a conflict that can't be ended," Mitchell said. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.newsweek.com/id/181038

[annabanana]

1. I only wish we could erase the RESULTS of those horrible policies

as quickly. Sadly, that will probably take decades.

[Why Syzygy]

2. And, that's a large part of why Obama was elected.

To rid us of the stench.

I've never heard of a recently departed President having so many wail and eulogize over his departure.
It's disgusting, just like his Residency.

No matter what, Bush will never escape the * to his-story. Installed by the Supreme Court. Questionable elections... He broke it, he bought it.

[gratuitous]

3. Dear Newsweek

This is why we elected him. See, unlike you and your media cohorts who were so in thrall to George Dubya and his ersatz administration, the majority of citizens have been sick to death and sick at heart over what's been going on in our name. We've been enraged by the lawlessness. We've been embarrassed by the "folksy" malaprops. We've been appalled at the death, chaos, destruction and corruption. We've tried to tell you all this for years, only to be airily dismissed as naive or borderline traitorous.

[BrklynLiberal]

19. Exactly...and we knew it from Day1!!

Where the hell were you, Newsweek???

[lonestarnot]

4. Debushitlering is going to take some time.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[marmar]

7. Sincerely, what the f**k are you talking about?.......

...... because I don't have a clue. It's a NEWSWEEK article.

[InvisibleTouch]

8. It's not about malice, it's about undoing 8 years of horrendously bad decisions. n/t

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[marmar]

11. We don't particularly enjoy the taste of bullshit-flavored Koolaid at DU.....

:eyes:

[rockymountaindem]

13. Get outta here with that BS

[InvisibleTouch]

16. "We were all proud..." ??????????

Apparently you're speaking for yourself. I think you may have taken a wrong exit on the Information Superhighway. You may be happier in a more like-minded enclave. (As to that reference about the keyboards, you may want to check your facts on the way out the door.)

[janx]

17. Regarding President Clinton: Most of the world laughed at

the United States for making decisions re the leader of the free world based on who was diddling whom.

[janx]

15. I don't see it as a bashing of Bush either, but I do see it as a

definite reversal of policy.

[InvisibleTouch]

6. Some of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs...

...used to invalidate their predecessors by chiselling away the heiroglyphics of their names on public monuments, and replacing them with their own. The intention was to make the former king or queen a nonentity. Surely with far less justification than we're seeing today!

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[gratefultobelib]

12. Go away.

[Cirque du So-What]

14. C'mon, just one more K & R

to get the words 'Erasing *' on the Greatest page! Music to me ears!

[roamer65]

18. Debu$hification.

Finally, removal of the cancer.

[Cirque du So-What]

20. Congrats to the pizza delivery squad

It's rare that I encounter the Dearly Departed while they still romp & stomp, and I was busily typing a rebuttal to a buttload of RW tripe, when I noticed that the troll's message had already been deleted. However, I hate to waste a great photoshop that was going to accompany my diatribe, so enjoy!

[DCKit]

21. Damn, I missed it. K&R

It seems the MSM is getting on-board. However, it'll never be safe to turn our collective back on them, lest we become a pincushion.