David Corn: (Rats fleeing ship, or) Teach Bush To Google

[babylonsister]

Related article:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=3187769



http://www.davidcorn.com/

March 30, 2007
Teach Bush To Google

Here's a frightening sign of how bad things are in the Bush White House. In today's Washington Post reporter Peter Baker reports on the recent staff exits at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The director of strategic initiatives, the counsel, the political director--each is fleeing the S.S. Bush, as chief of staff Joshua Bolten says this all part of the "natural ebb and flow." The departed include Thomas Graham, Bush's top Russia adviser. In recounting all these escapes, Baker writes:

The departures take their toll, though. Bush was embarrassed to learn that a Russian general he hosted in the Oval Office this week has been accused of war crimes in Chechnya. Some officials suggested that would not have slipped onto his calendar had Graham, a veteran Moscow watcher, still been at the National Security Council.

Now this is what's scary. You don't need to be a "veteran Moscow watcher" to know that that Vladimir Shamanov--the Russian general Bush had to the White House--is a suspected war criminal. Type his name into Google and the first reference is his Wikipedia entry, which starts,

Vladimir Shamanov is a governor of the Ulyanovsk region of Russian Federation. Shamanov is a Major General in the Soviet and Russian Army, awarded with title of Hero of Russia. He has been criticized by human-rights groups for failing to control his troops in military actions during the Second Chechen War.

War Crimes Accusations
When he was a commander in the North Caucasus (Chechnya) region, he was awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation title for actions around the village of Alkhan-Yurt. However, Human Rights Watch have asked the Russian government to open an investigation into the incident, which HRW has declared a "massacre."

The "War Crimes Accusations" heading does appear in bold on that page.

Most sentient White House staffers would realize it might be problematic for Bush to meet with a general accused of overseeing a massacre. Isn't it SOP for White House staff to vet visitors and brief Bush about the foreign officials he invites to the White House? So even if Bush's top Russia guy had split, an intern could have Googled the general and prevented Bush from rubbing elbows with a fellow with bloody hands. If the White House cannot get something like this right, the Bush administration--and the country--is really in trouble. After all, anyone who wages war in the 21st Century really ought to know how to use the Internet.

[MadMaddie]

1. Well you see since * doesn't recognize his own war crimes

how could he recognize the war crimes of someone else? Just sayin...

[Cha]

2. You couldn't make this

shit up.

[hatrack]

4. From the people who brought you the Taiwanese national anthem . . .

Which, unfortunately, was played especially for Wen Jiabao, head of state of the PRC.

Guess that didn't get much air time, either.

[babylonsister]

5. hatrack, thanks for the name-dropping.

:D Can you hum a few bars?
Ba dum bum!

[Cha]

6. Yeah, if the corporatemediawhores

reported on every single bushit snafu since 2001..Even more Americans would know bush is the laughing stock of the world.

[Gabi Hayes]

3. and this story got HOW much play in the M$M?

he could've had Martin Bormann in the WH and it would've gotten as much coverage as this story did

they don't CARE, cause they know the media won't report stuff like this

[Cha]

7. It's despicable!

We're going to end up having to Storm the Networks.

[lonestarnot]

8. Sorry, but he was probably hatching it up for his next group of torture victims.

Looks like the Russian had the right rep for massacre, maybe a little torture thrown in for good measure. Vetting visitors probably left to Barney and if he doesn't piss on their leg, bushitler lets them in.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

9. Bush couldn't tell you what a frickin "bookmark" is, never mind the

way to "Google" anything. He is dumber than a mud fence post.

[babylonsister]

11. Wow, I love your quote and pic; I need help doing that. Are you game,

tomorrow maybe?

[HCE SuiGeneris]

15. Any way I can help, just give me a PM.

:hi:

[Bluebear]

10. It's "The" Google, remember. nt

[peacetalksforall]

12. My first thought - is that the guy in one of our contractors and runs one of our 'foreign'

prisons?

[peacetalksforall]

13. How did this visit occur? Aren't people like him sponsored by

their government? What are they supposed to be meeting about? Why was it set up.

[babylonsister]

14. Good point. Why? What possible value would this guy bestow? nt

[Oilwellian]

16. And Russian expert Condi didn't know?

Pffftttt!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. Retracting my post. You just posted it.

Otoh, I'm sure Condi is busy working on World Peace. Pffftttt!

[calimary]

18. They must have taken a few nights off from each other.

See, there was that nasty story in one of the tabs about the bushes' "loveless marriage" and how contradicta is waiting in the wings. Maybe they're trying to - um - er - lay low for awhile, pardon the pun.

Or maybe she's just another cardboard cut-out like the rest of 'em. Much-vaunted "Sovietologist" as she is, she ABSOLUTELY should have known. Man. Look up "Shit-for-brains" and you'll probably see her picture there. They installed this chowderhead as an executive at STANFORD UNIVERSITY??????????????

[babylonsister]

19. I don't get the correlation to Stanford University, just like I can't

link the blivet to Harvard and Yale. Just why the hell did he graduate? He's an absurd embarrassment, and the schools should be embarrassed because he went to them. A 'journalist' claimed he was smart for going to them; I beg to differ.

[calimary]

22. contradicta was a provost at Stanford, and a political science professor

there.

I read her Stanford bio. Such a presumably enviable lot of credentials, publishing credits, honorary degrees, board memberships, blah-blah-blahs. She's so renowned for her brains. How come she's helped steer the ship of state SO staggeringly poorly? With all those purported brains, you'd think she'd have been able to think through some of the positions for which she's at least partially responsible. Frankly, if she were that smart, I'd think she'd have wanted to beat a hasty retreat out of the administration BEFORE the ship started taking on water. At least she might have left on a high note.

Sorry, but I can't feel ANY sympathy for contradicta. She's nothing more than an enabler, excuse-maker, and deception-spreader. She's part of the PROBLEM.

And yes, I agree with you completely about Harvard and Yale. Having that cretin as an alumnus is NOTHING I would want to brag about, if I were with either of those schools. They're both cheapened and befouled because of their association with him. I no longer regard a degree from Harvard or Yale the same way.

[Fierce]

24. Seeing as she can't speak Russian for shit,

I'm not surprised. Her highly touted Russian/Soviet credentials are a joke.

[KoKo]

26. That stood out for me, too. In the old days the State Department would have intervened

and made a call to the President...but it would seem it was okay for Bush to meet with a War Criminal because he is a war criminal himself.

[ginnyinWI]

20. I think it must be awful to work for a guy like *

Even if you are a repub. Cause I don't think the guy listens to anybody, only his own gut. Well maybe he listens to sycophants, but not to get any new ideas! He thinks he knows better than anybody else and relies on instinct and emotion to guide him.

How do you argue with that? It would take a lot of guts to contradict somebody who is that dead certain about things--and you know it wouldn't do any good if you did speak up. So basically you'd see yourself as a waste of space.

[GuvWurld]

21. Oooh, the poor Russian General

Do you think anybody cautioned him on the way to the White House that he would be meeting with an {ahem, accused} war criminal?

[formercia]

23. Birds of a feather

will hang together.

[Solly Mack]

25. Why would one war criminal care about hosting another war criminal?

[glitch]

27. Now that we know he hires inexperienced sycophants whose only ablity is idolatry

their fuckups are easily explained. And I doubt they view inviting a war criminal as a fuckup, they probably thought he'd make a nice play date for their mad monkey king.