This week, more than before, we have a veritable cornucopia of presidential news. After how many years of Southerners and Westerners in the White House, it seems only fitting that we dedicate this week's Hump Day Political News Roundup to all the cowboys that have ridden off into the sunset that is the Beltway. Let's take a look back:
George W. Bush Is a Bad-Ass Cowboy. As his term dwindles away, his approval ratings circle the drain, and the Democratic-controlled Congress reigns him in, Bush tried to call out congressmen that have thus far refused to approve more spending for the failed war in Iraq. Trying to frame the debate as "not supporting the troops," he charged that "Democrat leaders in Congress seem more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than in providing our troops what they need to fight the battles in Iraq, "as if defunding the war would leave soldiers stranded in the Middle East with no supplies or defense against insurgents." Senate Majority leader Harry Reid replied, "We are not going to allow the president to continue a failed policy in Iraq. ... We have said time and time again the troops will have everything they need." Said presidential hopeful John Edwards, "If President Bush vetoes funding for the troops, he will be the one who is blocking funding for the troops. Nobody else."
Barack Obama Our Lord and Saviour? Barack Obama's campaign has been infused with the imagery and words of hope and salvation. So much, so, it seems, that an art student in Chicago has decided to depict him as a messiah in papier mache. Artist David Cordero told CNN, "All of this is a response to what I've been witnessing and hearing, this idea that Barack is sort of a potential savior that might come and absolve the country of all its sins. ... In a lot of ways it's about caution in assigning all these inflated expectations on one individual, and expecting them to change something that many hands have shaped." The Obama campaign has tried to distance itself from the controversy (something that Obama has been getting good at lately). "While we respect First Amendment rights and don't think the artist was trying to be offensive, Senator Obama, as a rule, isn't a fan of art that offends religious sensibilities," Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki told the press.
Laura Bush Is Against Violence. First Lady Laura Bush was in town last week for an anti-violence summit hosted by CeaseFire, where she told business leaders that they have a moral responsibility to put young people to work. No word yet on when she will be visiting her husband to try and stop the violence in Iraq, and put young people to work there rebuilding the nation he destroyed.
Midwest Hopefuls Raise Presidential Cash. Former local gal Hillary Clinton has raised $26 million for her presidential bid. Coupled with an additional $10 million from her Senate campaign, she has an unprecedented $36 million. Barack Obama is catching up, though, and is expected to report that he has raised more than $20 million. All of this may not seem that important right now, with the primaries taking place next winter, but bank like that will come in handy when the race gets hot and heavy. On the Republican side of the race, Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson threw his hat in the ring on Sunday, announcing that he is "the reliable conservative" in the race.
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"[Congressmen] that have thus far refused to approve more spending for the failed war in Iraq."
That's not true. The funding bill has been approved, but Bush has vowed to veto it unless he says exactly what he wants it to say. In short, he's being a big baby, stomping his feet and holding his breath and blaming everyone else.
i was at that art show on saturday because a friend was showing that night. i saw that obama piece but didn't really have the time to look at it, so i didn't realize it was supposed to be obama. there were SO many people in the rooms and it was sort of suffocating at times. i wanted to come back and look at everything at another time, anyway, so now i definitely will. nice.
Bush sucks.
I know it's kind of fun to blame the president for everything that has gone wrong in Iraq, but shouldn't we place some of the blame for "destroying" Iraq upon radical Islamic fanatics and rogue nations (i.e. Iran) that are clearly supporting them? Just asking....
but shouldn't we place some of the blame for "destroying" Iraq upon radical Islamic fanatics and rogue nations (i.e. Iran) that are clearly supporting them?
Sure, we can blame them now, but pre-2003, Saddam kept a pretty good secular iron grip on things.
And before we came in and turned the place upside down, the "Islamic fanatics" -- if you're referring to the civil war currently raging -- were living in relative peace next door to each other under Saddam.
Great job, America!
the bush administration has created more terrorists than they've defeated. this war has been a collosal failure from every angle
Mr. Bill Richardson... Where are you? Que Pasa?
Yeah, the only hope for a country like Iraq is a horrible dictator that can oppress everyone EQUALLY.
Where is the website taking bets on when Iraq falls into a dictatorship?
Can it be done? NO. See: democratization in Africa.
I don't think you can equate African nations with Islamic Middle Eastern nations. Different cultures, economies, histories. One thing is for certain, though--nobody can impose a system on anyone else and make it stick.
No mss, its not "kind of fun". Like any sane person, I'm an American first, and it breaks my heart that this President has wasted the lives of thousands of young Americans, permanently disfigured tens of thousands more, not to mention the tens of thousands of dead iraqi civilians.
It burns me that this President has wasted hundreds of billions of taxpayer (my) dollars on this lie.
This is not "kind of fun" you sicko, this is life and death. All for a lie and so that Bush's war profiteer buddies could make billions.
Iraq was exactly zero threat to us. Now Bush's war has allowed the real threat, Al Qaeda, to rebuild. Al Qaeda was virtually eradicated in the weeks following the invasion of afghanistan. Bin Laden's popularity rating was lower than Bush's is now. Even Iran and Syria were interested in rebuilding relations with the States and helping with taking down the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Now, the opposite is true. Al Qaeda is resurgent, the Taliban is preparing for its biggest offensive in years, and Bin Laden is popular throughout the islamic world. All because of Iraq. This president has made us less safe. He's taken away our liberties, he's shredded the constitution, and he's killed more Americans than any president since Nixon (Vietnam).