Bizarro Bush

This morning when I heard on the radio that President George Bush had a press conference coming up in a few minutes, I decided to cut on the television and watch it. For the last few weeks I’ve been ignoring Bush, for the most part, because it seemed he had nothing new to say about anything, especially Iraq.

Yet, out of curiosity I tuned in this time. When I shut it off I was wondering what planet our tiresome president is living on, and what sane person of any political stripe would still believe what he says.

OK, I understand that there are millions of folks in this country who have a conservative political philosophy. I have no doubt they want the best for the America their children and grandchildren will inherit, just as liberals do, and so forth. Yet, after Bush’s uncomfortable performance at that press conference -- his awkward denials of reality were more bizarre than ever -- I have to wonder how any true conservative can still support the smirking, shrugging man in the blue suit who stood at the podium this morning.

After all, this Bush administration has had little to nothing to do with traditional American conservatism. Old Barry Goldwater has to be spinning in his grave over the strange neoconservative agenda this White House has pursued.

At this late date, are good Republicans really being fooled by Bush’s never-ending transparent distortions? Or, is it a matter of stubborn people not being able to change their minds, regardless of what happens? Or, is it something else?

It seems the majority of Americans have come to realize that America’s presence in Iraq has been an irritant to the region, which has been a boon to al Qaida’s recruiting. Today’s newspaper features a front page story that says U.S. intelligence analysts see al Qaida’s strength as having been steadily increasing, to the point it may now be at a pre-9/11 level.

But Bush says -- Bizarro-like -- if we leave Iraq, it will help al Qaida’s recruiting. If we leave Iraq too soon there will be widespread bloodshed.

Huh?

How can a man who has been so bloody wrong about everything to do with Iraq for over four years now be entitled to more time to get it right? Remember the “cakewalk?” Remember “mission accomplished?” As the violence in Iraq escalates, President Bizarro says we need to wait until September to properly judge the outcome of his latest strategy, the so-called “surge.”

Well, I am not going to rehash all the political reasons for not going into Iraq, in the first place, or for leaving, ASAP. What I am going to say is this -- in spite of all the casualties and tax money poured down a rat hole, the war in Iraq is going just fine for the war profiteers. To them the “surge” is not a matter of making anyone safer, anywhere. It just means bigger profits.

Do the remaining supporters of Bush’s war policy all own stock in Haliburton, et al? Or, is it that they live on Planet Bizarro, too.