When the MSM wants to be particularly nasty toward President Bush, it breaks out the references to his dissolute younger days. Witness this week's 'Time' cover story 'Can Bush find an exit?,' which manages a two-fer in the genre: a reference to W's hard-drinking past and an allusion to him as nothing less than a drug addict.
The story's very first lines:
"George Bush has a history of long-overdue U-turns. He waited until he woke up, hung over, one morning at 40 before giving up booze cold. He fought the idea of a homeland-security agency for eight months after 9/11 and then scampered aboard and called it his idea. But Bush has never had to pull off a U-turn like the one he is contemplating now: to give up on his dream of turning Babylon into an oasis of freedom and democracy . . . "
And later:
"The Baker-Hamilton commission's work has been compared to family interventions for a substance-addicted cousin."
Makes you wonder: just who has been making the comparison that 'Time' reports? Does political reporting get much more condescending and vile than this?
Finkelstein recently returned from Iraq. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Re:'Time': Baker Report Like Family Intervention With Drug Addic
March 7, 2009 - 14:28 ET by sathyanExcellent article and it is surprised what bush did after the attacks or in his early days.
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sathyan
idaho drug rehab
I never understood why
December 7, 2007 - 15:21 ET by GordmanI never understood why president's Bush past is a direct target for public opinion. I don't think it's that relevant, now that he is a normal person and has no other drug problems. I think we should focus on more important matters. Everybody deserves a second chance. As far as I know he wasn't in drug rehab while being president...
"He fought the idea of a
December 3, 2006 - 11:28 ET by Gordo"He fought the idea of a homeland-security agency for eight months after 9/11 and then scampered aboard and called it his idea"
And this is used as evidence of Bush's Police State and Dictatorship. No wonder he was reluctant.
"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties." --John Milton
Huh?
December 3, 2006 - 13:30 ET by Kate56No, this is used as evidence of Bush's political U-turns. Was there something in the subsequent commentary about police states? You're pretty good at the U-turn yourself, Gordo.
Gordo isn't limiting his re
December 3, 2006 - 13:39 ET by lnthompGordo isn't limiting his reference to the Time Magazine article at hand. He is referring to the wider leftist accusations, leveled by the likes of Rosie O'Donnell and Daily Kos and Democrat Underground, that Bush has made himself a dictator and is taking away everyone's civil rights.
LNTHOMP previously posting as LEENT. U.S. Navy (ret.)
My success and happiness are not determined by who wins elections.
Thank you.I had thought the c
December 3, 2006 - 17:26 ET by GordoThank you.
I had thought the context of my statement was obvious.
Maybe if in the future I make it rhyme and short enough to put on a protest sign lefties will better understand it.
"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties." --John Milton
Leftys never understand
December 3, 2006 - 18:37 ET by terrigKate56, Rhayes, Balboa, they just don't get it. Funny thing though. They complain about us here at NB but if one of us dare try to have something posted on their vaunted sites, it would be deleted faster than you could say, "f*#K you stupid libs" I know, not a nice thing for me to say but it's true. But libs don't like the truth so it's all good.
Good indeed terri."Once
December 3, 2006 - 18:56 ET by bigtimerGood indeed terri.
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
It's about time the adults st
December 3, 2006 - 17:03 ET by bluemeatIt's about time the adults stepped in and gave junior a talking to. His decisions are getting a lot of folks killed if you haven't noticed.
bluemeat outta blow
December 3, 2006 - 17:10 ET by tumblerThis meat is prolly Johnbo or Jozef F under a suggestive handle. "Blew Meat" can point anywhere; likely back onto HuffingtonPost Blow.
Been there, seen that; it was full of the Gay Marriage Blowhards.
Did you mean to be convincing to somebody, Meat? Nice try.
bm...you're off to a good sta
December 3, 2006 - 18:54 ET by bigtimerbm...you're off to a good start here....carry on...
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
All the clichés in the world
December 3, 2006 - 19:18 ET by bluemeatAll the clichés in the world will not undo the train wreak in Iraq. It is past the point of no return and we are caught in the middle of a multi ethnic war. The Iraqis are in a struggle to see who predominates. Civil wars are messy and we would be smart to get out of the way. We already won and Saddam is gone. If the bad guys take over again, come back and fix it then. It is time for Bush to listen to some wise men and get off the other topics.
bluemeat is deep blue, all right
December 3, 2006 - 21:33 ET by UnsaneOh, you mean that it is time for Bush to dissolve the DoD and give you and everyone else FREE COOKIES with a FREE glass of cold milk every single night?
Perhaps you can explain to me how a country that gets FDI is engaged in a civil war. People don't like to invest in self destructing places.
And as for "if the bad guys take over again, come back and fix it again"? Apparently you don't know a damn thing about logistics or how much of a pain in the ass that would be to do. (I still would love to hear the Left's detailed redeployment plan to Okinawa, and back if events necessitate.)
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
The adults
December 3, 2006 - 21:51 ET by UnsaneThe adults, who believe that people should go out and WORK for what they want? The adults, who know that there are BAD people out there who need to be dealt with, and that it is best to deal with them out in thier playground rather than ours?
Oh, and with this "his decisions are getting a lot of folks killed" whine, it really is a good thing you weren't around for WWII, Korea, or Vietnam when we lost even more people. Hell, you probably wouldn't have hacked Vittles very well.
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
U-Turn in Iraq
December 3, 2006 - 11:44 ET by TelemarkTumaloNo Wonder Rumsfeld got the axe... he finally said in his memo of 11/6 what the American people were saying at the polls. So was Rumsfeld just another "Cut and Run" advocate? This is from today's NYT website and was confirmed by the White House to have been submitted by Rumsfeld on 11/6/2006. It seems poignant that this memo was submitted on 11/6, the midterm elections took place on 11/7 and on 11/8, President Bush announced Rumsfeld's resignation.
TT: I've edited your commen
December 3, 2006 - 11:49 ET by Mark FinkelsteinTT: I've edited your comment. Please avoid posts that are many times the length of the item to which they purport to reply.
Simple question
December 3, 2006 - 14:53 ET by UnsaneDo you think that we should even have a Department of Defense?
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
You know the leftist line:
December 3, 2006 - 17:41 ET by lnthompYou know the leftist line: Military is inherently evil. If we didn't have a military, there would be no wars.
Likewise, police. If there weren't any police, there would be no crime. Looking at the reports coming from New York about the "innocent" groom getting shot to death innocently departing from his innocent bachelor party, it's obvious many of the reporters seriously believe that. Geraldo Rivera included.
LNTHOMP previously posting as LEENT. U.S. Navy (ret.)
My success and happiness are not determined by who wins elections.
Never heard that. Never heard
December 3, 2006 - 18:00 ET by balboaNever heard that. Never heard a democrat say that. Must be some branch of liberalism that lives in Idaho somewhere.
It is implied every single da
December 3, 2006 - 18:32 ET by bigtimerIt is implied every single day. In the majority of the news services boa.
You know what implied means do you not?
"Once the coffers of the federal government are opened to the public, there will be no shutting them again." - Grover Cleveland
Never heard that. You know w
December 3, 2006 - 21:46 ET by balboaNever heard that.
You know what never means do you not?
The military hating Left
December 3, 2006 - 21:39 ET by Unsanebalboa, the truth is that many on the Left would much rather either severely gut the military or dissolve it altogether in favor of massive social spending and stealing from those who produce to reward and babysit those who do not. If you don't believe me, look carefully at the actions of the Carter and Clinton administrations, and the words (and deeds!) of Dem Representatives and Senators.
Do you remember the 1980s? I do. There were just too many people on the Left that thought Reagan would provoke nuclear war by RESPONDING to the Soviet threat by deploying the Pershing 2s and GLCMs to Europe. Many of those Leftists thought it would be a great idea for the United States to unilaterally disarm to show the Commies how NICE we really were. And guess what? I still see this mindset all over the place today. Hell, I see that mindset by Leftist posters on this very thread!!!
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
"You talkin' ta me?"
December 3, 2006 - 17:45 ET by TelemarkTumaloYes, of course. Your point is....?
You're an idiot
December 3, 2006 - 18:39 ET by terrigThe point is if you don't know what implied means, you're an idiot because you're so deranged with hatred for President Bush you can't see the forrest for the trees. Get that one???
The point is...
December 3, 2006 - 21:43 ET by UnsaneThe point is that Leftists really don't want one. They seem to think that the entire world is a bigger version of the rotting EU and that everything can be solved via negotiation. I disagree. Peace can only come through strength, and as a famous Roman once said: "If you desire peace, prepare for war."
Additionally, Leftists believe the government is One Massive Charity designed to coddle, spoil and baby the entire adult population. Yeah, that is working out incredibly well for the rotting EU (with 9+% unemployment) or Canada (whose citizens are on average $7200 poorer than their U.S. counterparts due to constant state intervention).
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
Lets see waited till 40's to
December 3, 2006 - 12:02 ET by tkeefeLets see waited till 40's to do a u turn. translation got his life in order. I do think if he was star of stage & film he would be praised as a hero. And if he was a former pres named clinton, not get his addiction as they call it in order (such as being a husband who is addicted to cheating on his wife sexually) he would be having praise heeped on him at every turn. These liberals (I mean reporters) are nothing but vile and dispicable cockroaches Mark. Their minds and souls feed of finding trash (or creating it) and enriching there sick hearts with it.
nice
December 3, 2006 - 14:22 ET by iveseenitallI thought the liberals wanted to play nice after they won the election. The petty little bastards just can't help being petty little bastards.
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal
I agree that bringing up a
December 3, 2006 - 17:24 ET by TelemarkTumaloI agree that bringing up a history of alcohol abuse is petty. This is old news and I don't think relevant to the President's current decision making. Good for him that he recognized a problem and dealt with it. However, this is not of the same magnitude as the about face regarding the war in Iraq. I'll give the President credit of at least listening to the voters (never mind that he tuned out Generals Colin Powell, Wesley Clark, Major General Paul D. Eaton, General Anthony C. Zinni, Lieutenant
General Gregory Newbold, Major General John Batiste, Major General John
Riggs and Major General Charles H. Swannack Jr.). No, he didn't want to hear the message of those "cut and run" liberal types who have no credibility.... and of course all of those liberal rags who have called for a shift in Iraqi war policy (the Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times), .... absolutely petty liberal types... all of them! No, it finally took the voters to speak loudly and clearly that a change was needed. Anybody who thinks that this election didn't send a clear message about a failed Iraqi policy, is clearly living in denial. Ask Donald Rumsfeld!
Livinging Denial
December 3, 2006 - 18:20 ET by exLibDe-Nile is a river in Egypt.
Ok, I'll bite.
1 - The press helped the Dems by beating the "Culture of Corruption" drum loudly and often.
2 - The Macaca-Post kept the Senate Majority out of GOP hands
3 - Michael J Fox Gate helped turn the tide in Missouri as well.
4 - Welsey Clark ain't no conservative, he ran for Pres as a Dem, and a liberal one at that.
5 - The ....Times were already exposed on this site as not being run by the military.
6 - Glen Beck showed on his program that the number of people, like the Generals you mentioned, that got an inordinate amount of press because they opposed the wars, made up less than .001 percent of the entire Armed Forces Population.
So if you want to claim that the president ignored a view point espoused by less than one-thousandth of a percent of the population then go ahead.
Iraq was obviously part of the equation but had Republicans been able to to show that Dems were just as corrupt as their GOP counter-parts I think it would have been even closer than it already was. Not many of the individual victories by Democrats was by anything close to a landslide.
let's ask rummy
December 3, 2006 - 18:21 ET by tumblerI agree.
Yet; be honest, ".... and of course all of those liberal rags who have called for a shift in Iraqi war policy (the Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times), .... absolutely petty liberal types... all of them!" The Gannet papers wrote this italicized portion of your triumphal BS. Not the military.
And, why not admit: The press or media is not in command of anything. Our President is in full command. Notice he had authority to send Rummy into retirement. He can do the same to Jim Baker, et al.
Nothing is decided by your worthless Lamestream Media. They just squawk.
Who prints the ARMY TIMES?????????
December 3, 2006 - 18:42 ET by terrigLet's see shall we, okay TT let me explain this to you so even you can understand it. The papers you mentioned are printed by Gannett who also prints USA Today. Funny, even though it's a military paper, the editorial page is predominantly liberal. Officers & Enlisted members are "encouraged" to buy this rag for "career purposes". I did get a letter published in there earlier this year regarding that yellow belly coward watada besides having had 3 letters read on the O'Reilly Factor, I am quite the pundit!
You're in denial dude. Talk to those who just came back (well not the smelly peacenik types) but those who truly love what they do & you'll get a different answer. You don't get it.
Anybody who thinks that thi
December 3, 2006 - 19:11 ET by ckc1227Anybody who thinks that this election didn't send a clear message about a failed Iraqi policy, is clearly living in denial.
No offense, but I don't think most Americans are qualified to determine whether or not Iraq is a failed policy.
No, it finally took the voters to speak loudly and clearly that a change was needed.
Okay, so, exactly what change has been made? Sure, Rummy was sacrificed, but there have been no significant policy changes because of the vote. In fact, Bush said AGAIN just the other day that we would not be leaving before the job is done.
Sure, Baker and his little group are going to make recommendations, but A. Bush is not required to abide by the recommendations, and B. I guarantee you they won't come up with anything that hasn't already been discussed.
The problem is people think there is a simple solution to the Iraq situation but Bush isn't willing to do it. They're wrong. There is no easy solution to the Iraq situation, and hopefully Bush won't give in to the demands of the clueless American voter just because they THINK they know what is best. Don't know about you, but I think I'm going to listen to the guy who has access to all the classified data available on the situation before I listen to a bunch of people who can't even find Iraq on a map. I mean, c'mon, one third of Americans believe Bush carried out 9/11. I think that says all that needs to be said.
ckc1227
December 3, 2006 - 19:17 ET by mandrake"I mean, c'mon, one third of Americans believe Bush carried out 9/11. I think that says all that needs to be said."
I really cannot believe that is true. Do you have a source?
You are correct, there is n
December 3, 2006 - 19:29 ET by TelemarkTumaloYou are correct, there is no easy solution to the mess created in Iraq. And, President Bush is doing the right thing in trying to find a solution that he alone is responsible for. (Remember who attacked who) My point is that many of the Bush faithful have abandoned ship as they realized that the President refuses to heed the warnings of those who have tread that same ground previously (e.g., James Baker). It is also apparent that even Don Rumsfeld was awakening to the facts that trying to install a western style Democracy in Iraq would be damn close to impossible. While his memo of 11/6 was a bit rambling, he did state that having a defined end date for US involvement is imperative and that it is now time to turn over the duties of government to the Iraqi people. If the President decides that he must keep US military occupation until a democracy is running smoothely, he will exit office in 2008 with nothing more to show for all of these deaths, than an Iraq remaining in total chaos.
BTW, I think you underestimate the intelligence of the average American voter and their ability to discern right from wrong. We are the government and we do tell the government what to do and what not to do. Anyone who thinks otherwise gets exactly what is given them.we already did that
December 3, 2006 - 19:39 ET by tumblerTumalo mundo:
Don't you know the American people elected our President? "We are the government and we do tell the government what to do and what not to do. Anyone who thinks otherwise gets exactly what is given them." Exactly.
The President is only having to do what he said he would going into his 2nd term in office. The people voted their approval. It's all very fine you believe you can prophesy what has to happen now, if the President fails to do as you wish. It doesn't work that way. You haven't any other option but to wait until 2008. MAYBE you can elect a cut and run Democrat. Go on and try.
But in any case; you're not the party to decide what lies ahead in Iraq. You sure aren't-- since you're only mouthing the Democrat party line and falling for every lie the Leftist Media sells. It means you're looking UP, from the bottom of the news well.
exit strategy: let socialists regain Iraqi oil money
December 3, 2006 - 19:59 ET by j17ghsExit strategy: let socialists regain Iraqi oil money, which is why Democrats warned of Saddam and need for sanctions but never did anything about him.
The sheer, unadulterated hate of Time magazine is nearly beyond belief. Just substitute blacks, Jews or Catholics for Bush's name, and you'll see the abhorable lineage behind those working at Time today and the giddy Goebbels for whom they write. God help us.