Mutual admiration society

July 23, 2007

About a week ago, William Kristol wrote a transparently ridiculous WaPo column praising Bush’s presidency. He began his love letter, “I suppose I’ll merely expose myself to harmless ridicule if I make the following assertion: George W. Bush’s presidency will probably be a successful one.” And sure enough, Kristol was ridiculed relentlessly, here and elsewhere.

At least one person, however, really liked it.

President Bush read the July 15 Outlook article that morning and recommended it to his staff. […]

White House aide Pete Wehner calls Kristol “intellectually independent and intellectually courageous.”

At this point, they deserve each other.

One good wank deserves another.

  • “intellectually independent and intellectually courageous.

    You must look at this in the context of people who still follow The Deciderator. BushBrat doesn’t let silly little facts stop him from thinking or doing what he wants, neither does Krissy. And doesn’t this sound familiar?

    “I had the same views when they were reasonably popular as I do now when they’re unpopular. It would really be pathetic to adjust one’s analysis based on public opinion.“

    See? Reduce all objections to “public opinion,” ignore the facts that form the basis of those opinions, carry on undisturbed by the yapping of the proles.

  • Kristol’s prediction WILL be validated by history.

    He will be ridiculed for years and years to come for claiming that Bush is successful.

  • As we all know, there is popular and unpopular, and there is right and wrong (cue the “if all your friends jumped off a bridge…” speech we all heard as kids).

    One’s position can be wrong, regardless of whether it is popular or unpopular, and it would be refreshing to get an admission by this administration that what they chose to do in response to their beliefs was wrong. It’s important to admit error, because that way, you can fix them before they cascade into a series of wrong actions and decisions. Like the whole Iraq situation, for example.

    The problem is that this administration began from their end-point. They had a vision of peace and stability and harmony – and all that oil money – things no one else had managed to bring to (or in the case of oil, steal from) that region in thousands of years. Right there you can see the danger that ego and delusion bring to a situation.

    In working backwards from their vision, they skipped over the parts where things might go wrong – they always assumed it would go the way they wanted it to. And when it didn’t, they just refused to admit it. They’re still refusing to admit it. You know if they had worked out the oil thing, we’d have been out of there for a long time.

    Day after day, we hear people like Bush and Cheney and Kristol and Lieberman talking about how well things are going, how the progress is only just getting started. Even though this is 180 degrees from reality.

    They are all too far into it now to admit mistakes, to admit that what they did was wrong, on multiple levels. Someone else will have to come in and fix it as best they can – and when that happens, you can count on Kristol being right there to talk about how Bush laid all the groundwork – he just didn’t have time to see his vision through.

  • intellectually independent and intellectually courageous doesn’t necessarily equate intellectually sound, or even intellectual for that matter. It should be obvious to all but the comatose that Kristol’s predictions have a lower batting average than Jeanne Dixon used to have when she was alive and writing for The Star Magazine. The man can’t do anything but cheerlead for the most corrupt, vile, and criminal Administration this country has ever known. Yet because he cheerleads in quiet even tones on Sunday news programs, he’s treated seriously amongs the more stupid in our national media organizations. Is it because they think the controversy he causes equals ratings and thus respectability? Or do they swallow the swill he sells? Either way, America is slowly waking up. Maybe it’s time the media does the same. You know, before it’s too late

  • “intellectually independent and intellectually courageous ”

    couldn’t this also describe the Unabomber’s Manifesto?

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