The Manchurian Candidate

September 26, 2005

The idea of Bush being a Manchurian Candidate is not entirely new. Over a year ago, Doonesbury, for example, had an amusing one, explaining that Bush’s presidency had united the Muslim world against the United States, inspired a new generation of future terrorists with an unnecessary war in Iraq, and squandered our moral authority around the world. The strip concluded that bin Laden can only pray that Bush continues on this path.

Shortly thereafter, Paul Krugman wrote a classic, imagining what a president would look like if fundamentalist terrorists chose “as their puppet president a demagogue who poses as the nation’s defender against terrorist evildoers.”

Apparently, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the idea is catching on in a domestic context as well. On Meet the Press yesterday, David Brooks, of all people, was talking about a renewed debate over the causes of poverty. He said that he believes the president is sincere — but he also expressed a hint of doubt.

“Now, we’re at a point where the experts really are seeing the interplay between [joblessness and family breakdown]. And I saw a hint of it with Bush when he talked in New Orleans the other week. And he understands it, too, and really wants to do something pro-active. And as I say that, you always got to go back to competence. And sometimes in my dark moments, I think he’s ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ designed to discredit all the ideas I believe in.” (emphasis added)

There seems to be a lot of that going around.

Gopers and conservatives need to put some distance between Crony Incompetence and themselves. Pretty soon there will be a huge majority in Congress that DIDN’T vote for any of the stuff The Cronies foisted onto the American People in the last 4 years.

Tax Cuts? “Only voted for the middle class ones, not the cuts that mostly benefited millionaires and billionaires”
Against Stem Cell research? “Not me, I would only vote for medical miracles, not obstacles”
The War in Iraq? “Not me, that was John Kerry, he voted for it, not me”
The medicare drug benefit? “Are you kidding? That’s the stupidest Democratic idea ever”
Privatize Social Security? “Why, my constituents would vote me out of office. We need that social safety net.”

Lots of distance. Including all the right wing pundits.

  • The answer is simple – the conservative agenda has always been based on half-baked ideas and a very distorted world view. Now they’ve just proved it to the world.

    • Comments are closed.