Deconstructing Dubya

September 12, 2006

Guest Post by Michael J.W. Stickings

I had intended last night to write some stirring response to the president’s 9/11 speech. But it was all so predictable, so divisive, so self-serving that, upon reflection, I just couldn’t see the point. What did he say that we hadn’t heard before, the eternal recurrence of the same old nonsense? What could I have said that I and many others, including the proprietor of this blog, hadn’t said before, over and over again, often to the point of exhaustion and frustration? In the end, I preferred to welcome back Stewart and Colbert from their post-Emmy break. (Where would we without them to keep us laughing?) The former’s Bush-on-Osama montage, which highlighted the president’s web of contradiction and untruth, was particularly hilarious (in that typically disturbing sort of way).

Some of my response to Bush will come in the posts I write here today, so stay tuned, but allow me now, as we get started, to send you over to visit my friend Edward Copeland, who has deciphered Bush’s speech line by misleading line. His analysis, it seems to me, uncovers what Bush was really saying last night.

This is not related to Dubya’s political speech last night. But from Keith Olbermann last night – very, very powerful:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14687895/

  • (Where would we without them to keep us laughing?)

    I don’t know — where were you for the past two weeks??

    Which is one of my criticisms of The Daily Show — it would be a better simulated newscast if it had new shows year-round, with substitute anchors when necessary. And repackage the taped bits on the weekends, like a faux 60 Minutes. Call it The Weekly Show. You’re welcome.

  • Keith Olbermann outdid himself – again. ABC’s “commercial-free” YWAM funded propoganda show is so obviously a Karl Rove supported effort. But not too many people have called on the President to condemn the crock-u-drama….

    …except Keith that is…

    “How dare you, Mr. President, after taking cynical advantage of the unanimity and love, and transmuting it into fraudulent war and needless death, after monstrously transforming it into fear and suspicion and turning that fear into the campaign slogan of three elections? How dare you — or those around you — ever “spin” 9/11?”

    you gotta love it…

  • The most interesting part of the speech was Boy George II’s current conflation of the War on Terror with the War in Iraq. Apparantly, 9/11/01 taught us that dangers have to be confronted right away, so he attacked Iraq to remove Saddam. How Iraq is a greater danger than North Korea, Iran or even Pakistan, I don’t know, but apparantly Boy George II does.

  • Keith Olbermann writes / speaks so well. He reminded me of a story I heard over the weekend, when NPR was talking to people who had been involved in the Oklahoma City memorial (admittedly a much smaller space, and a much smaller diaster, though we didn’t know it at the time) – apparently they made the politicans sign something saying they’d keep out of it, so that it wouldn’t turn into some political brownie point contest.

    One small comment on Bush’s speech – this:

    “we also witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the occasion and responding with extraordinary acts of courage”

    really annoys me, as an Australian living in the US. Why is that ‘distinctly American’ – were there not Londoners out helping their fellow man in July last year? Were there not Pakistanis traveling from all over their country to help during the earthquake?

    Sheesh.

  • Lost me two words in. Your friend sounds like a child and he should read more of folks like K.O. to see how to effectively rip our Fearless Leader.

  • Grumpy: …one of my criticisms of The Daily Show…

    hey, at least you get the entire thing /on the night of/. we get the half-hour ‘Global Edition’ the night after.

    but it’s better than nothing. 🙂

  • I’ve never really liked him, but go read John Tierney’s column at the Times today. He nails it today.

    In dragging out Osama, ostensibly to win elections, Bush is adding mache to the paper tiger. He’s doing the work for him. It would be sad if it wasn’t such a giant strategic blunder that poisons the well for future politicians to try and minimize his stature and influence among Muslim moderates. When Cheney said something about insurgents being ‘dead-enders’ he was actually on to something. The terrorists and their followers are the corners of society. They are not a large significant movement, they are radicals that pulled off a big stunt and could do so again. But they are not the government in Pakistan, Egypt or Syria. Yet.

  • I thought his “Iraq was a risk” backpedalling was pathetic. But then I read this: “We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom.”

    Hours? Several years is just a few hours? Or is that how he reconciles countless blunders in Afghanistan and Iraq? “We’ve only been there a few hours. Give us some time to figure out what we’re doing, sheesh!” That means that if he expects the struggle to take a “day”…. Well for starters, the soldiers are sc-rewed and the people of Iraq are double sc-rewed. But at this rate there won’t be any people left. Victory through extinction, hooray.

  • How anyone can claim six years in that this will be the ideological struggle of the century. Boy, this twerp wants to be on Mount Rushmore so damn badly.

    The arrogance is amazing.

  • I haven’t watched a speech Dubya has given….. ever. Which means I didn’t have to buy a new tv and I was not reported to the police for yelling and screaming. Not only do I not watch becaue he drives me freakin’ nuts, but he never really says anything new or unexpected – why torture myself for nothing.

  • I agree with ET also; I tried, but it is all so predictable, and I end up yelling at the TV like a crazy person. I did read it after the fact and I was right to put on the mute button. However, I did read Oberman after the fact and it was tremendous. I am really sorry to have missed it. I wish we would have had more truth tellers like Oberman in March of 2003. If we had, the outcome might have been a little diferent.

  • GRACIOUS: it is all so predictable, and I end up yelling at the TV like a crazy person.

    so do i but discovered that drinking helps a LOT. sometimes i throw the bottle.

    ps, saw last night’s TDS Global Edition an hour ago and laughed my ass off. 🙂

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