If he’s lost Scarborough and Barnicle…

December 21, 2006

Yep, it’s this bad.

MSNBC host, and former GOP congressman, Joe Scarborough, was once a strong supporter of the Iraq and the President, but he has turned harshly critical of both in recent weeks. This may have reached a climax of sorts on Wednesday night, when he welcomed, among others, Boston newspaper columnist Mike Barnicle to talk about the president’s latest statements on Iraq, which seemed to suggest that he was no longer listening to his generals (as he once said he always did).

This caused all of the guests, as well as the host, to suggest that Bush may be turning “delusional,” with Barnicle going so far as stating that perhaps the generals need a new commander-in-chief soon. Scarborough agreed, saying it was “uncharted territory” and “very frightening.” Bush, he added, is “standing alone! He just doesn’t seem to have any credibility. And this is extraordinarily disturbing to me, as a guy who supported this war and supported this president twice.”

Keep in mind, these were two conservatives talking, using the kind of rhetoric we’d just as easily find on Air America. Barnicle went on to describe Bush by saying, “I don’t think he knows what he’s saying. I don’t think he comprehends what he’s saying. I do [think he’s delusional]. I don’t think he could explain to us tonight what he meant by what he said today.”

Barnicle went on to describe a Nixon-like figure. “I think you have a president totally isolated from reality, totally delusional, kind of paranoid, figuring that everyone’s against him, including his own Joint Chiefs of Staff.”

C&L has the clip. I wonder how common this kind of perspective is around dinner table across the country….

“I think you have a president totally isolated from reality, totally delusional, kind of paranoid, figuring that everyone’s against him…” – Mike Barnicle

Well, since he’s nearly down to Barney, isn’t everybody against him?

What is sad is that BG2 was this way in 2004 but his enablers, including Scarbrough and Barnicle, talked the wingnuts into electing him again!

This isn’t something new about BG2 guys, what’s new is your realization.

  • Until these asshats actually take the full plunge, by coming out and publicly stating over and over again that they would support impeachment and publicly promise to refrain from all negative talk towards Dems who in fact do pursue impeachment, I have no reason to give them any cred even IF they are now starting to see the light. Hell, they created and enabled these morons and their policies, particularly that in Iraq. They voted twice for these bastards and, as noted, promoted them to others to vote for. In order to reach absolution and clear their souls and consciences they must come out entirely.

  • Impeachment? Bubba, these guys are talking about a right-wing military coup! They aren’t for impeachment.

    Read between the lines. These guys are talking about unconstitutional means here!

  • Keep in mind, these were two conservatives talking,

    I know I’m no expert, but shouldn’t this type of thing help innoculate the Dems from being blamed for Iraq? I mean, I know there is a lot of concern about how the GOP will do whatever they can to place the blame for Iraq on liberals and thus perpuate the myth that Dems are soft on National Security/Foreign Affairs/etc. But when acknowleged conservatives and hawks are making these kinds of comments in public it would seem to decrease the likelihood of that blame-game coming to fruition.

    Or am I missing something?

  • I understand what they are calling for. I do not believe that the generals will act in a military coup fashion. Now, if they finally grow tired of the Chimperor, I do expect the generals to first start making crystal clear comments to their favorite representatives in both parties to the effect of : “either you guys remove him, or we are going to do so.”

  • I wonder how common this kind of perspective is around dinner table across the country.

    Actually, that is the way relatively apolitical, though previously Republican-leaning, friends of mine are talking about Bush these days, that he has lost touch with reality.

  • They appear to be just trying to save the Republican Party. They know that the public knows the party is complicit in every incompetent, ideological, pocket-lining policy action that occurred in the last six years… tax cuts for all their buds and donors… failures in Iraq, New Orleans, and Medicare… bridges to nowhere… and so on.

    They they that, if they can put it all on the President and his administration, (and Lord knows he deserves much of the blame), that they can save themselves.

    That is all…

  • Prediction: The next round of polling–due for January–for Bush job approval numbers, running the Iraq war, the war on terrorism, domestic policy, etc. will leave the MSM aghast of how the public has soured on “bring ’em on,” “stay-the-course” Georgie Boy.

    I am confident of my prediction, based on the recent deterioration in Bush’s approval in daily polling conducted by the Rasmussen Reports organization. LINK HERE: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Bush_Job_Approval.htm . The “Strongly Disapprove” number has hit 44, and in the last two weeks, Bush’s high of 40 (approval) has only occurred twice, a marked variance with the usual of the Rasmussen polling.

    GWB is reaping what he sowed.

  • JimG are you suggesting that the current Republican meme is: “Every man for himself” (image of rats jumping overboard)?

  • I actually can foresee a scenario in which Bush is impeached: War breaks out with Iran or North Korea. Due to the strain placed on the military by the Iraq war, we are forced to resume the military draft. The only way I can see a draft being acceptable to the American people is if it is coupled with the impeachment and conviction of both Bush and Cheney. (Pelosi presumably would not be interested in being president. She would appoint a VP who is acceptable to Dems and Repubs – Wesley Clark? – and would then resign as president and run for her old house in the special election that would follow.)

  • bubba (#5), I agree with you. Either Pelosi-Reid removes Cheney-Bush or the military’s going to have to … for the good the nation, its military credibility and its treasury, all of which Cheney-Bush is in the process of destroying, with promise of doing so at an accelerated pace in the near future. Hmmm, let’s see: what did the Romans do when Caligula got out of hand, intending no offense to Caligula by that comparison.

  • It was an amazing piece of video to watch, and I couldn’t help but think it’s finally over. I had to watch it again to be sure I really saw what I saw.

    The wingnuts finally spit up the koolaid.

    It’s sweet, to finally hear the wingnuts say the “I” word (IMPEACH), but the sorrow that it took to bring this epiphany is too much to bring me more than a pained smile. I accept Joe Scarborough’s apology, but part of me would still like to pound his face in for helping the psychopath he now sees as dangerous to bring our nation to this ruinous state.

    We will see more of this kind of reversal shortly. I think the watershed moment was the election, and now the Republicans realize that Bush really is radioactive, that attacking him might just save their own sorry hides.

    I would almost prefer a military coup to an impeachment. It would be quicker and the Dems wouldn’t be blamed for being “partisan” even though it is painfully clear that they should have been calling for his resignation years ago. But a coup would be unprecedented, and that would be fitting. Bush could go down in history as the first unelected presidential reject.

  • This isn’t something new about BG2 guys, what’s new is your realization.

    Amen. It is like the Bugs Bunny cartoons where it takes a while for the character to realize his tail/pants/feet etc is on fire. Except this ain’t funny.

    And I wonder how many of these cretins are trying to convince themselves that THEY are the first ones to notice Shrub is off his head?

  • Going into the Mid-terms, I felt like the Republicans would take it out on Bush if they lost big. They lost big. Their reaction now isn’t just a way to punish him. I think they’re grasping what others have seen for a long time — a pattern of making huge mistakes on a regular basis, with more to come in the next two years.

    That pattern could make a 2008 GOP win an impossibility, and 2010 a Democratic Donnybrook. They may be evil, but they aren’t really stupid.

    I think impeachment is quite possible, if the Repubs can find a way to credibly disassociate themselves from Bush. And because of the urgency, I don’t think the process would last long. What to do about Cheney would be stickier.

  • It’s plausible, but not probable. Only when a significant number of Republican lawmakers signal that Impeachment would be OK with them — and that would mean impeachment of both Bush and Cheney — is this possible.

    Nancy Pelosi would be smart, if such talk began, to say that she would absolutely not run in 2008.

    No impeaching only Bush and allowing Cheney to appoint a crazy VP (Rumsfeld? Hmmmm….)

    As long as we’re speculating, Pelosi would have to name a “unity” VP who would also not be running in 2008, which leaves Clark out. I’d advise her to pick Zinni.

    I can dream too, can’t I?

    If we move close to, or even begin, military engagement with Iran, we might very well start hearing serious talk in this direction.

  • Slip Kid No More,

    The “Strongly Disapprove” number has hit 44, and in the last two weeks, Bush’s high of 40 (approval) has only occurred twice,

    whenever I see that Rasmussan has his overall approval under 40, I get a morale boost. The last few weeks have been good.

  • Bush is only the front man for a delusional neo-con ideology. They’re just trying to insulate themselves and their thinking from the most public symbol of their own neo-con failure.

  • “I know I’m no expert, but shouldn’t this type of thing help innoculate the Dems from being blamed for Iraq?” – Edo

    Nope, I heard Pat Buchanan begging the Democrats again (on Scarborough I think, or Hardball) to cut off funding for the war in Iraq to Stop Boy George II from killing more American servicemen. It’s like, the Republican’ts have been bitches for BG2 for six years, but now they want the Dems to do all the work, and in ten years (ten years, who am I kidding?) they’ll be blaming the Democrats for losing Iraq (and probably all the Middle East).

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