Dec. 02, 2005 - 13:40 PST

NOT JUST ME

Anymore it seems like the old Abbott and Costello shtick, "Who's on first and what's on second and where's ? ? ? ? ?

An article in today's Eugene Register-Guard by Bob Herbert of The New York Times certainly says it better than I can. Here quoted in full:

BUSH FAILS TO ADDRESS REALITY ON IRAQ

"It's weird. It's like watching a computerized model of a president."

"Somebody programs George W. Bush, carefully embedding the information to be dispensed over the next several hours, and then he goes out and addresses the nation -- as a computerized bundle of talking points."

"We will never back down," Bush said in his speech at the U.S.Naval Academy on Wednesday. "We will never give in. And we will never accept anything less than complete victory."

"I don't think there were many people who believed him. Members of Bush's own party are nervously eyeing next year's congressional elections. They would abandon Iraq in a heartbeat if it meant the difference between getting re-elected or having to hunt for a real job."

"This war was launched cynically (it was never about Sept. 11) and incompletely fought (we have never sent enough troops or sufficient equipment). It will be ended by people obsessed not with U.S. security and the welfare of the troops, but with the political calendar." "I will settle for nothing less than complete victory," Bush said. He then dutifullly defined victory as follows: "Victory will come when the terrorists and Saddamists can no longer threaten Iraq's democracy, when the Iraqi security forces can provide for the safety of their own citizens, and when Iraq is not a safe haven for terrorists to plot new attacks on our nation."

"Those were some of Wednesday''s talking points. Here's today's reality: The $6-billion-a-month U.S. military mission in Iraq is unsustainable., as is the political support for the war. There is now a virtual consensus that a significant American troop withdrawal will begin in 2006."

"Meanwhile the Iraqi security forces are ill equipped, understaffed and widely infiltrated by private militia members and insurgents."

"Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who served in the 82nd Airborne, told reporters this week: "Without an effective ministry that can keep track of soldiers and police, pay those soldiers and police, apply those those soldiers and police and essentially provide the foundation, then you're going to have some tactically trained units, but they're not going to be a coherent or effictive force."

"Despite the rosy scenarios offered by Bush, American-style democracy is nowhere in sight in Iraq. And the evidence of human rights abuses by Iraqi forces allied with us -- including kidnappings, torture and murders -- is increasing."

"If the president gets any of this, you couldn't tell it by his appearance on Wednesday."

"We may not cut and run in Iraq, but with the GOP sweating out next year's elections, the plans are already under way for U.S. forces by the tens of thousands to cut and speed-walk toward the exits. Bush could have been honest about this on Wednesday, but he chose not to be."

"If the administration does not address this inevitable pullout, or pullback, seriously, it wil be conducted as incompetently as the post-invasion operation."

"The inevitable drawdown of U.S. forces is hardly a secret. In addition to the political pressures coming from the GOP, there's the fact that we don't have enough people in the military -- and can't entice enough people into the military to back up the presidents blithe promises."

Sen. Joseph Biden D-DEl., said in an op-ed article in The Washington Post that it was likely that 50,000 troops would be redeployed out of Iraq by the end of next year and a "significant number " of the remainder in 2007."

"A president who's little more than a bundle of talking points cannot possibly maintain the long term trust and confidence of the public. There's a disturbing remoteness to Bush that seems especially odd in a politician who was selected by his party because of his supposed ability to project warmth and the kind of fundamental authenticity that his Democratic opponents lacked."

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To my eye, ever since 9-11 the president's talk has been all too full of catch words, many of which did not even apply to the situation at hand. And his dog and pony show, arriving on a carrier via aircraft, in full flight gear and touting his "Mission Accomplished" line of blather, when most of us all knew that the battle was only in its beginning stages began to show that slogans, brave words with little acutally behind them would be the mean for his presidency."

Seems that he also thinks that problems are solved just by his appearance on the scene while he speaks Bushese.

Along with that, his definition of Victory as defined in his recent speech is to my eye unobtainable. Just thinking of how many years we had military in Japan, in Europe after World War Two, and just how many hundredthousands of men were used, it'll take more than a village of GIs to get Iraq settled -- and Joe, we just ain't got the dough or the men.

And unless Bush can pull a coup and distort the SOP, he is a lame duck and will be out of office before the full consequences of his insanity bear down upon us.

So, along with a few journalists I am beginning to believe that I am not alone, its NOT JUST ME . . . . . . . .

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