[Peace-discuss] Tonight's speech by Bush

[C. G. Estabrook]

In  his second major propaganda triumph this week (after the Petraeus' road-show), Bush tonight essentially adopted the war plan of Clinton and Obama, and thereby all but destroyed the Democratic party's (admittedly hypocritical and false) opposition.  He stole their fucking clothes. (Pardon the Anglo-Saxon: blame it on a mixture of despair and the second martini.)

Saying that the success of the military surge is allowing him to start bringing some troops home, he produced a "timetable for withdrawal," the only thing liberal Democrats have been able to ask for by way of criticism of the war. John Edwards, in prepared remarks for which he had purchased air-time, was left saying, "Congress needs to tell him he only gets one choice: a firm timeline for withdrawal" -- when Bush had just given what will seem like that to many. 

The losers in the second place are the pro-war Republicans, like Romney and McCain, who must feel that they've had their legs cut off by Bush.  The real winner is Giuliani, who's even crazier -- and therefore perhaps even more dangerous -- than the Bush criminals.  It strengthens the possibility of a Giuliani-Clinton presidential election, with Giuliani to win.

The official Democratic responder (significantly not a leader of the party but a marginal senator, Jack Reed of Rhode Island) was left po-faced and could only bleat that Democrats “believe it is time to change course” (new course not further specified) -- because the war's too expensive!  

But then -- amazingly -- that Bush's plan would "divert resources" from the War on Terror -- which Democrats promote even more assiduously than Republicans. (Note Obama on Iran and Pakistan.)

The Democrats struggle for product-differentiation by increasingly frenzied calls for "responsible redeployment" (i.e., leaving US troops in Iraq for "counter-terrorism and training the Iraqi army") and "going after al-Qaida" -- and fewer people in the US see much difference in the parties.

On the plus side, I can find only that Bush's speech writer (Cheney's creature David Addington, perhaps?) seems to know the difference between "fewer" and "less" (a pedant's solace).  Of course, Bush still can't pronounce "nuclear" -- but that is, I think, a pose -- to show he's an "ordinary guy."  Maybe it's working: his poll numbers are going up.  --CGE