We all need a good laugh right about now, don’t we? Well then, do yourself the favor of reading some of the best political satire in American journalism. Here’s Gail Collins’ take on George Bush’s series of fond farewell performances and his farewell address to the American people tonight (who cares?). Enjoy this:
“Sometimes you misunderestimated me,” Bush told the Washington press corps [at his final press conference]. This is not the first time our president has worried about misunderestimation, so it’s fair to regard this not as a slip of the tongue, but as something the president of the United States thinks is a word. The rhetoric is the one part of the administration we’re surely going to miss. We are about to enter a world in which our commander in chief speaks in full sentences, and I do not know what we’re going to do to divert ourselves on slow days.
And this:
History does suggest that Bush performs best in venues like this one, in which he has a long lead time and virtually no actual role in preparing the words he is about to say. But still, what could he possibly tell the country that would change anybody’s opinion about the last eight years?
“My fellow Americans, before I leave you next week I want you to know that …
A) “Although things have gone very wrong, I take comfort in the realization that Dick Cheney was actually in control from the get-go. Honest, I never even knew half the people in the cabinet.”
B) “Laura and I have come to realize that all things considered, retirement to a mansion in Texas is just totally inappropriate. And so we take our leave to begin a new life as missionaries at a small rescue station in the Gobi desert …”
C) “Surprise! This has all actually been a bad dream. It’s really still November of 2000 and tomorrow Al Gore is going to be elected president.”
Otherwise, the best possible approach for a farewell address might be for Bush to follow his father’s lead and just not give one.
Seriously, our soon to be ex-president bush is a total moron. Just a complete tool. Words fail me.
I could have done without the farewell address, indeed.
Wow…something on this blog I can seriously agree with 🙂 Bush has been a complete disaster both on domestic, and foreign policy. His lack of leadership on the middle east, and his flawed thinking in assuming that Palestinian Arabs want Western style “democracy” is the cause of much of this mess.
We pushed Gaza into free elections..and they voted in a terrorist organization. Talk about blowback!
Hamas is in some ways similar to the far right GOP in this country…religious fanatics who fool the uneducated masses (ie: “bubbas” and “rednecks” into voting against their own best interests.
No, we allowed the Palestinians to have a democratic election and they chose one of the duly constituted political representatives to govern them.
Hamas is nothing like the far right GOP. Unlike the GOP it actually is rooted within its community and serves its community and is not corrupt and actually governs in the interests of the populace. One may argue with its tactics vis a vis Israel and denounce them, but in terms of internal governance it is far better than Fatah. I also do not agree with its Islamist agenda. But again, if Israel were to remove the siege & allow a free and fair democratic process for all of Palestine, then a political alternative to Hamas might arise. But until Israel does this we’ll never know because Hamas will rule the roost.
Rarely has a departure been met with such overwhelming relief.
No President and vice President in modern history were more worthy of impeachment. Americans can now start the painful business of re-establishing the Rule of Law. They could make a good start by prosecuting the perpetrators and purveyors of torture. This is of course predicated on George II not exercising the Royal Prerogative and granting hundreds of pre-emptive pardons in which case the criminals will just have to avoid travelling to civilised countries.
I’ll miss his calls for the immediate withdrawral of Russian troops from that small Caucus country.
It’s funny how someone can critisize hamas for it’s political views and call it a terrorist organization. Yet never mention that hamas is operating inside an occupation zone and facing constant harrasment and suffocation of it’s people via blockade and hundreds of illegal jewish settlements being built on lands confescated from it’s people. It’s funny how this world is naieve and one-sided. Never mind the illegal occupation of their lands. They must completely submit and kneel down and bow their heads to the all mighty Israel until Israel slowly irradicates them one by one. I wonder if people who are occupied has any right to ressist their occupation at all? or resisting occupation becomes terrorism?