Bush, like Ozymandias
The [2008 President's State of the Union] speech had an inescapable problem. It couldn't possibly address the question at hand – the actual state of the union. Costly and unending occupations. Economic recession. Unprecedented foreign indebtedness. Unsustainable trade deficits. A declining middle class. Millions about to lose their homes. Leading banks on the auction block. Gilded age inequality. A foolish starvation of vital public investments in everything from bridges to broadband. Basic challenges – global warming, a broken health care system – simply ignored. America weaker, more isolated, and less secure. Like Ozymandias, Mr. Bush shattered visage surveys his world. "Look on my works, ye mighty and despair." And "nothing besides remains."
[Robert L. Borosage "The Show's Over; Shelve the Sequel", Huffington Post, 29 January 2008.]
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I welcome comments -- even dissent -- but I will delete without notice irrelevant, rude, psychotic, or incomprehensible comments, particularly those that I deem homophobic, unless they are amusing. The same goes for commercial comments and trackbacks. Sorry, but it's my blog and my decisions are final.
on Wednesday, 30 January 2008 at 01.48
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Bush's exercise in bluster, self-congratulation and spin is what you get when an arrogant, perverse and failure-prone privileged character has to stand and deliver.
on Wednesday, 30 January 2008 at 08.59
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It has always been thus.
"Costly and unending occupations." — I recall worries that our commitments in Germany, Japan, South Korea, et al were draining us, and letting those allies prosper under our protection.
"Economic recession." — Kind of a cheap shot. The economy has done well under Bush (maybe at the expense of future generations, but that has yet to be determined). If it is indeed a recession, it is a downturn from a high level.
"Unprecedented foreign indebtedness." — Our foreign indebtedness has always been unprecedented.
"Unsustainable trade deficits." — Hands are always wrung over this, no matter what the level, plus or minus.
"A declining middle class." — If so, is it Bush's fault? Is this something any politician has a control over?
"Millions about to lose their homes." — Maybe they bought too much home.
"Leading banks on the auction block." — This is bad?
"Gilded age inequality." — Is this something we want politicians to fix?
"A foolish starvation of vital public investments…" — My state is having trouble spend federal highway money fast enough, almost had to turn some back. We sent billions to Louisiana for levy repair, and it got diverted elsewhere. There is more to this than just ramping up the budget.
"Basic challenges – global warming, a broken health care system – simply ignored." — I'm not sure these are basic challenges, and if we should be praying to politicians to deliver us from evil.
on Wednesday, 30 January 2008 at 23.07
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rightsaidfred wrote:
If it is indeed a recession, it is a downturn from a high level.
A high level for whom, exactly?
"A declining middle class." — If so, is it Bush's fault? Is this something any politician has a control over?
To both questions: In no small part, yes.
"Millions about to lose their homes." — Maybe they bought too much home.
Maybe a lot of them bought just enough home, until the market collapsed beneath them. You can't blame a huge glut of homes on consumers exclusively.
"A foolish starvation of vital public investments…" . . .
The most recent study I've seen reported on, citing the judgment of engineers, safety officials and others, estimated the U.S. was many hundreds of billions behind in proper maintenance and sensible upgrading of all sorts of infrastructure. Which is not to say our money hasn't been spent on infrastrucure. There was that police academy we built for the Iraqis — the one with toilet leaks and backups dripping from ceilings and runnng down walls.
"Basic challenges – global warming, a broken health care system – simply ignored." — I'm not sure these are basic challenges, and if we should be praying to politicians to deliver us from evil.
None are so blind, RSF. As for praying to politicians, the only thing approaching that I've seen is all the Reagan worship on the right.
on Thursday, 31 January 2008 at 18.49
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>>…all the Reagan worship on the right
He DID deliver us from evil!
on Thursday, 31 January 2008 at 23.29
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rightsaidfred wrote:
Actually, it was Bush 41 who fired Karl Rove from his presidential campaign, apparently after becoming aware of Rove's sleazinessm underhandedness and potential for becoming an embarrassment.