Discord in Bush team distressing allies, Congress

[radfringe]

Discord in Bush team distressing allies, Congress
By Jonathan S. Landay, Warren Strobel and William Douglas
Knight Ridder News Service

WASHINGTON - In the days before he assumed the presidency in 2001, George W. Bush liked to boast about the foreign policy "dream team" he had assembled.

Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were all "smart people" who would compensate for the former Texas governor's lack of international experience.

"General Powell's a strong figure, and Dick Cheney's no shrinking violet, nor Condi Rice," Bush said in December 2000. "I view the four as being able to complement each other."

But after nearly three years in office, Bush's dream team is beset by infighting, back stabbing and maneuvering on major foreign policy issues involving North Korea, Syria, Iran and postwar Iraq. The result has been paralysis, inconsistency and a zigzagging U.S. policy that confuses lawmakers on Capitol Hill and disturbs America's friends, allies and would-be partners.


....snips....

One U.S. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, recalled Chinese officials' exasperation over the administration's stance on North Korea. "We actually don't care what your point of view is. Just have one," he quoted his Chinese counterparts as saying.

.................

"I'm not certain who assigns these or whether people just say 'I've got to say something' and just blurt it out," said Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Bush "really has to indicate a unified voice, his voice, to the American people and people abroad. They respect the president, and that's diluted somewhat by these other voices."

.................

"What happened was that Cheney and Rumsfeld essentially went on a crusade against terrorism, starting with Iraq, and Powell kept trying, mostly without success, to rein them in," said one official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Cheney is always in Bush's ear whispering 'terrorism, terrorism, terrorism.' He's obsessed."

[Nottingham]

1. Luger wants to know who is in charge? And its not Bush

:bounce:

[T Bone]

16. Lugar wants to know, yeah right, like he would ever send a real message

by VOTING with the Democrats on a procedural matter that genuinely challenged Bush.

Lugar is all wind past a mast with no sail run up it....
Don't hold your breath waiting for Lugar to actually vote against Bush on anything.

[truthisfreedom]

2. what a beautiful article. i love the smell of news in the morning. smells

like victory. bushco in disarray... woohoo!

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. Cheney is making hay while the sun shines

"Cheney is always in Bush's ear whispering 'terrorism, terrorism, terrorism.' He's obsessed." - Yeah, obsessed with all that money to be made!

This is the best thing to happen to the defense industries/iron triangle since the coldest days of the cold war. Terrorism my ass.

I am skeptical about these stories about in-fighting, don't get your hopes up, this is probably disinformation of some weird kind.

[goforit]

13. Quite frankly, infighting has been going on since day one.

Hopes up?.........no way!!!

Congress(whimps) just sits on their asses chewing their nails saying
"what is he gonna do now"(in complete fear ridden faces).

CHAOS IS THEIR #1 STRATEGY .....Yesterday, today and tomorrow!!!

[izzie]

4. If their is infighting , I'll put my money on this

Where the money is and who can get it. Capital is doing all the talking and their are no states men left that will look for good of country just what is good for capital. They are not the same even if important.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Lugar - and country - should face fact that Bush is clueless --

There's a vacuum at the top; the chair at the desk in the Oval Office may as well be empty. Bush is in way over his head, and probably opts for the neocons' arguments because they make him feel not only more black-and-white holy and righteous, but manlier.

[MaineDem]

6. I like the use of "crusade"

The anonymous official who said that hit the nail ont he head.

As much as I don't want to think that our government has done so, I firmly believe that crusade is exactly what we're going.

When * was installed I said to more people than probably wanted to hear, that I hope he brings in intelligent advisors because he's dumb as a stick. These people may be intelligent but they sure aren't smart!

[teryang]

7. It's Energy v. Defense Contractors v. Sharon Lobby

Not much diversity in viewpoints there. Very little in fact.

The Army, Marine Corps and taxpayers get victimized to defend big corporate and their neo con reps.

[joanski01]

8. When I see those

Repuke Senators and Congressmen voting AGAINST bush's* policies, I'll believe they are distressed. They are all a bunch of liars and none of them care about the people, or they would be voting against these frauds on the American people.

[leesa]

9. Bush doesn't give a shit about terrorism. You can bet your ass Cheney is

whispering "Profits! Profits! Profits!" in Dubya's ears and he's lapping up every word like the greedy dog he is.
Look around you Lugar. Is anyone doing ANYTHING to lessen the threat of terrorism? Or are we compounding the threat daily?

[Beetwasher]

10. Uh Oh Spaghettio!

"But right now, over the last few weeks, are we debating those things in a useful, civilized manner? Yes.""

You know what that means don't you? That means they are most assuredly NOT debating in a useful, civilized manner! I would love to be a fly on the wall during one of these free-for-all's errr I mean debates.

I can just see it now, Cheney snarling and threatening everyone's families w/ torture, Rummy filling up his tumbler w/ scotch and launching it at Powell, and the Chimp in the corner giggling like a schoolgirl because he just got to level 20 on his gameboy...

[MetaTrope]

11. Paralysis is the best thing that can happen to Bush foreign policy

Too bad the same doesn't happen to his domestic policy.

[denverbill]

12. Why wasn't the asshole whispering that on Sept 10, 2001?

Clinton warned them but they ignored him and preferred to focus on Saddam, tax cuts, and a secret national energy policy.

[cliss]

14. "Dream team".....how about

"nightmare".

I'm also willing to believe there's lots of infighting, backstabbing, lack or unity or cohesion, and a serious lack of communication amongst each other.

The very awesome web site Stratfor.com also acknowledges this. They say that the administration is in a "serious state of disarray" and is unable to work together to run things.

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall, and watch fists being pounded on the table, fingers pointed at each other, hurling accusations at each other? Spit flying out of their mouths as they struggle to outdo each other.

[saoirse]

15. Had no idea

Our Trojan Horse plants were being so effective.

Somebody remind me to give 'em a raise.