Does anyone else think Bush's speech is a sign of desperation?

[diplomats]

We all know his polls are dropping like a stone, and he's finally crossed the Mendoza line (to borrow a baseball analogy) to below 50 percent. Not only that, but he declined 7 points in a single month in the Zogby poll. That's HUGE.
However, Oval Office speeches should be reserved for special occasions, like launching military attacks or calming the nation in a time of crisis. If he's not going to make any big announcement, and I don't think he will, I'm not sure that many people will watch or even care. (And it's the first full day of pro football season.) What do you guys think?

[Flying_Pig]

1. Yes...

They are desperate. This is good. :evilgrin:

[nostamj]

2. it's too keep anyone from watching the Showtime disaster

I'm taping it because I suspect it will be the first and ONLY showing.

[Darranar]

3. When is his speech?

or have I already missed it?

[Don_G]

7. Yesterday

Screwed up the Indy DU get-together....

[Don_G]

4. I Thought So

And, more importantly, I was in Indy yesterday when I saw the cops beating the bushes under the overpasses to make certain there was no homeless guy with a sign or a sniper rifle in a position to threaten "our" national security.

[leftofthedial]

5. his handlers are just keeping him busy during football

to help avoid any more pretzel incidents.

[JNelson6563]

6. yes

they are being reactive and it really shows. Yesterday while the markets were nose-diving because of the bad unemployment news a statement from the WH was issued that basically said yes, those numbers are bad but it's all good. It smacked of panic. Just like this speech.

These guys have no plan. I think the free ride they hav egotten so long made them sure they'd get away with murder on all fronts forever.

Surprise!

Julie

[diplomats]

9. Yes, they've never been held accountable

and now suddenly when everything's coming apart they don't know what to do.

[BeFree]

8. Put yourself in his shoes

His whole world is drip, drip, dripping down on him.

Image in the White House right now: he must be practicing his reading between glasses of Coors and cold showers. Cold sweat running down his face and a constant stream of foul brown liquid running down his leg, showing signs of desperation. His aides are scrambling to keep him on an even keel whilst his ship of state flounders upon the reef to which he has set course.

I almost feel sorry for him. ALMOST

[ewagner]

10. Some disturbing signs:

First, David Gergen said yesterday that this was the time for Bush to "lay-it-on-the-line to the public and ask for thier patience. He predicted a more concilliatory tone to the speech.

BUT:

Alerts went out that Condi and somebody else (Powell) were going to do a full-court press on the Sunday AM talk shows.

Word was leaked that the speech would be only 15-18 minutes.

Rummy gave a speech in Iraq today that blamed the press for not showing all the "good" that had been done by the invasion. Said great progress had been made. Answered a question (sort of) about David Kay and the WMD issue. (Said the report would be released when the survey team was ready and he was looking forward to the report.) Visited site of massed graves, blamed Baa'thist elements for violence.

On The Story on CNN this morning revealed that WH sources said there would be a few nuggets of new information in the speech.

I do not take these things as good signs. The speech is too short to do any meaningful explanation of the strategy in Iraq, and new nuggets of information are troubling. Further, there isn't any way he can come off the old, making progress, somking 'em out line without directly contradicting Rummy. Condi and Powell will be out to set the table for the speech which usually means some kind of new iniative or at the very least a new spin to the old one.

I'm becoming more concerned about this speech as time goes on. I'm not generally given to tinfoil-hatting but I don't trust these people any farther than I can throw them.

IMHO of course.

[diplomats]

11. I don't trust them either

but I'm not sure any new spin is going to work. The situation in Iraq is a mess, otherwise Bush wouldn't be going to the U.N. for help. And according to Zogby, the economy is a big problem, and he's not going to talk about that.

[Beetwasher]

12. I can't shake the feeling they're going to announce SOMETHING

If they don't announce something dramatic, this speech will be a failure. Just saying we're going to work with the UN won't be enough. He needs OBL or SH or WMD I think, and we might see that tomorrow. Who knows?

Now might be the time for a hole card to come into play for them.

[IkeWarnedUs]

17. I think you're right about an announcement

Naming a new member of the Axis of Evil, now that Iraq is "under control" perhaps?

[samsingh]

13. the bushites are desparate

it will be interesting dissecting his speech

[sweetheart]

14. pro football

Even the commercials are better than some idiot pervert dictator speech.... Green Bay!!! :-)

[poskonig]

15. They are trying to frame the debate.

It is one against nine (well, two against eight if we take Lieberman into account), so I don't like the GOP odds.

[pansypoo53219]

16. i was mear whippersnapper back then,

but this smacks of the malaise speach of Carter.