Am I the only one who sees danger for Bush with his address?

[jeter]

1) The shithead repugs can no longer say that there is a problem in Iraq, if their boy Bush has to address the fucking nation on the situation.

2) Oh God please, let Bush say this "will not be another Vietnam" or something like it. Because people will start comparing it to Vietnam.

3) I think it will only get all the media outlets to draw their attention to the fact that Vietnam, er, Iraq is such a mess.

4) Remember Jimmy Carter's "malaise" address is what began the countries turn against him.

I see peril. I see so much peril. FOR BUSH!!! The Dems should come out swinging after the address.

Could it be that Rove miscalculated?

[CentristDemocrat]

1. I think he talks about the UN

[K-W]

2. It depends entirely on what he says.

It could go either way really, but I dont think the act of speaking is a mistake. Bush has to look presidential at least a little bit, they cant just leave him in crawford until the election.

[ET Awful]

4. Why not?

Why not, he spent half his presidency their already? :)

If he just takes a couple more of his "longest vacation in presedential history" trips, it's all over. :)

[SharonAnn]

9. But he's not able to look presidential, that's the danger!

Isn't it?

[K-W]

14. Not to us

but alot of people like him.

[w13rd0]

36. Yeah, and 29% say they will DEFINATELY vote for him...

...even if he's caught on tape molesting small boys with Ossama...

Yeah, he's real popular with the willfully ignorant and inexcusably rewarded because they are his "pioneers"...

[flamingyouth]

31. It's usually a mistake when his handlers let him speak

[rasputin1952]

35. I disagree...

we are reaching critical mass. The major media is turning against him, neo-con pudits are avoiding trying to build up anything that can be seen as a distortion.

This administration is a complete disaster. One slip up, and it's all over.

[K-W]

37. Then you dont really disagree

unless you are assuming he is going to slip up. Regardless I dont understand where you are getting this from. Where is this critical mass? This is the same stuff that was being said at the 16 word fiasco, guess what, the media isnt waiting to pounce on him. This is going to a long battle, its not just going to break our way over a speech.

Yes he isnt as bulletproof as before, yes there is a growing awareness and suspicioun of him, but it is far from near a point where there is going to be some massive swing.

[rasputin1952]

41. I am out here in Nebraska...

this is GOP Nirvana; the people out here are more than merely disillusioned, they are dowenright pissed!

There will always be core GOPer's, but when people that truly believe that this administration would save the nation, and they've been lied to so often, and the bodies are coming home to small town NE...we are reaching critical mass.

Tonight..on FAUX there was a segement where GHW Bush initialed a plaque for the future carrier to carry his name; he MISSPELLED it, erased it, and started again....6 month's ago, that would never have been shown, especially on FAUX.

MSNBC, CNN, CNBC; are all asking tough questions. The WH Press Corps has found its spine...we are reaching the point where this admin is about to crumble; yes, we are reaching critical mass.

The fact that no WMD's, no Osama, and no Hussein, are destroying the last shreds of credibility.

[snippy]

51. He misspelled his own initials? That's Bush league.

[rasputin1952]

65. Yeah...

it was pretty funny. He put down "CHWB", then realized the mistake erased the wjole thing with his fingers and changed it.

[SpiralHawk]

71. Hmmm? Maybe those are his occult Skull & Boner initials?

And they just slipped out for deep, dark, unconscious reasons?

I suppose it's just pure coincidence that -- in conjunction with this telling faux paus of mangling his own inititils for a sea, going vessel -- bones and body tissue have just now been discovered on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean (Downeast) close by the Bush Kennybunkport penninsula redoubt?

Angry seas are churning up waves of truth, eroding the sand that hides the lies on the beach and in the soul.

[FloridaPat]

3. You expect the people who watch Survivor & all the other

reality shows to show an ounce of sense about Bush? Bush Co are not going to give up that easily. Time for more lies and terrorist threats. And the news media will go with him.

[starroute]

8. Well, yes, the reality shows have a lot of lessons to teach

About the shifting nature of alliances.

About how your apparent friends will stab you in the back.

That the moment you show a sign of weakness, you're dead meat.

I expect the people who watch reality shows to be acutely aware that Bush is about to be voted off the island. Why wouldn't they?

[Beetwasher]

64. Sensational Analogy!!

Bush is getting voted off the island...That's exactly what's going on in a group fantasy context right now. I think opinion has turned and it's not easy to get it back.

[Renew Deal]

5. It's getting ugly...

I really think it is getting ugly for Bush. Him and his crew accused Clinton of governing based on Polls. They are worse than anyone ever. This dates back to the campaign against McCain when Bush changed his campaign finance position. I hope that the Dems set up some sort of spin on every TV station possible after the address. We should have our people out there with a rebutal. I am so fired up to kick his ass out the Washington. :argh: :grr:

[jeter]

6. You guys totally miss the bigger picture

He's admitting there's a problem. No one will remember the words. They'll only remember that this is where he admitted that there is a problem.

People have a pretty good bullshit detector. They believed in him because they wanted to. Now he's admitting that he screwed up. It's already being spun that way.

This is Bush's Vietnam. Bush's hostage crisis.

He has always been successful at diverting blame away from himself by passing the buck onto someone else. On this issue he has been front and center. He continues to make himself the center of this controversy. It will get worse. Mark my words.

[K-W]

7. He sent you a transcript of his speech?

You may hope he admits there is a problem. If I were him I certainly wouldnt.

[jeter]

10. Jesus KW wake up

The fact he is addressing the country is an admission there is a problem. The fact he is flip flopping on the UN is an admission there is a problem.

Images speak louder than words.

[CentristDemocrat]

11. I think damage control more than damage admission

JMO

[K-W]

18. Wake up to what?

Have you been sleeping for the last 3 years? This president has destroyed our country, broken laws, and done and said things he should have been torn apart for. Guess what, it didnt kill him. So you can pretend that somehow him making a speech is going to magically change the political landscape all you want. The fact is that simply him making a speech does not mean he is admitting there is a problem. If he gets up and starts to defend the iraq policy or something then you might have a point. Even then, with the media as it is I wouldnt have your optimism. I assume his speech will be a well crafted piece of rhetoric that does no such thing, that does not admit to any problem and spins and confounds the attacks on the whitehouse. The bush team didnt just decide to stop being politically savvy or something.

[jeter]

19. But it has always been blamed on others.

Now this is his show. That's the difference.

[K-W]

21. You are dreaming a big dream

if you think that suddenly Bush is going to take responsibility for anything. What exactly do you think he is going to say? "Sorry America, its time to stop the lies, im a bad president and ive messed up"

I doubt it. I dont think he will admit there is any problem at all, nor will he in any way take responsibility for anything. These people are not idiots when it comes to speech writing friend.

[jeter]

24. KW, you are missing the point entirely

It's irrelevant whether or not Bush accepts responsibility. Bush is identified with this war. Period. If things go wrong. He is the one people will blame.

That he has to address the nation, is an admission that things are going wrong.

Therefore, Bush will be blamed.

[K-W]

29. You are missing reality

Where have you been? Seriously have you been in a cave for 3 years? What in the past 3 years could possibly justify you thinking that suddenly the nation and press are going to turn on Bush. It is an absolute fantasy on your part. Yes him having to speak shows us that he is on the defensive. It may read as defensive to some people. It wont put an end to claims that the war wasnt a mistake, it wont swing public opinion in a day and odds are, he will at the very least throw some new spin into the fray as an obstacle to his opposition.

We are talking about an administration that has been blatently lying and revising history for their entire time in office. Yet you seem to think that somehow the walls will all come crumbling down because he makes a defsive speech? Were you one of the people that thought the 16 words would sink bush? That was certainly a heck of a lot bigger a deal than the fact that he is making a speech while under fire yet they managed to get through that pretty well. I am not saying that Bush is going to get away from his mistakes, but it will take more than simply the fact he makes a speech to bring him down.

Its great to be an optimist, but this is a bit much.

[sfwriter]

48. The people are turning against him...

I have several Republican friends who are abandoning both him AND the party over the lies that have built up.

Poll numbers are WAAAAAY down....

And this appearence is essentially an admission of guilt.

-Sandy

[Booberdawg]

63. K-W and jeter I think you are both right

On the one hand (jeter) this speech is a defensive move.

1 - There has been a COMPLETE about face in strategy by suggesting the U.N. should have a part in this. The pundits, even the conservative ones, are having a field day with this.

2 - There has already been growing dissatisfaction among those that voted for him about the daily casualties AFTER he declared the war to be over. (that photo op shit in the flight suit was a MAJOR mistake)

3 - Bush re-election polls have taken a MAJOR dive in the last couple months, especially in the last couple weeks. Right now I believe it sits at 40%. I think those numbers get by Rove waaaay before they do the public.

4 - There is just a plain and simple turning of trust among the people for a combination of the reasons stated above. The 16 words did have an affect on "some" people. This administration handled it so poorly - it only served to shout it louder to those who would not have otherwise paid attention. More people noticed ....

5 - And OMG, the Iraq situation is now a QUAGMIRE. How could you not fucking notice??

On the other side: K-W sounds a lot like me, quite frankly. Realistic and very cynical. These guys (bush, rove, et al) have been pulling rabbits outta their asses in the face of facts WE SEE contradict them for the past three years; the ignorant masses have been eating it up and G-d dam worshipping whatever they serve up, while we were ostracized as malcontents and questioning the motives of this war OR His Highness, or that we were, G-d forbid, UNPATRIOTIC!

So, I can very much appreciate someone like K-W who believes tonight's speech is going to be nothing more than ANOTHER carefully orchestrated stroke to the ignorant masses. He's in trouble and WE know he's gonna blow some smoke up our collective asses and make some really stupid faces that I just cannot stand. (*sigh* I just really cannot stand to watch him, but I will tonight)

Oh, K-W is right, Dubya's gonna spin this like crazy. Maybe I'm just a fool, but I think his back is against the wall now - maybe THIS time, he's not gonna come off as a hero. I think people are paying a lot closer attention now, and are perhaps a little more discriminating. I don't think bush* and the funny faces he makes will pass the this time. Even simple people see through disingenuous facial gestures.

You decide - am I an optimist, a realist, or a cynic.

[jeter]

66. Boob, of course he is going to spin.

Spin, spin some more, and then spin some more after that. Some media will buy it. Some people will agree with him. But people will realize that things are going poorly. I can not be denied anymore.

Bush is identified with the war. No one else. It's Bush's show. If people can't deny that Bush is responsible - and people can't deny that things are going poorly.

Then logic tells you that Bush will be blamed for things going poorly. It's already happening. That's why I see it as a mistake for him. Just like that Carrier stunt was a mistake. He is putting himself up front on an issue that is falling apart.

Spin or no spin. He's going to get criticized.

[Booberdawg]

79. He really didn't have a choice, jeter

He's been under pressure from both Dems and Reps and the growing unease among the American people to respond to concerns about the growing casualties and the about face with the UN. I posted a snip from the Washington Post below about this.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40228-2003Sep7.html

"But it was more than events in Iraq. Bush was also driven to respond to the message that members of Congress carried back to Washington from their August recess. Not only Democrats but many Republicans returned with a warning to the White House: Tell Americans the truth about what is happening in Iraq and show there is a policy to deal with it."

Of course I agree that this is bush's show and he is associated with it going poorly. 87 Billion for the next year is staggering. That's not even counting years to follow. *sigh*

The approval rating I quoted above was wrong - per MSNBC this morning, Zogby has him at 45% approval and 54% disapproval. I don't think he made a positive impression last night - perhaps he helped to lessen the fall in his ratings but I sure don't see what would give him a boost. We'll see.

Boob:)

[rasputin1952]

42. Makes no difference if the speech writers are idiots...

or geniuses; it depends wholly on the idiot that will give the speech.

And this is one hell of an idiot!

[CHIMO]

20. Always Problems

And there are always solutions. So he is going to try and solve his problems. The easiest way for a politician to solve a problem is to start a fight with an enemy that everone can agree is an enemy. Let us hope that is not the approach.

After his speech one will perhaps be able to see where he sees his problem(s).

[screembloodymurder]

57. Bush will blame terrorist, the U.N. (France and Germany), Clinton

and those God awful unpatriotic protestors that don't want freedom and democracy to succeed.

He'll say:

We must stand firm for those ideals that our forefathers died for. If we fail, then democracy fails. As your President, I cannot let that happen and I ask that you sacrifice alongside those soldiers who are stationed in Iraq. Stand behind those that already gave the ultimate sacrifice because they believed in freedom and the American way of life. Don't let the naysayers weaken your resolve. Blah, blah, blah. Tears, applause, flags waving, ovation and then from somewhere in the back, a chorus of USA, USA, USA will rise to a fever pitch and the American people will be ready to take on Iran.

And my wife says I'm becoming a cynic.

[Gloria]

62. Yes, he will now move on to blame Germany and

France for blocking his efforts at the UN.....Brian Williams did the same thing, I think it was Thurs. or Friday when he introduced a story saying "France is giving us trouble."

There it is...Bush has not caused any trouble, but France .....boy, have they caused us trouble,,,,,,by being CORRECT
in their concerns about a mess in Iraq and lack of evidence of any threat....

[RevolutionStartsNow]

13. I tend to agree

and it's a great Catch-22 for Bush. He has to stand up and appear Presidential (as if! :)) on this issue, his support is sliding fast. But he's making himself a bigger target, especially if as suspected he tells us how many more billions of dollars he wants for this failed occupation. "What about our jobs?" is sure to follow, and he may plummet even more. It's a gamble on his part, but one he has to take.

Of course I can also see a scenario where this is spun as Bush being "a leader" and "decisive" and "a man of convictions". Gag.

[stevedeshazer]

15. I think you are right

I've been trying to think of anything that can come out of this with positive Bushco spin. Other than saying 'I told you it would be a long war', or touting his premature ejaculatory "mission accomplished" announced on the deck of an aircraft carrier, what the hell can he say? This is fraught with peril for Bushco. They've painted themselves into a corner. No matter what GWB says will be fodder for the press, which is rapidly turning against Bushco.

His self-assuredness ensures that he will be painted with the brush of failure, and soon.

[K-W]

23. Rapidly Turning?

I think you guys are a getting a little premature with your declarations of victory here. Last time I checked the media was still pretty damn conservative and Bushco still had a pretty good handle on it.

[jeter]

26. Oh KW, you are so negative.

Conspiracy theories aside. This is good for us.

[K-W]

30. Maybe

Im not sure why you bring up conspiricy theories. They arent really a part of this discussion.

This may be good for us. He's on the defensive, thats good, but these are not push-overs we are fighting. His speech will be well written and they might throw us some curve balls we arent expecting. He could come out and do a great job, and with some good spin in the media, he could make this speech work to his advantage. Its certainly not impossible and not terribly unlikely either.

I'm not negative friend, im being realistic. These guys arent going to roll over and die for us. Im not sure why youve decided that this is going to make such a difference.

[stevedeshazer]

34. Not declaring victory

Just seeing a huge freaking pendulum starting to swing the other way.

There is NO good news for Bushco. None.

[K-W]

38. agreed

It is an incredibly good sign to see them going on the defensive. But this isnt a pendulum, it can switch direction at any time. Weve got to keep plugging away because its not going to just swing into our laps tommarow. We have to keep pushing and keep fighting.

[jeter]

67. Yes, KW I agree with that.

I'm not saying that we should stop fighting. I am saying that this speech is an admission of failure. Whether he says so or not.

[rasputin1952]

43. Apparently K-W...

you chose proper emoticon, it's just on the wrong side; shouldn't it appear on the right?

[rasputin1952]

40. His speech will go through the usual motions....

but there will be nuggets in there that can be gleaned.

He started this whole crap with the "axis of Evil", continued on with the WMD's, invaded two countries with horrid results...he's toast.

Like you say people have good bullshit detectors; but the have to be turned on, and calibrated.

[calimary]

73. Well, KW has a good point about people, but...

while I agree with KW and all those who say too many Americans are in deep denial and just want to believe "their president" so badly, I have also heard pundits on FAUX NEWS, of all outlets, actually asking the question - is going to the UN an admission of failure?

The very fact that he has suddenly asked for tv time tonight IS an indicator that there's a perception in the White House that he's in trouble and he needs to get out there and say something and do that cutesy Texas Twostep and "crawfish" everybody to death with his smarmy smirks and good-ol'-boy crap.

They fancy him as a latter-day "Great Communicator" because too many people have bought into his good-ol'-boy shtick (I even read someplace where some die-hard freeper said she loved bush because he talks "so the poor folks can understand"). And when your backs are starting to touch the wall, you bring out your heavy hitter to get the job done, as they are doing, tonight. Let Bush Be Bush. Unfortunately, that may be their undoing.

Elsewhere also, I've heard that the statements about preparing to ask for 60, 70, how-many more BILLIONS is another admission that this Iraqi adventurism is a sinking ship. The way the writer put it - you don't try to get more money to throw at it unless you've got a big mess on your hands that your present resources isn't covering. It's regarded as an admission of failure.

There will be some freeper types, many, probably, who are ready to stay on their knees, worshipping, and will claim this is just their demi-god touching base with the faithful to reassure them. But this hurried demand for prime-time speech exposure is VERY telling.

Not only that, but, consider - his speech and the resulting spin-shows from it will hog all the time and all the publicity, AND MUCH OF THE VIEWERSHIP of that lame, pathetic, fig-leaf 9-11 dramatization by Lionel Chetwynd that's supposed to be on Showtime. Don't you think the bushies would want to leave that unopposed and would do anything not to overshadow it?

I dunno - this is not a good sign for them. I suppose he'll get a temporary bump in the polls, but it'll fade again like all his bumps have, once reality sets in, and a VERY slightly more open-eyed media starts crunching the numbers.

[CHIMO]

12. He Has to Respond

Don't panick. He came in and ran things in the sense if you don't have a vote then you don't count. As a result the whole world, save a leader here or there who has sometime to go back to the electorate, has been shoved aside.
Now the money is running out and he needs help. He knows that if jobs don't grow and the army is ticked off then it is an obstacle that he will have to confront. Now he has to go back to the voters and is looking for help from those who don't have a vote.

People are intelligent. He has a problem. It is his problem. Let him dig his own grave. Sit back and hope for the best. Just imagine your fear against someone who is in the trenches in Iraq. You have it easy. Again "Don't panick."

[jeter]

17. Haha. I hope he says that.

The quickest way to get people to panic is by telling them not to. It's Orwellian, I know. But true.

I don't think people are panicing. Maybe Republicans in Washington. But middle America doesn't see things the way we see them. If he says "don't panic" people will sit around thinking "should we be panicing?"

That's how it works.

America "trusts" Bush. They think, for the most part that things are going moderately well in Iraq. If Bush comes on and says "Don't panic" - then people will BE AWAKEN to the fact that all is not well. Then Bush, who has been on the forefront for so long - will suddenly awaken to millions of people that are panicing - and blaming him.

[CHIMO]

25. Colors of

Different types for levels of risk. But was not talking about his words but about your concerns about things. Take the position of being in control and that the opponent is on the run. Don't be negative.

[Shanty Oilish]

16. If it's not about success finding WMD, he's cooked.

Ok, finding Osama bin Laden might help him, but that would've leaked already.
Even his supporters are peeved at this point. They want results and validation, not pep talks.
I think this upcoming speech is a political move, and the very idea that he needs to make one, should make us all feel very encouraged. :)

[Democat]

22. You're very right about Democrats coming out swinging

Monday needs to be a full scale attack day.

Every presidential candidate (even Joe!) needs to have talking points beating up whatever lies Bush tells.

All of the senators and congress people as well as the left's talking heads need to be ready to put on a full scale attack of whatever he lies about.

The time is right to turn Bush's lying press conferences into a negative for him.

[jeter]

27. Holy Joe is getting out of Dodge...

He won't let go of his false belief that this was a "good and nobel" war. Fuck him. Let him drown with the rest of the rats.

[KT2000]

28. If he invokes the UN

he should also mention something about his order to "take the oil" in Iraq.
The link to Executive Order 13303 was posted last night. Don't miss it - for all the propaganda he will spew on Sunday - this document tells it all.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=284830

[fairfaxvadem]

32. it'll be another "steely-eye'd and determined" spin....

have any of you listened to the recent speeches that he has made, suposedly in regard to the economy, where the first 5-10 minutes are spent talking about the "War on Terra" and "we won't retreat", and "we're making great progress in the War on Terra" and "Saddam is gone and the Iraqi people are liberated."????

This was just last week that he went around spewing this crap.

If there isn't another "Bring 'em on" component, I will be very surprised. At this point I am of the opinion that he can't help himself when it comes to this kind of violent language. If it's not in the speech I think he is sufficiently deluded to adlib in his customary style that seems to invite more killing....

[jeter]

68. Some people have way too much faith in Bush

More so than many Republicans. It is you that hurts the Dems. You're probably some of the same people who say Bush will win in polls. No wonder everyone thinks he's unbeatable, when people HERE think he is going to win.

I don't think he is going to win. I just don't see how. Arnold won't win shit in California, so don't tell me they are going to rig that election. How could they? It will be Davis or Cruz. With a Democratic Secretary of State. Non issue. He may get some "help" in states that he won in 2000. But he needs more than those states to win in 2004.

I see the 2004 election as easier than 2000. By leaps and bounds.

[VolcanoJen]

33. IMHO, this speech is clearly intended at shoring up the base

Nothing more, nothing less.

The folks (in increasing numbers, per recent polls) who think WhistleAss is full of shite will continue to feel that way. His base, who must be terribly confused by this appeal to UN Goodness, will be glued to every word.

What will the press say? The after-spin will be the best part of the address.

[opihimoimoi]

44. His speech writers was burning the midnight oil for the past 2 weeks

Lets see what they came up with.

If we were to guess:

The status of Iraq.

The status of Afghanistan.

The status of the economy.

The productivity of the US Worker,(used only 3 days ago)

How the Frogs and Cheese eaters not coming to the fight.

How he tamed the mech bull

[jeter]

69. Jen, don't you think

that if he starts bashing away at the UN or France or Germany that he will undermine his own intentions of going to the UN before it even starts?

He'll probably say something to the effect that he "always intended" on going to the UN. Which of course is Bullshit. People should call him on that bullshit.

The DNC must get off their ass. Get a catelog of Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld clips attacking the UN before, during and after the war. Then ask? Did these guys ever intend to go the UN?

If he attacks the UN/France/Germany. Then we attack him by saying he was never serious about the UN and continues to put our troops in jeopardy.

He's screwed either way.

[w4rma]

39. This is dangerous for Democrats, IMHO. The networks are going to give him

lots of unfiltered time to get his talking points for all his brainwashed followers to parrot.

IMHO, Dems should go on the attack during and after the address to try to muddle his talking points and get our talking points out and contrasted.

[cliss]

45. Bush

will be pretty sweaty this time around. He'll be wearing a dark suit, so you can't see the sweat stains under his arms. But I've definitely noticed some subtle changes in his face. His hair is really grey. The furrows on his forehead are really deep now. His eyes seem kind-of glazed over. The most telling sign for me, though is his mouth. Notice the right corner of his mouth droops really low. If you put a mirror and lay it on the right hand side of his face so it's doubled, you see a shattered and broken man.

He won't be shaking his fist in the air this time. He'll be more subdued. I agree with Jeter - his ship is sailing into stormy waters.

[reprobate]

74. cliss, you're right about how bad he looks

In fact, i think it's instructive to compare him to Adolph at the end of
WWII. Remember how bad he looked as the allies approached berling.
That's Whistle Ass now.

[frustrated_lefty]

46. This is premature.

There's a great deal of room for spin here. I fully expect him to justify our presence in Iraq as "liberation" and then paint it as a sacrifice American's have made to promote democracy and freedom. American's have made these sacrifices even though those of other nations haven't cared enough about freedom from tyranny to provide assistance in the endeavor. But we are turning now again to those nations and the UN to ask for their help in spreading democracy and freedom in the world, so that American's alone don't have to suffer the cost of pursuing these ideals. We are willing to sacrifice organizational control to these same nations which were hesitant to pursue freedom in the first place, and still they are not satisfied.

It will be a load of crap, leaving most of us with dry heaves. But, it will, I suspect, prevent shrub's popularity from dropping further for a few weeks at least, and repukes who are beginning to perceive that Bush is a waste will feel comforted.

I wish you were right, but I don't see it coming off that way.

[LibDemAlways]

78. I agree totally.

In the face of all evidence to the contrary, Rummy played up our "success" in Iraq during his brief photo-op visit. The chimp will concede nothing. He'll lie his ass off about how much "progress" "the coalition" has made and urge other nations to join us in our great and moral mission to bring Democracy to Iraq. He'll tell the American people that we must remain focused and stay the course in our "war on terra." The bought-and-paid for repuke pundits will assure us this was "his finest moment" and an "inspired speech - nothing short of Churchillian."

That this is all utter horseshit and a typical Rove ploy to boost the chimp's poll numbers will be noted only in the foreign press and on sites like DU.

[Lexingtonian]

47. Of course

Remember that W always does one or both of (a) lowering expectations (b) moving the goalposts.

Yes, this speech is prompted by him falling to the 40%-43% (re?)election range. No, I have no idea what he's going to concoct as the Good News! or Infamy!!! "message". He is going to try not to look drunk, that I know for certain. But I can't guarantee what the composition of the 'water' in his glass of 'water' is.

I do know that a lot of people worldwide will be watching the speech and jaws agape or rolling with laughter. I suspect I will be one of them.

Of course, his only intended audience is the Wayward Believers in the Red States. The only political suspense about this speech is whether some other Middle Eastern country will be threatened and whether he really has any more prejudice-derived benefit-of-the-doubt political capital to burn and stem their disillusionment. He and Rove seem to think that he still has a substantial amount of trust or fear to exploit. My guess is that he's going to be surprised....

What I personally like about his timing is that my NFL team's game isn't going to get interrupted by fifteen minutes of gaffe-plagued platitudinosity and black-is-white revisionism. Oh, wait, there is 'halftime'....

[grasswire]

49. I guess....

..that's why he looked like this on Thursday.

[Sideways]

50. Wearing Clown Shoes..

Rumpled trousers and it looks like he is Imploding!!

The most important point to me about this speech is that BUSH IS BEING FORCED TO MAKE IT. Everything has always run on Rove's clock and if he didn't want DumbAss to speak well DumbAss didn't.

This is a different arena all together. You can't convince me Rove wanted DumbAss to address the "proles" but Unka KKKarl don't have any other choice. Things are looking so grim on so many fronts the admin MUST roll out their drunken clown.

These guys have always played offense ALWAYS. Today they gotta play a bit of D. They don't like this position not one little bit. Frankly I don't give two shits what The Fuckwittage In Chief says tonight it is all garbage all the time anyway, I will just be savouring the fact that his back is up against a pretty hefty wall.

Hey Clown Shoes: Swagger and Smirk don't go well with HUMBLE PIE.

[screembloodymurder]

59. They must put the shortest man in the military at the bottom of those step

Must have been a rough vacation.

[Junkdrawer]

52. Iraq as humanitarian crisis...

I predict Bush's points will be:

* Providing democracy to Iraq was always the chief mission

* Hypocritical UN won't help

* New Peace Corps of doctors, engineers, electricians, carpenters to rebuild Iraq

:nopity: :puke:

[screembloodymurder]

53. They're pinning the blame on Clinton

and C-SPAN is helping them. Bush will remind the American people that this is a war against terror and use 911 to reinforce the fear factor.

[LittleApple81]

54. I must agree. I don't know if C-Span knew about Bush's speech tonight

but putting Miniter on in the morning was, at best, a bad coincidence.

I don't know if you watched it, but Miniter denied that the US and the CIA had helped and trained bin Laden during the Afghan-Soviet war. I remembered the book about Charlie Wilson and got the blurb from Amazon.

Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History
by George Crile

Put the Tom Clancy clones back on the shelf; this covert-ops chronicle is practically impossible to put down. No thriller writer would dare invent Wilson, a six-feet-four-inch Texas congressman, liberal on social issues but rabidly anti-Communist, a boozer, engaged in serial affairs and wheeler-dealer of consummate skill. Only slightly less improbable is Gust Avrakotos, a blue-collar Greek immigrant who joined the CIA when it was an Ivy League preserve and fought his elitist colleagues almost as ruthlessly as he fought the Soviet Union in the Cold War's waning years. In conjunction with President Zia of Pakistan in the 1980s, Wilson and Arvakotos circumvented most of the barriers to arming the Afghan mujahideen-distance, money, law and internal CIA politics, to name a few. Their coups included getting Israeli-modified Chinese weapons smuggled into Afghanistan, with the Pakistanis turning a blind eye, and the cultivation of a genius-level weapons designer and strategist named Michael Vickers, a key architect of the guerrilla campaign that left the Soviet army stymied. The ultimate weapon in Afghanistan was the portable Stinger anti-aircraft missile, which eliminated the Soviet's Mi-24 helicopter gunships and began the train of events leading to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and its satellites. A triumph of ruthless ability over scruples, this story has dominated recent history in the form of blowback: many of the men armed by the CIA became the Taliban's murderous enforcers and Osama bin Laden's protectors. Yet superb writing from Crile, a 60 Minutes producer, will keep even the most vigorous critics of this Contra-like affair reading to the end.

[screembloodymurder]

60. I watched for two minutes

then doubled my blood pressure meds. I'll wager even money that C-SPAN was fed todays program. It's straight from Rove's kitchen.

[snippy]

55. Every word and every gesture will have been focus grouped.

The speech is damage control targeting independent voters and wavering republicans. I think Whistle Ass will get a bounce out of it but it will be temporary. He can not change the fact that everything he touches turns to shit.

I wish he would repeat what he told Mahmoud Abbas at the Aqaba summit.

According to Abbas, immediately thereafter Bush
said: "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I
struck them, and then he instructed me to
strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am
determined to solve the problem in the Middle
East. If you help me I will act, and if not,
the elections will come and I will have to
focus on them."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=310788&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y

[jeter]

70. No bounce

I predict it falls even more.

[lanlady]

56. the speech might earn him a few percentage points

of approval from dolts like my brother who were beginning to have doubts about Bush.

After that it depends on how the situation in Iraq evolves. If things go from bad to worse and the UN is unable or unwilling to save Bush's hide, the man is history. He'll never be able to go back to the 'Murkan people and ask for their "patience and sacrifice."

Tonight Bush is essentially asking the nation for one last chance to get it right on Iraq. He won't get another chance.

[0007]

58. This whole thread is totally erroneous, defective, flawed

& misleading.

junior is going on tv to plead his cause to Americansfor more money for Iraq - more foreign troops. Of course junior
won't tell you that the main cause is to protect Halliburton and his thugs. Condeleezza Rice and Colin Powell will be setting the
table today on the tv circuit for junior's speech tonight.

No need to watch this bull shit and patriotic horse shit.

The UN are the bad guys and we're doing their job. yap yap yap yap yap yap god bless amerika, cuz I got faith in you fellow amerikcans. Good nite! Fox MSNBC CNN will spin this into gold and the poll numbers will rocket.

[Anti-fascist]

61. Let's be realistic.

This will be another speech where Bush leans on the podium or squints and says, "We're making good progress." Nothing will come out of it. His polls won't rise; they won't fall. No one will care. His "progress" speeches have gotten SO F---ING MONOTONOUS~@#$@#

[mbee]

72. Did the article in the Guardian prompt all this?

They had some jackass on C-Span this morning who wrote a book of how it's Clinton's fault we didn't get Bin-Laden. A lady from MD called in and said if that is so that the Republicans were driving the agenda and impeached Clinton and if they were so worried about Bin Laden they would have impeached him for that. This guy didn't have one thing to say to this woman. This book is just another lie by the regime because they're scared! I wish someone would have brought up the fact that Clinton brought to justice the bombers of the first World Trade destruction and bush can't find Hussein, Bin Laden or probably even Laura Bush (you never see her)!

[bluestateguy]

75. we shall see

With * between 45%-55% approval Democrats no longer need to fear him.

[poskonig]

76. Bush needs to go Blair-style to get a bounce.

Talk about greater purpose, great danger, staying the course, etc. etc.

If Bush gets too much into details, he'll get cooked.

[Lindsay]

77. One of CNN's talking heads said

that he will be asking for sacrifice.

I know who I'd like to sacrifice....