Enough already with the "Bush is toast" stories

[bluestateguy]

I'm concerned that some DUers here have fallen into a trap. The cycle basically works this way. 1)a story about wrongdoing in the Bush White House surfaces. 2) some DUers trumpet the story as the beginning of the end for the Bush Administration. 3) it eventually makes it to the MSM, where it is kicked around for a few days and 4) the story then fades from the headlines doing only minimal or temporary damage to Bush.

This was the pattern that followed revelations of the August 6th memo, airlifting Saudi Al Qaeda sympathizers out of the country after 9/11, Enron, Valerie Plame, the funny business in Florida (2000), the funny business in Ohio (2004), the blatant bribery and cooking of the books on the Medicare drug bill, no net job creation in his first term, sweetheart contracts for Halliburton, Abu Grahib, Jeff GannonGuckert, Bush's AWOL from the National Guard, the Downing Street Memo and no WMD's.

Some people never learn, and they come back and repeat the mantra again and again, insisting that THIS time circumstances are different. "Oh, OH! NO, really! This is it! Bush is really toast this time!" Then they are left scratching their heads once again, or making excuses as to why Bush was not driven from office, or blaming the media, or blaming the Democratic Party's weakling of the week.

This is what I think will happen. Indeed, these stories will do a lot of cumulative damage to the Administration over time. This Iraq War may do to Bush what Vietnam did to LBJ: paralyze his Administration, destroy its political capital and damage the party for a generation to come. I think the Democrats have a very good chance to win the White House in 2008 and maybe even gain seats in Congress, but this notion that many of you have that Bush will have to resign in disgrace or that a Republican Congress will impeach him is laughable. This Congress is very protective of this president--almost as if he were a little child--and the media shows a real reluctance to challenge him if doing so might appear to make the American people feel uncomfortable. I am not suggesting we moderate our criticisms at all. I am suggesting we acknowledge reality: that he will finish out his term, albeit in a weakened state.

[BiggJawn]

1. "This story has LEGS! Big, hairy-assed gnarly LEGS!!!"

How many time have we heard THAT? Yeah, these stories have "legs", and Rove's lapdogs are experts at amputation.

Bush IS "toast", though. January 20, 2008, to be precise, when he turns the keys of "The People's House" over to his brother Jebbi...

[kansasblue]

2. I don't like what you say!

but I agree. I look at it this way. When Bush stops getting his way then we may have something.

He's got most of his extreme judges.
Congress is still doing his work.
New Bankruptcy law.
Funds of the war, no withdrawal.

So when things don't go his way then maybe something's happening.

Such as Bolton.

Even Social Security isn't dead yet. He's still out campaigning for it.


Don't be discouraged. Keep working. But just realize the administration is still getting most of what they want.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

3. bumped for truth (eom)

[okieinpain]

21. same here

[Bouncy Ball]

4. As far as bush being toast, I'll believe it when I see that

motherfucker frog-marched out of the Oval Office to his everlasting shame.

And not a moment before.

On edit: all the trumpeting about him being toast has the unfortunate effect, I think, of causing some of us to stop fighting as hard. To feel like they can take a long breather.

Unfortunately that is not the case. Hell, I won't even stop fighting after he IS toast. NEVER let up. That's my motto.

[Nite Owl]

5. Yes, it is all

cumulative. We are chipping away with a chisel none of this is sledgehammer stuff. The Zogby poll that showed that Kerry and * are now tied if the election were today shows that, they may not approve of him but alot of those would still vote for him nonetheless. The Dems have to step up and not continue to be our own worse enemy, it's like they never miss a chance to miss a chance.

[Cha]

6. Yeah, "toast" ain't gonna happen..

but bush's been weakened by all the lies they have been spewing for the last 5 or 6 years. And bush is bed with the corporate press so these lies are seeping out in spite of them.

And bush is only going to get WEAKER!

[nonconformist]

7. "this is the smoking gun!"

"this is the nail in the coffin!"

"the tide is really turning now!"

If I only had a quarter for every time I've seen those sentiments posted on DU the last couple of years.... well, I'd be typing this from my yacht.

[Amonester]

8. 16 1/2 months to go?

2006/11/07

about 16 1/2 months

make sure exit polls = 37% or less for them

then control + impeach

work for that

why not?

never over 'til it's over

[moof]

9. Wake up and smell the coupffee

You say

" I think the Democrats have a very good chance to win the White House in 2008"

and think others are out of touch with reality ?

There is thinking out there that his rein as dicataor will not in in 2008 at all.

But you just keep on harping on the folks that say he's toast and hang your hopes on those so called "elections", nothing to see here,
just the last throes of freedom gasping it's final breaths.

[bluestateguy]

14. Well

Last year a lot of people here swore to high heaven that Bush would find some excuse to cancel the 2004 election and declare himself emperor for life. I have not yet heard their excuse as to why that did not happen.

[moof]

25. wow you have got a bad case of Disonnance.

There was no election held for President in 2004 and he is still
living at 1600 Penn. Ave , Washington D.C.

They are called voting machines but they don't really count the votes.

Btw, the easter bunny and santa clause are also fictional enities that
corporate America keeps going to make money off of.

[snowbear]

10. I can't wait for the day he heads back to Crawford !!

MannnnNnnn.. what a photo op that will be as he and Laura wave farewell and "glad we could screw you for 8 straight years", then fly off the scrubby flatlands of Texas.

Is it almost 2008? =sigh=

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

11. He'll never go "back" to Crawford because he was never "from" there.

They've already said they'll live somewhere like Dallas, where they glitzy materialism will suit them just fine.

Crawford was in essence a Hollywood set purchased when dude decided to run for Prez.

[bluestateguy]

12. I agree

It'll be some ritzy gated community in the Dallas or Houston burbs. It will take years for the Crawfordites to realize they were used.

[Bouncy Ball]

17. It'll be Houston, not Dallas.

In fact, I once even heard the name of the area of Houston, but can't remember it now. Riverbend?

And he'll also finally be allowed to go to the family compound at Kennebunkport again. I've heard whispers here and there that it pisses him off that, in order to keep his faux "cowboy" image, he cannot be seen at Kennebunkport.

[Ready2Snap]

26. I have a suggestion

for a name for Bush's post-admin compound--
Hows about "The Spiderhole"

[Bouncy Ball]

27. LMAO!!!!!

[earth mom]

15. Oh, I love your graphic! It would make a great avatar!

Would you allow people to use it? TIA! :)

[friesianrider]

13. I agree 100%.

Anytime I've EVER tried to post something to that effect I always get flamed, so better dig out that flame-proof suit!

I agree 100% that this doesn't mean we should hold-back on our criticisms or try to get a damaging story all the media attention we can, but we DO need to be realistic about it. I highly doubt * will get impeached, but I KNOW soon after leaving office history will judge him for the illiterate, immoral, non-sensical, anti-Christ war criminal that he is. :)

[Walt Starr]

16. Bush IS toast!

His brain was toasted beyond recognition decades ago.

What all these stories do, though, is inusre he has a place in history based upon his astounding ineptitude.

[Lexingtonian]

18. oh, let them have their fun

If that's what keeps a bunch of people happy, let 'em be happy. Imagination is also important and some people have theirs engaged all the time. I prefer the Utopia Is Around The Corner kind to the The Sky Is Falling sort that used to be the norm around here. They'll be exuberant no matter the news or lack of it.

And yes, I agree with your more sober assessment almost completely. But it's summer, the news is thin. Speculation and thoughtlessness and trivia and sobriety-lacking posts have filled up DU during the summers I've been here and this one is unlikely to be different.

[earth mom]

19. * will probably stay in office but without HOPE

that he'll soon be history....how will we EVER get through the next 3.5 years?!

:argh:

[kaitykaity]

20. I want to believe that "Bush is Toast"

but I have been disappointed too many times. Bush has
survived too much, thanks to a corrupt House.

But I actually do believe that reality is starting to
bite the media in the butt, at least the newspapers who
actually seem embarrassed by the DSM and their clear
dereliction of duty in the runup to the war.

And it does seem like the leaders of the cabal are
falling apart, with the bizarro world hints of
Cheney/DeLay/Rove self-destruction this past week.

So I'm pinning my pathetic hopes on 2006 and the very
existence of Dr. Dean and his charge to build our party
from the ground up.

[salin]

22. Two points

1) I agree with everything you say. There will be no impeachment - no resignation - no perp walk.

but

2) I do think it is very interesting to watch and discuss, and watch closely - as they are on a down swing... and the type of public perception that is switching isn't "event" driven... but I think, as you say, a cummulative impression. See the above point gets to a character flaw of this president and his advisors. Everything is viewed as a political war - and any "compromise" or "acknowledgement" (eg resignation) is a LOSS which they can not have. Don't know if it is simply ego, or that they believe that this resolute approach is a political "winner".

But they have made some very stupid political moves lately - AND the war isn't going well - AND the low buzz around the DSMs is penetrating the public psyche in the sense that folks before who questioned why the war (when WMDs were not found) didn't need much to go to the acknowledgement that it was all a sham (didn't need much, because psychologically they had already moved into territory where this idea was no longer psychically shocking).

So what do we have... the potential for a very, very interesting slow, self-inflicted disintegration of power. With the still intact habits of conceding no defeat and treating each move in congress as a FINAL BATTLE - whereby pushing congressional allies to lower their masks to constituents by bowing to WH pressure on issues that constituents indicate they DO NOT want.

More and more individual congress GOPers will have to start thinking again, rather than following. On each issue - will I be harmed more by following - or by opposing. This would lead to more congressional dissarray (and an agitated and further weakened tom deLay.)

Meanwhile bush's base gets no action.

Point is - very interesting political drama. It could all dry up in a month - and they could bounce back. Or - as it appears to be unfolding - they keep on this self-destructive autopilot.

I do not think that pointing this out is part of the self-perpetuating weakening of our community (due to finger pointing and division when the payoff doesnt come). I DO think however, that messages such as mine should be cautious in the sense that while I think Bushco and the GOP is doing it to themselves - I do NOT think that we should stand idly by and just watch. NOW is the time to get active for upcoming Congressional campaigns. Now is the time to support the growing network of progressive policy groups/think tanks and media. Now is the time to act. ESPECIALLY to be ready to strike when the iron is weak.

[sendero]

23. I don't think...

.... this adminstration is going out with a bang. It will be a whimper. There isn't going to be an impeachment, just Bush** crawling off with his approval ratings abysmally low, failing to get any of his pet 2nd-term legislative agenda passed, and his entire tenure looked upon by the majority of Americans as an abject failure.

Anyone who thinks he's going to be impeached or is going to jail is dreaming. But, the damage he can do is becoming more limited month by month.

[salin]

24. My biggest hope

is that his and DeLay and Frist and Cheney's egos, arrogance, and sense of infallibility keep pushing them to be as ugly and aggressive as they have been since January - and that they continue to NOT realize that the public is no longer falling for their schtick. I just pray that the damage they are able to inflice in the next three years - is somehow minimized.

Why do I hope this? Because rather than simply bush crawling (slithering) away... I want this crew to unmask themselves to the public so clearly that the deal a serious, serious blow to the GOP (ala the Tories at the end of Major's run.)

[sendero]

28. And...

... I join you in that hope - and it is a possibility.

I try to keep me expectations low so as to minimize dissapointment :)