Have you guys read today's Maureen Dowd?

[CatWoman]

How many places will be in shambles by the time the Bush crew leaves office?

Given that the Bush team has dealt with both gulf crises, Iraq and Katrina, with the same deadly mixture of arrogance and incompetence, and a refusal to face reality, it's frightening to think how it will handle the most demanding act of government domestic investment since the New Deal.

Even though we know W. likes to be in his bubble with his feather pillow, the stories this week are breathtaking about the lengths the White House staff had to go to in order to capture Incurious George's attention.

Newsweek reported that the reality of Katrina did not sink in for the president until days after the levees broke, turning New Orleans into a watery grave. It took a virtual intervention of his top aides to make W. watch the news about the worst natural disaster in a century. Dan Bartlett made a DVD of newscasts on the hurricane to show the president on Friday morning as he flew down to the Gulf Coast.

The aides were scared to tell the isolated president that he should cut short his vacation by a couple of days, Newsweek said, because he can be "cold and snappish in private." Mike Allen wrote in Time about one "youngish aide" who was so terrified about telling Mr. Bush he was wrong about something during the first term, he "had dry heaves" afterward.


W. has said he prefers to get his information straight up from aides, rather than filtered through newspapers or newscasts. But he surrounds himself with weak sisters who don't have the nerve to break bad news to him, or ideologues with agendas that require warping reality or chuckleheaded cronies like Brownie.

The president should stop haunting New Orleans, looking for that bullhorn moment. It's too late.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/14/opinion/14dowd.html?hp

[napi21]

1. I read this story yesterday here on DU. I thought about the

staff all being so afraid of this guy. I asked myself if I was ever in my life so afraid of a boss, that I got sick rather than tell him something? Now, I admit, I sure didn't like having to go tell him I screwed something up, but I did it! When it came to delivering bad news, I had much less of a problem,emotionally, and if it was something he should know, I did that too. Was I ever yelled at? HELL YES!

What's wrong with his staff that they're such woosies?????

[CatWoman]

2. you know, when I first started working here, I was a secretary

to a division director who was just like Bush.

Just like him.

I snapped after 3 years, and threatened to kick his ass.

I don't regret it.

[napi21]

3. I agree with you! I also had a boss who was similar,

although, I won't sayjust like Shrub! My boss was at least a very smart man, and well aware of everything that was going on! This guy had a rep of flying off the handle at everyone. It did take me about 2 years, but one day, he stormed into my office, threw an invoice across my desk, and said "What the F*** is this shit?" I looked up, calmly said, well, if you give me a chance to look at it, I'll tell you what the F*** it is!.

I never had another problem with him after that!!

[CatWoman]

6. my boss was very intelligent, too

but it got lost in his pettiness.

[KnaveRupe]

11. Unfortunately, if your boss is POTUS,

threatening to kick his ass is a felony.

Maybe that's what they're all afraid of; that they won't be able to control themselves and will lay the dumb fucker out, earning a lengthy stay in gitmo.

[Lochloosa]

16. And another thing...I have never, never been fired for telling the boss

I screwed up. Or that something is wrong that is going to harm him or the company (country). This guy must be a HUGE asshole.

[MetaTrope]

4. Seems to me it would take a cast-iron stomach to get only dry heaves

when talking to Bush.

[Melodybe]

5. kick cuase Bush is a bastard!

[DemocracyInaction]

7. About those dry heaves........

Heard about it on one of the financial networks today as they were interviewing the Time guy and Business Week guy. I thought: yeah, no one likes to go home and tell the wife and the little kids "honey I got fired", etc. But what the hell would ever make someone this frightened. This is more like a "Mafia" moment. You know, where the underling has to tell the "don" that he did something wrong, etc. and knows that "cement boots" are in his future. We're dealing with organized crime here. In fact, I suspect that the wealthy powers that be in this country with their boy Cheney have designed a little "world" around the little moron that everyone is suppose to adhere to as they rape and pillage the nation. He is used simply because of his name and that he's been marketed to the right-wing as the born again, put the bottle down, love my wife, character from some bad country and western song. I bet those are the dudes the aide was scared shitless about.

[Sticky]

8. Todays Cartoon in my local paper:

way out here on the east coast of Canada, we'll still get it.

[MissMarple]

10. Perfect.

:)

[Lochloosa]

17. That is the absolutely best cartoon summing up what I have been feeling

for two weeks. I will be passing this one on to a lot of (people) freepers

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. Great article. Just emailed it to my GOP Congresswoman, for whatever

good it will do.......

[seemslikeadream]

12. Have ya seen these?

http://image.guardian.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2005/09/08/bell1.jpg

http://image.guardian.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/steve_bell/2005/09/09/liberty512.jpg

[faithnotgreed]

18. that bottom panel is just devastating.... here come the tears

[Straight Shooter]

13. "haunting New Orleans, looking for that bullhorn moment." Perfect. n/t

[Democrats_win]

14. Anyone notice the misspelling: "bullhorn" Should be bull(u know!)

[degreesofgray]

15. good article

One of the worst, if not the worst, hurricanes in our history washes away towns and lives, people languish in the muck and heat without food and water, and President Dumbass's attention can only be grabbed when one of his aides compiles a DVD of news footage so the exalted one can finally see the suffering.

Correction--the worst disaster to hit this country is none other than the Ignoramus in Chief, George W. *

[oasis]

19. kick