David Gergen says on Aaron Brown's MSNBC show that Bush Faces Crisis!

[KoKo]

He said with the stonewalling on giving over the Iraq Documents requested by Tom Kean and today's Bombings and death in Iraq, his presidency could be in crisis!

He says President and staff should be sitting down tonight and go over the documents and announce that they will allow two or three select people from the Committe to review the documents, but not allow them to take them out of the room, which would show that even though they consider the documents of utmost importance they are willing to comply with the Commission. (My comment: A cold day in hell before Shrubby releases those documents or allows peeks)

He said his not allowing Commission to review documents and his comments that Iraq is "going well" could undermine his Presidency which is at a "dangerous point for his re-election if he doesn't get on top of this now!" Said situation in Iraq is dangerous because the Iraqi's will not trust us if this violence continues and it's an "emergency or crisis situation" there now. He said President must change his tactics of saying all is going well in Iraq because credibility and "straight shooting" has been his strong point with the American people so far, and he can't afford to lose that credibility when people in Iraq and the US can see that things are definitely "not going well."

He said it's "particularly important" when Republicans like Chuck Hegal criticize the President, because it shows problems in his own party.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I remember hearing Gergen say this about Poppy Bush when his Presidency started to unravel. His track record as far as I've seen has always been great. It was good to see him trying to give Bush advice. I know Bush won't take it, so I think this says the Chimpy is in BIG trouble, unless he pulls a rabbit out of a hat.

[frank frankly]

1. good, at least Gergen isn't a total goon

:kick:

[roguevalley]

2. Joe Klein pounded him too.

Seems nothing is going right, Klein was emphatic on the
mess in Iraq being a 'incredibly bungled mess' and how
it all looks. Excellent.

[tridim]

3. Poppy didn't have Diebold

that's the difference.

[diplomats]

4. Gergen's someone I listen to

because he's not a rabid conservative/wingnut. Thanks for posting this, KoKo. His suggestion about letting a few commission members view the documents sounds like a reasonable compromise, but I doubt the WH will relent. They don't think they have to answer to anyone, and they won't change their stripes now.

[Spazito]

28. I will never forget the look of horror on David Gergen's face when...

the filthy five came down with their Supreme Court ruling for Bush. He stated very forcefully that they were wrong. He earned my respect at that moment and has kept it since.

[cliss]

5. Nice post, KoKo

I think that the Bushmeister has set himself on some tracks, and it would be really difficult for him to change course now. All his propaganda has been very simplistic, at a kindergarten level, and his comments from this morning prove it. "They hate freedom", etc etc.

The latest barrage of "good news from Iraq" really flies in the face of anyone with even a minimum of common sense. Those "hand-written postcards" show how truly desperate they really are. They've tried EVERYTHING, from blasting at the media for saying bad things, to attacking Al-Jazeera.

I believe the whole thing about controlling the media, controlling the news about Iraq is simply too big for them. They can't get their arms around it, and it's quickly deteriorated into a crisis.

Soon he's going to run out of things to say.

[KoKo]

6. Thanks! I'm a Gergen watcher from way back! Thought you all would like to

hear some good news, if stonewalling 9/11 investigations and crisis situation in Iraq, can be considered good news because of the harm it can do to the "Squatter." Until we get Bush out there's no hope of a real investigation or any resolution in Iraq, so if Bush suffers......so be it.

[JNelson6563]

21. allow me to correct you here

so if Bush suffers......so be it

No. If Bush suffers....all the better. ;-)

Julie

[htuttle]

7. Is it time to roll out the logos yet?

[Cha]

8. Never thought we'd see the day, eh?

:toast:

[janekat]

9. Thought the same thing when I saw Hegel on Meet the Press

n/t

[janekat]

10. Article on Hagel on Meet the Press & Repubs getting on Bush's Case...

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-11/106724111165760.xml

-snip-

WASHINGTON -- Key members of Congress from both parties blasted the Bush administration yesterday for refusing to turn over classified intelligence documents requested by the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), who co-authored legislation that created the commission, issued a statement saying that the administration has "resisted this inquiry at every turn."

-snip-

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. Charles Hagel (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence, also urged the administration to turn over the documents.

"Americans and our allies across the globe must have confidence in our leadership," he said. "They must trust our processes, and that certainly includes our intelligence communities' results."

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[proud patriot]

12. Finally

people are finally waking up ..

[The Magistrate]

11. Mr. Gergen, Though On The Other Side, Is Good At The Work

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[jiacinto]

14. He worked for both parties

nt

[Minstrel Boy]

15. Quite true.

I think Gergen represents the best of what the Republican Party once was. He's a conservative, not a neoconservative, and I think he's an honourable example of the former, and is appalled by the radicality of the latter.

Fundamentally decent, albeit in the service of evil.

[MissMarple]

18. He probably doesn't see it quite that way.

I don't think he obfuscates, and if he answers a difficult question, he most likely says exactly the truth. He is not a shill.

[Bozita]

19. I like your take....i.e. "the best of what the Republican Party once was"

bullseye

[FredScuttle]

13. Minor quibble here....

isn't Aaron Brown on CNN?

[MissMarple]

17. Yes

.

[KoKo]

29. Yes, CNN sorry about that. I confuse the two lately, and don't watch

Brown....only when I heard Gergen would be on. Too late to change my subject line.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

16. Bush is only in trouble

if we nominate the right guy.

[EX-CONservative]

20. Gergen is a class act...

If all Republicans has the grace and integrity of Gergen, America would be a better place.

We may disagree with Gergen but he is a decent man and the kind you can go for a beer with. Same with Jerry Ford.

Dubya and his minions need to go back on the sewage boat they rode in on.

[lanlady]

22. Gergen's a good man

He gets beaten up a lot at DU, but my kid and I had a chance to spend half a day with him and let me tell you, he's a great guy--witty, informed, and kind. He is not an ideologue.

[KoKo]

27. lanlady, that's a nice personal story about him, thanks!

Dare I ask how you were so luck to spend time with him? It's okay if you can't tell.

[leetrisck]

23. Slimy Shrub & his criminals

have created a crisis for the American people. bush doesn't face crisis, never has, never will - he always fails upward. How about the rest of us?

[Michael Harrington]

24. I've always had sort of a soft spot for Gergen.

He's smart and seems reasonably decent. And he tells the truth.

Joe Klein is the interesting one here. He's the all time power worshipper and if he's dissing the Bush crew... they might be in trouble. He's kind of like a rat jumping off of a sinking ship.

I really loved his description last week of Rumsfeld having "A week long, slow motion nervous breakdown." That was LOL material. :evilgrin:

[AlinPA]

25. Rove-Bush desperately need another "terrorist attack"

So Bush can make another "smoke 'em out" speech in front of a bunch of flags.

[KoKo]

26. Kick for morning crowd.

:kick:

[kodi]

30. gergen is a pragmatist and usually very candid about politics

of all the political watchers, i trust his opinion to be objective and....."fair and balanced."

i remember in late '91/early '92 when he was on the pbs jim lehrer news hour as a political observer from the right with mark shields from the left and he was excited about what potential bill clinton had, it was then i knew the first bush was toast.

he also worked in the clinton white house.

gergen comes from the same republican mold as bill ruckleshaus and elliot richardson.

on sunday, hagel didn't blink when he said that bush was going to have to come clean....the implied threat was perfectly clear, fess up or expect to lose enough republican support in the congress that bush will face bi-partisan comtempt of congress charges.

if hagel and dick lugar could get in a room with bush, they would beat him to a pulp for his stupidity.

[gratuitous]

31. Gergen's a pretty good weather vane

He shifts with the prevailing winds, and doesn't seem to have anything that a reasonable human being would recognize as "convictions," but he is very sensitive to changes in the wind and weather. If he's saying, ever so cautiously, that Stupidhead "could be" in crisis, it's useful to know because that means some people are actually waiting around for an answer to so many questions instead of just accepting whatever line of bullshit is currently being spewed by this corrupt administration.

The problem is that with the slightest shift, the Bushies can polish this Iraqi turd and the popular media will again let them off the hook for the thousands and thousands they've killed.

[janekat]

32. IMO - Gergen is concerned about Bush & Co. being "out of control"

I've picked up from hearing him speak on various shows that he kind of thinks that Bush has "lost it" and has turned into a religious idealogue. He also thinks that some of the people (Wolfie, Perle and Cheney) around Bush are "dangerous."

He won't come right out and say it but I think he is VERY concerned. So are a lot of moderate Republicans who know whats REALLY going on and don't like it at all...

[janekat]

33. It will be people like Gergen, Hegel and Kean who will bring Bush down

Let's hope we nominate a candidate that people like them (the more moderate Republicans) can support.