Ever since he was sworn in as US President, George Bush has had a habit of making bizarre statements that leave you open mouthed in incredulity.
Today he significantly raised the bar with a series of statements regarding Iraq which implied that he lives, not merely on another planet, but in a different time quantum.
"I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq," he said. "I'm not satisfied either".
This is a well known tactic from the man who claims he is so powerful that he is above every law ever written in the US. He suddenly talks as if he, too, is a spectator and he shares our horror. He seems, at moments like this, to forget that he is the architect of the failed Iraqi policy, that every person who dies in that conflict dies as a direct result of decisions that he took. Decisions that many good people, like Colin Powell, begged him not to make.
It really is a startling abdication of responsiblity when he starts talking as if he's simply watching along with the rest of us.
He warned that if Iraq became a failed state, extremists could gain access to oil wealth and launch fresh attacks.
Again, he's sharing our horror at what might happen. Of course, the person with the task of ensuring that Iraq does not become a failed state is himself. He was the man who set out to build a new democracy in the Middle East and if a new democracy does not emerge then the buck stops at his desk... Not that you'd know any of this by listening to him. Maybe somebody should explain to him exactly what his job entails.
But he warned that if the US was not successful in Iraq, extremists could use it as a base from which to try to establish a "radical empire from Spain to Indonesia".
I haven't been in the states for a few years now, but are the population really that gullible? I mean, can the man get any more fantastical? There hasn't been an Islamic empire since the collapse of the Ottoman's, are we seriously to worry that from Spain to Indonesia a new Islamic empire could suddenly emerge? I mean, seriously, we have to ask - Is the man on smack?
But, like all great comedians, he saves the best to the end:
Mr Bush said that he was "making it clear that America's patience is not unlimited" with regards to Iraqi government efforts to gain control of the security situation, particularly tackling Shia death squads.
Did you get that? It's not the invading army that has to deal with the insurgency that it's invasion inspired, it's the rookies of the newly formed Iraqi army who are responsible for clearing up this US/UK inspired mess. And he's not bloody happy about how long they are taking to complete this task.
http://the-osterley-times.blogspot.com/2006/10/bush-to-iraqis-clean-up-my-mess-or-im.html