Worst president ever? Ahhh, those were the days. I'm already nostalgic for them.
For yesterday Mr. Bush's press conference made even that appellation seem rather comforting. For yesterday he departed the presidential-ranking territory of Buchanan, Grant and Harding and carved out a new cellar of decidedly sui-generis dimensions. For yesterday he transcended mere incompetence -- that pedestrian quality of beatable "worse-ness" -- and displayed a collection of deficiencies one would normally see only within the confines of a secure and padded institution.
We didn't think things could get worse. That seemed impossible. But every time we think that, sure enough, things get worse and the sucker punch gets poised. Yesterday was a splendid example.
What was that? It sure wasn't a "news" conference. It went far beyond spin -- even laughably outrageous Beltway spin -- and swiftly entered the spooky arena of downright derangement. It was, indeed, like a national diagnostic session, with President Curveball himself on the couch and behind the podium. I have never, never seen anything like it.
There he stood, facing an avalanche of status-quo obliteration, and pretended -- or rather honestly believed? -- that nothing had changed. Nothing at all. There he stood, grimacing and wincing and twitching, and swore that, in fact, he had been vindicated. The deranged bastard had me paralyzed with fear. It was like watching the disintegrating Captain Queeg on the witness stand -- only this commander has his unsteady finger on the nuclear button.
"Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous, and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge to make a nuclear weapon," said Bush, shifting effortlessly from the familiar "since" to the new product of "if"; again, as though nothing had changed. "What's to say they couldn't start another covert nuclear weapons program?"...
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2007/12/our-man-in-the.html