It would appear that after six years of living the good life, the crew may be getting restless (via AmericaBlog):
Pundits Renounce The President
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 20, 2006; A04
For 10 minutes, the talk show host grilled his guests about whether “George Bush’s mental weakness is damaging America’s credibility at home and abroad.” For 10 minutes, the caption across the bottom of the television screen read, “IS BUSH AN ‘IDIOT’?”
But the host was no liberal media elitist. It was Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman turned MSNBC political pundit. And his answer to the captioned question was hardly “no.” While other presidents have been called stupid, Scarborough said: “I think George Bush is in a league by himself. I don’t think he has the intellectual depth as these other people.”
These have been tough days politically for President Bush, what with his popularity numbers mired in the 30s and Republican candidates distancing themselves as elections near. He can no longer even rely as much on once-friendly voices in the conservative media to stand by his side, as some columnists and television commentators lose faith in his leadership and lose heart in the war in Iraq.
While most conservative media figures have not abandoned Bush, influential opinion-makers increasingly have raised questions, expressed doubts or attacked the president outright, particularly on foreign policy, on which he has long enjoyed their strongest support. In some cases, they have complained that Bush has drifted away from their shared principles; in other cases, they think it is the implementation that has fallen short. In most instances, Iraq figures prominently.
“Conservatives for a long time were in protective mode, wanting to emphasize the progress in Iraq to contrast what they felt was an unfair attack on the war by the Democrats and media and other sources,” Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review, said in an interview. “But there’s more of a sense now that things are on a downward trajectory, and more of a willingness to acknowledge it and pressure the administration to react to it.” …
It’s all a show, of course, but it almost seems like there’s a tacit acknowledgment here that the “conservative media” actually exist; will wonders never cease? Imagine if the media (as a whole or even in swaths of significant size) had been performing their ostensible task of rigorously investigating stories and objectively reporting facts. What a different world it might have been. Instead, the stampede begins.
[Hey! It's time to play Metaphor Speed Round!!]
If only they hadn’t built the great wall of b.s., they wouldn’t have to be having this meltdown. But the Triumph Years were a foregone conclusion; all that’s left is the Kabuki (a few rounds of faux “seriousness” for the grist mill and a new cast for the cameras). But don’t think it’s a reboot. The wars are ramped up quite nicely, countless billions have been swapped around (with associated fees), and the social safety net is being methodically and strategically snipped. No, despite the thundering pronouncements of Joe Scarborough, the jaws will remain locked until the creature is dead. Sure, there’s some public disgruntlement to acknowledge, but that’s just to cushion the anti-incumbent backlash and set the stage for the next George W. Bush. Make no mistake: this little rash is just the first step in the shedding of the skin.
[Woo! I count at least a dozen metaphors in that paragraph. Beat that, Friedman!]
Mutiny on the Bounty
It would appear that after six years of living the good life, the crew may be getting restless (via AmericaBlog):
It’s all a show, of course, but it almost seems like there’s a tacit acknowledgment here that the “conservative media” actually exist; will wonders never cease? Imagine if the media (as a whole or even in swaths of significant size) had been performing their ostensible task of rigorously investigating stories and objectively reporting facts. What a different world it might have been. Instead, the stampede begins.
[Hey! It's time to play Metaphor Speed Round!!]
If only they hadn’t built the great wall of b.s., they wouldn’t have to be having this meltdown. But the Triumph Years were a foregone conclusion; all that’s left is the Kabuki (a few rounds of faux “seriousness” for the grist mill and a new cast for the cameras). But don’t think it’s a reboot. The wars are ramped up quite nicely, countless billions have been swapped around (with associated fees), and the social safety net is being methodically and strategically snipped. No, despite the thundering pronouncements of Joe Scarborough, the jaws will remain locked until the creature is dead. Sure, there’s some public disgruntlement to acknowledge, but that’s just to cushion the anti-incumbent backlash and set the stage for the next George W. Bush. Make no mistake: this little rash is just the first step in the shedding of the skin.
[Woo! I count at least a dozen metaphors in that paragraph. Beat that, Friedman!]
This entry was posted on August 20, 2006 at 7:51 pm and is filed under Big Ink, Color Commentary, Kabuki. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.