The Los Angeles Times editorial board calls for the resignations of Cheney and Rumsfeld. Right-wing fire-breather, Fred Barnes, likewise calls for Cheney’s head. David Gergen thinks Bush waited too long to make staff changes that might have saved his Presidency. Tom Friedman is now more trustful of Iranian mullahs with nuclear weapons than he is of empowering Bu$hCo. to do anything to try to stop them. Collectively, these new developments display a kind of common wisdom within the foreign policy establishment that the Bush presidency is fatally flawed and must not be allowed to finish out its term in its present form. The revolt of the generals is another piece, coming from the Pentagon, while Tyler Drumheller, Mary McCarthy, the NSA leakers and others are taking on this administration from the within the intelligence community. We are witnessing a slow-motion coup…a kind of assassination by a thousand cuts. But, it is not really coordinated. And no one is quite sure how to proceed, or what steps to take. Some think Bush can survive by shit-canning Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Rove. Others think such actions will just precipitate his demise. The Establishment is like an alcoholic suffering through the early stages of recovery. Collectively, they are midway through the process (between steps three and four):
Stage 1: Awareness and Early Acknowledgment
This is really a pre-recovery stage that paves the way for recovery, and begins with a growing awareness that there is a problem with George W. Bush, his closest advisors, and his policies. During this stage the Establishment is still engaging in addictive behaviors and, in fact, is pushed into the stage by the concerns of family or friends, or for reasons of health, finance, work, or legal problems (or the immeasurable damage being done to the country). The end of this stage is marked by an acknowledgment that action is needed to address the issues. The tasks involve a shifting of perspective from outright denial to a willingness to consider the possibility of Congressional investigations, independent counsels, impeachment or forced resignations.
Stage 2: Consideration and Incubation
This stage is still a precursor to actual recovery, but is the first concrete step towards recovery, characterized by a willingness to further explore ideas about Congressional investigations, independent counsels, impeachment or forced resignations. The primary movement during this stage involves increasing knowledge about the realities of Iraq, Katrina, torture, corruption, and extrajudicial domestic surveillance, and the impact it’s having on the country’s citizens and on the citizens of other countries.
Stage 3: Exploring Recovery and Early Activity
This is the first clear stage of recovery. Beyond denial now, this stage unfolds with a clear resolution to end this Presidency. Tasks involve exploring ideas and activities of investigation, exposure, and constitutional law and succession; during this stage, people actively move towards overthrowing the government and beginning a coup of some kind.
Stage 4: Early Recovery and Rehabituation
Recovery involves a change in perspective, attitude, values, and leadership. Stage 4 marks the entry into full, but early, recovery. Although still fragile, this is the stage which most solidifies recovery and during which a new life is built. During this stage, a nation learns the skills, develop the behaviors, adopt the habits, and build the relationships needed to maintain a government that can defend the constitution and evenly apply the law.
Stage 5: Active Recovery and Maintenance
This is recovery proper. For many this is a stage without an end, for whom recovery is a lifetime process. It certainly is difficult to mark an end to the stage as it really “unfolds” into the life a nation will live for many years to come. By the time a nation enters Stage 5, it is actively monitoring the government, its policies, behaviors, activities, and relationships. Here, a nation is living out all it has learned as it ensures that each new day is a day free of George W. Bush and the abuse of power and evil influence of his neo-conservative advisors.
available in orange, and thanks to Coagitator for the inspiration.
This via Truthout.org
Bush Impeachment – The Illinois State Legislature Is Preparing to Drop a Bombshell
by Steven Leser
Op-ed News
There. Hope runs eternal. Just the thought of it, Made my year.
has anyone assessed the mood of the Illinois legislature?
“has anyone assessed the mood of the Illinois legislature?’
Appended to that Truthout.org link is The Chicago-Sun Times article on the topic….anti-Bush sentiment among lawmakers is certainly there.
If this proves out–if this is a correct interpretation of the rules–this is going to be a big factor in the coming months, regardless of what Illinois does. Some legislatures will take it up, talk about it, and ultimately some legislature will do it. And then what happens????
From the LA Times editorial:
“Rumsfeld has been the pinched public face of an administration that has cut legal and humanitarian corners in dealing with people — including U.S. citizens — suspected of involvement with terrorists.”
Skipping lightly over “legal corners,” cutting humanitarian corners involves “defiling our selves in the face of God,” according to the Kid’s Sunday School Place. So much for the so-called Christian Right. They are truly lost on the Treasure Map of the soul.
Print out two copies of the treasure map. Fold each map in half-length wise, and then fold the maps in half again. Fold the maps in such a way, so as the treasure chest is located in one of the corners. Make sure that you cut off enough of the corners so that the treasure chest is no longer on the map.
What you will do during class:
As you tell the story, you slowly clip off the four corners of one of the maps that will represent the dishonest salesman’s product.
What you will say:
Let’s suppose two new salesmen were just hired by a company called Old World Treasure Maps. The salesmen names were Bob and Fred. Initially both salesmen worked very hard. Both of them would arrive at work early and work late into the night. They were so dedicated that they ate lunch at their desks while they continued to work. Soon both Bob and Fred had many customers.
One night after getting home from work, Fred thought to himself “Why am I knocking myself out at work? I have plenty of customers. I think I’ll start taking it easy.” The next day Fred was late for work. Fred starting taking more and more coffee breaks during the day and did not answer all his phone calls. Fred was getting lazy. Clip one corner off the folded map. Soon Fred was taking long lunches and charging them to the company, stating that he was taking customers to lunch, when in fact this was true only half of the time. Fred was becoming dishonest. Clip another corner off the folded map. The boss noticed that Fred’s sales were steadily decreasing and mentioned that he was falling way behind the company’s star salesperson, Bob. Fred began to sell his customer’s cheaper products at a higher price to try to make it look like he was making a lot of money for the company. Fred began to cheat his customers. Clip another corner off the folded map. Fred’s evil plan did not work and he was still losing customers. The boss called Fred into his office and asked Fred why he was losing so many customers. Fred thought for a moment and then lied “It’s Bob’s fault, he’s stealing all my customers.” The boss soon found out that Fred had lied to him and fired him on the spot. Fred had also become a liar. Clip off the last corner of the map.
Unfold both the treasure maps and hold them up, so all the kids can see them. Ask the kids which one they would rather buy, the map that is complete or the map that has many missing pieces.
In our story today, we saw how easy it is to become defiled. In other words, lose or ruin our integrity and reputation. When we defile ourselves, we defile ourselves before men and God. As Christians, we should continually strive to follow God’s laws and commandments. When we follow God we can rest assured that our reputations are safe.
calvin, in a much earlier, previous life, spent some time doing research at a facility designed to treat alcoholics and their families. calvin learned many things during that life. One of them was the concept of the “dry drunk”, which is essentially what Bush is. He stopped drinking (maybe) but he’s still a bastard because his thinking hasn’t changed. In fact, it’s probably worse because he has no therapeutic base to work from.
calvin suggests that it might be fruitful to analyze his thinking more in terms of the “dry drunk” model. In other words, nothing has changed. Except that, he’s still a failure and can’t deal with it internally, so he lashes out.
‘nuf said.
but I disagree about where we are in the process. I don’t think much of the Establishment is past stage 1, and the Fox/WaPo part of the media is still buying drinks for the administration.
Much of the “dump Rumsfeld” noise is from people like Friedman (also this week’s Economist leader) who were for the war all along and just think Rumsfeld mismanaged it. That’s like telling the drunk he’ll be a lot better if he switches from tequila to vodka.
Brilliantly said! I am a person in recovery and these people aren’t even out of denial yet, let alone admitting they are wrong about anything. But again, I love you how said it.
‘Switching seats on the Titanic’, iow. Always a big help in addressing fundamental flaws.
It took the Establishment five years to realize the truths that we sensed immediately the first time we laid eyes on Bush.
The idea of an unelected new VP like Rice or a McCain or who-knows-who does not make me happy at all, should Cheney go. I don’t believe Cheney would or could give up any control even if he were removed and this move would pave the way for a natural successor to Bush in ’08 that does not now exist.