Love him or hate him, President Bush is having a terrible week while trying
to catch some downtime in Maine. Watching the self-immolation of the Bush
Presidency is certainly a spectacularly sad show. When this week is over
and opinion polls are taken, we are likely to see Bush close in on low thirties
or high twenties in terms of public support for his Presidency. The
drumbeat of bad news is incessant. Consider the following:
- TV screens are filled with documentaries about the Federal debacle in
failing to effectively respond to hurricane Katrina. The images of
bodies slumped in chairs surrounded by weeping crowds seeking refutge outside
the New Orleans Convention Center are searing themselves into the souls of
Americans who take time to watch Spike Lee’s, When the Levees Broke, or the
other retrospectives provided by NBC, CBS, and ABC. I’m reminded of the
old Navy saying, “you can’t polish shit”. Americans watching these shows
also are reminded in the most graphic terms that President Bush was on
vacation when his leadership was needed most.
- A National Geographic documentary,The Final Report: Osama’s Escape , hit the airways this week
focusing on the Bush Administration <!–
D(["mb","failure to catch Osama Bin Laden. Gary Berntsen’s n terrific book, JAWBREAKER, recounts this debacle in detail. This was n preceded by a film recounting the story of Ali Mohamad (Triple Cross), an Egyptian military officer who was a spy n for Bin Laden and fooled the FBI for years. Inside 9/11 also was on. Taken together, these films n paint an ugly picture of Bush’s incompetence in managing the highly touted n "war on terrorism".
- The violence in Iraq spiked despite repeated assurances by U.S. Commanders
that things were getting better in Baghdad. U.S. soldiers are dying at a rate of 2 per day (as of 29
August 2006) compared to the 1.48 per day that died last month (and the month
is not over). You shouldn’t be surprised by this since the U.S.
Commanders decided to increase counter terrorist operations in and around
Baghdad. Temporary successes in quelling violence in some neighborhoods
is being countered by escalating violence in other sectors. To make
matters worse, U.S.
troops inadvertently killed innocent civilians yesterday. This only
fuels the desire for revenge among Iraqi citizens.
- The Taleban–the militant Islamists who controlled Afghanistan and protected Al
Qaeda–have recaptured southern Afghanistan and are intensifying operations in
the Northern portions of Afghanistan. The Taleban are doing this with
the direct assistance of members of the Pakistan Intelligence Service
(ISI). So far most folks in the United States are blissfully unaware of
this brewing disaster. The success of the CIA and the <!–
D(["mb","U.S military in n helping oust the Taleban in 2001 is coming apart at the seams. n
- Hezbollah remains firmly entrenched in southern Lebanon and is busy n consolidating its defenses against an expected next round of Israeli n attacks. Hezbollah has demonstrated that sometimes the best defense is a n good defense.
n
Taken as a whole these stories are harbingers of ugly days ahead for the nUnited States and its overmatched President. George Bush may be having fun nracing around in a fishing boat, but his policy agenda has sprung leaks and the nship of state is sinking. Put on your nlifebelts.
