Why Oh Why Are We Ruled by This Moron?

Unbelievable. Greg Djerejian cannot believe this. Neither can I. Impeach George W. Bush. Impeach him now:

The Belgravia Dispatch: Putin To Bush: Thanks, But No Thanks: Well, this is just priceless:

During a joint news conference Saturday in St. Petersburg, Bush said he raised concerns about democracy in Russia during a frank discussion with the Russian leader. "I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world, like Iraq where there's a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of people in our country would hope that Russia would do the same," Bush said. To that, Putin replied, "We certainly would not want to have the same kind of democracy that they have in Iraq, quite honestly."

[Transcript:

BUSH: I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world, like Iraq, where there’s a free press and free religion. And I told him that a lot of people in our country would hope that Russia will do the same thing. I fully understand, however, that there will be a Russian-style democracy.

PUTIN: We certainly would not want to have same kind of democracy as they have in Iraq, quite honestly.

BUSH: Just wait.]

Djerejian:

This beats Putin's crack about Cheney's unsuccessful hunting shot, methinks. The fact that the President, even as Baghdad descends into ferocious sectarian conflict, would dare to describe Iraq as a model for anything just now (let alone religious freedom!) is flabbergasting (as in stupefying, jaw-dropping, certifiable, just staggering). Or Neroian, even, you might say. Perhaps he's getting all his news from fellow rapturists like my blog pal Hugh Hewitt, or something, but someone really needs to give POTUS a little reality check. But what Wise Men can mount the urgently needed intervention? There are so few left, and POTUS still appears to take Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney's word at face value. Crazy times, eh?

Duncan Black adds:

While it's funny, we also have to accept the fact that either Bush is a little bit insane or that the people around him have really just stopped bothering to brief him on anything important. Either way, like his BFF Joe Lieberman, he's lost the plot. He's paved Iraq with streets of gold and turned it into paradise, and nothing can shake him of that fact. The administration is no longer taking responsibility for providing any serious leadership on world affairs, with Bush addressing questions about serious issues with pig jokes.

Meanwhile the smart set in Washington still imagines that there must be some recipe for success, that we can just let several more Friedmans pass in order to ease their consciences.

A little bit insane, Duncan?

Comments

[there is no rule 6]

just some good-natured ribbing between 2 elected dictators. Nothing to see here. Move along.

[David Shvartsman]

In the White House's transcript of the remarks, President Bush mentioned something about laying out a trap during the exchange on Iraq and democracy.

He certainly laid a trap for himself by referring to Iraq as a model of democratic institutions and free press.

[BroD]

How touching--the boy believes in the The Big Iraq Candy Mountain.

[andres]

It's not touching: its utterly embarrassing. There are many decent people in Russia who clearly want a more democratic government, but who nevertheless are forced to admit that Putin is a more intelligent and practical leader than Dick Cheney and his sock puppet, and that these were produced by US democracy after all.

[Buce]

Just wait?

Just XXXXing wait?

Is this mindless towel-snapping banter, or is W telling P that his country, too, may soon disintegrate into a cockpit of warlord violence?

[Karlsfini]

BroD, copyright that quick.

In a few hours no one is going to remember who coined it.

[anon]

That line on Iraq was nothing more than a subtle but targetted message to the kool-aid drinking 30% to remind them that Iraq is going well because Fearless Leader says so. The fact that it's absurd to anyone with a brain isn't relevant.

[BroD]

Thanks for the thumbs up, Karlsfini, but I don't see any need to claim intellectual property rights to that quip. I'm content with the open source lot of a pseudononymous commenter.

It's not like claiming it would help pay my daughter's tuition so it's just a matter of ego--and as far as that's concerned, I'd take some satisfaction in seeing it pop up in another context. I'd really love to see someone write new lyrics for the traditional song.

Regarding the substance, though, "The "Big Iraq Candy Mountain" is just another way of highlighting the fantasy-based world view of the administration and its thinning ranks of supporters--including, as Digby effectively notes, the talented but delusional Victor Davis Hanson.

[classicsprof]

VDH--

delusional, yes.

But as an ivy-trained classicist and editor of a journal of classics, I have to say:

talented? not especially.

[ilsm]

Bush was using a Goebbels on a Russian!!

"Just keep saying it long enough and the lie becomes truth."

Putin was very kind to not remind Bush, who likely never knew, that 20 or 30 million Russians were killed by delusional fascists like Bush.

[sglover]

Embarrassing? Sure. Cringe-worthy? Absolutely. But after five years of President Fuckwit my stunned-dismay gland has been been completely worn out. I think it prolapsed after Fuckwit's "Can I find WMD's under the sofa?" skit. You remember that -- it was the one that all the most patriotic and sophisticated journalists thought was just hilarious.

Can anybody give me any convincing reason why the States *won't* be seriously, terminally fucked after two more years of this criminality?

[KCinDC]

I did it, BroD. Credited you, of course. Refinements and additional verses welcome.

http://dcdl.org/2006/07/17/big-iraq-candy-mountain

[andres]

I've also mentioned in a previous thread, matt, that Brad is not foolish enough to think that impeachment = removal, unless he was out of the country for the entire Clinton/Lewinsky/Cigar pantomime.

Brad's problem is that there's no chantable, two-syllable word for removal-of-president-from-office-after-impeachment. If there were, that's what he would say.