The Wayback Machine - http://web.archive.org/web/20040512114512/http://www.pandagon.net:80/mtarchives/001015.html

February 09, 2004

Damn

I'm not one to say that critiques of politicians by their respective partisans are more powerful than other critiques, but it sure as hell is amusing to watch Sully shake off the cobwebs and go a couple of rounds with the Bush/Russert interview yesterday.

"Hold up...you mean, he's just saying shit to make himself seem right with no regard for the truth whatsoever?"

He's been doing this since he first figured out the phrase "tax cut", Andy. IF there's anything Bush said that was true yesterday, it's that he doesn't change. Sure, he may change a rationale here and there, but if he cares at all about it, he will do what he is going to do regardless of how stupid or bad for the country it is.

Welcome to the party. Chips and salsa are over on the dining room table.

Posted by Jesse Taylor at February 9, 2004 05:09 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Andrew Sullivan is one of he Republicans can actually stomache .

I wish he, and Tim Russert for that matter, would go further to ask why, if the the invasion of Iraq was so important, that no one on the Republican side is willing to pay for it? In all other times of necessary war, taxes have usually gone up and people on the homefront have been asked to sarifice for the cause. As I can see it, the ony ones sacrificing for this war are the soldiers themselves - not just lives, but reservists have had to pony up cash to by their "kits".

As for the general fiscal irresponsibility, George does an adequate job of demonstrating his disconnect. We now need a definable "moment" like when Pappy Bush was surprised about checkout stand scanners. Those socks were his version of Dukakis' tank.

Posted by: ariando at February 9, 2004 05:33 PM

It has occurred to me a few times lately that George The Younger tends to answer questions in exactly the same weird way that Grover Norquist talks. Answering a question by beginning with "Sure" and "Yeah, uh huh" and "Okay" as if he is mentally pulling out the coded index card to give you the measured response that he has rehearsed himself to give, and he expects that you will be blown away by it somehow. It is very creepy.

Posted by: sprocket at February 9, 2004 05:39 PM

This post about Sullivan is a bit too glib and facile, even for you, Jesse. Like MANY conservatives, Andrew has been critical of Bush now for quite some time on virtually every front, particularly domestic spending and fiscal irresponsibility. Nothing he said in that TNR article is anything new - he's repeatedly made clear that Bush has no coherent domestic policy and is willing to spend this country into a vast, gaping, bottomless hole (similar to Andrew's) for Rove-designed political gain.

The only issue keeping conservativse like Andrew (and much of the country) tethered to Bush is what is perceived to be Bush's resolute, no-playing-around, fuck-everyone's-prissy-Euro-whining-objections War on Terrorists, bolstered by memories of his post-9/11 speeches and conduct which appeared serious, strong and re-assuring. Given the indescribably dire consequences for fucking up or being too weak with regard to terrorrism, people like Andrew - who think Bush is doing an awful job on pretty much everything else - are going to be reluctant to defeat him unless they are convinced that the alternative will be as resolute and aggressive with regard to terrorism. For most people, terrorism outweighs all.

Posted by: Jesse's Slave at February 9, 2004 05:42 PM

"Bush's resolute, no-playing-around, fuck-everyone's-prissy-Euro-whining-objections War on Terrorists"

Who objected to the military intervention in Afghanistan?

Posted by: sprocket at February 9, 2004 06:00 PM

That's a lot of tough talking and insults, guy.

Getting back to relevance here, every article Sullivan writes is like he's rediscovering this. Your critique was a little bit too bitter and angry, even for you - Sully's been a critic, but this is the first time he seems to have stood up and said, "Hey, this isn't just political machinations - he's *lying* about this shit?"

Unless, you know, all those surprised and shocked questions were a ruse...

Calm down, guy.

Posted by: jesse at February 9, 2004 06:06 PM

Well if Sully's coming to his senses about Bush, I won't hold any grudges against him. But you have to think that he wasted a huge opportunity. Had he given up on Bush a little earlier, he might have been in a position to provide his boy Lieberman with a little Joementum.

Posted by: son volt at February 9, 2004 06:34 PM

"Geez, if only everyone'd give Hitch'n'Andy a break for bein' all anti-Islamofacist an' stuff, they'd share their Bazooka gum with me!"

Posted by: Jesse's slave's jockstrap at February 9, 2004 08:33 PM
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