The Clock Is Ticking...

...on the George Bush Presidency.

Last year, Michael Moore closed his Oscar acceptance speech by taunting the Dubya that, "any time you've got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up."

How if you've got George Will and Thomas Friedman against you?

First, Will cautioned that the occupation of Iraq is likely to "swiftly become untenable", and that an "Iraqi version" of the Tet Offensive is in the offing.

Now, Friedman returns from sabbatical to excoriate the Bush Administration's handling of the occupation:

...each time the Bush team had to choose between doing the right thing in the war on terrorism or siding with its political base and ideology, it chose its base and ideology. More troops or radically lower taxes? Lower taxes. Fire an evangelical Christian U.S. general who smears Islam in a speech while wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army or not fire him so as not to anger the Christian right? Don't fire him. Apologize to the UN for not finding the WMD, and then make the case for why our allies should still join us in Iraq to establish a decent government there? Don't apologize -- for anything -- because Karl Rove says the "base" won't like it. Impose a "Patriot Tax" of 50 cents a gallon on gasoline to help pay for the war, shrink the deficit and reduce the amount of oil we consume so we send less money to Saudi Arabia? Never. Just tell Americans to go on guzzling. Fire the secretary of defense for the abuses at Abu Ghraib, to show the world how seriously we take this outrage -- or do nothing? Do nothing. Firing Mr. Rumsfeld might upset conservatives. Listen to the CIA? Only when it can confirm your ideology. When it disagrees -- impugn it or ignore it.

Friedman isn't exactly turning over an anti-interventionist leaf here. But at least he's got eyes to see with, which is a lot more than you can say for a too great many imperial apologists.

Methinks George is in trouble.

Posted by Eddie Tews at October 4, 2004 07:07 PM