May 10, 2004
More fish rotting
I fear that both of you will tire of seeing this picture over and over.
In "The Misunderestimated Man: How Bush Chose Stupidity" Jacob Weisberg makes a case that Bush's antiintellectual style developed as a rebellion against his father.
"Curiously, this late arrival at adulthood did not involve Bush becoming in any way thoughtful. Having chosen stupidity as rebellion, he stuck with it out of conformity. The promise-keeper, reformed-alkie path he chose not only drastically curtailed personal choices he no longer wanted, it also supplied an all-encompassing order, offered guidance on policy, and prevented the need for much actual information. Bush's old answer to hard questions was, "I don't know and, who cares." His new answer was, "Wait a second while I check with Jesus."
W. didn't check with Jesus soon enough when the treatment of Iraqi prisoners was brought to his attention months ago. In A Fish Rots fom the Head , Brad Delong quotes Kevin Drum :
"According to eye witnesses to debate at the highest levels of the Administration...whenever Powell or [Richard] Armitage sought to question prisoner treatment issues, they were forced to endure what our source characterizes as 'around the table, coarse, vulgar, frat-boy bully remarks about what these tough guys would do if THEY ever got their hands on prisoners."
Bet it wasn't what Jesus would have done. Maybe W. fell back on his old tactics, treat it as a joke until it catches up with you.
We know that drug and alcohol addiction, whenever it begins, brings emotional development to an abrupt halt. The addict, in a stupor much of the time, misses life's important lessons. Often, when sobriety is achieved, one finds a fourteen year old in a forty year old body. Sound like anyone we know?
Well, the administration seems to have learned it's lesson about photographs . I will be surprised if the new ones will be released, sparing the public visions of the cruelty and sadism of war. No coffins or mutilated bodies either. Thank you so much.
Posted by Dakota at May 10, 2004 11:22 AM