President Bush’s response last week to the indictment of top White House aide “Scooter” Libby was a terse statement affirming that the accused are presumed innocent until proved guilty. Of course, no one would argue with that bedrock legal principle. But Bush missed a chance to communicate to the American people that he takes the Plame affair and the indictment seriously and that unethical behavior — not just illegality — is unacceptable in the White House.
He doesn’t even have to apologize to the American people or fire Karl Rove, as Democrats are demanding, to make that point.
Unlike past presidents facing scandal, Bush doesn’t seem inclined to admit any weakness by shaking things up on his staff. Instead, the Bush team is downplaying the charges, digging into a bunker mentality and hoping it all goes away.
More passivity and drift from this supposedly take-charge president.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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38 Comments
Why should he fire Karl Rove? He was not indicted. Plus, special prosecutor has not found that leaking Plame’s name was violation of the law. Nobody has been charge for leaking her name.
I’m not justifying the action of Libby. If he lied, he needs to be punish. But if one person lied why should Bush clean house to please Democrats?
As I’m recalling from his campaign in 2000, G.W. Bush promised to restore dignity and honor/ethics to the White House — implying that those traits were diminished or absent during the Clinton years.
So, the question becomes, is the absence of indictments equal to ethical behavior? I don’t think so, and believe that Bush and his administration have fallen way short of dignified and ethical behavior.
But, I don’t expect Bush to do anything now, but hunker down and stonewall in a Nixonian fashion — and desperately try and change the subject. I don’t think that this will be a winning strategy for Bush. After all, he has more of the electorate to alienate.
A USA Today poll taken from 10-28 to 10-30, 2005 indicate the pollees believed that the qualities “honest” and “trustworthy” – 49% applies to Bush, 48% doesn’t apply to Bush.
Day one and counting on the collapse of the Bush junta . . .
Joe W.
Robert Novak (or as we libs call him, “Nofacts”) said that TWO senior administrative officials gave him the name of a covert CIA agent, apparently to smear and punish her husband for revealing the lies of the President’s State of the Union Address (”Saddam has sought uranium from Africa.” “mushroom cloud over an American city” “45 minute delivery systems” etc.)
Now let’s say you’re the president. What do you do?
1. If you’re really outraged by what happened, you call all the senior staff on the carpet and you say, “tell me what happened and take the consequences or every single one of your asses is fired.”
2. If you’re not at all outraged and it’s just another smear-as-usual (McCain, Gore, Kerry, Ron Earle, etc.), then you do what Bush is doing.
He hasn’t “gotten to the bottom of it” because he doesn’t need to. He knows pretty much what happened, and it’s pretty much what his people always do–smear the truth-tellers, punish those who oppose them.
The only difference is that this time, he smeared powerful people that hold grudges (the CIA) instead of political types that are happy as long as they’re getting paid.
Sucks to be him. Unfortunately, it also sucks to be America run by him . . .
Randy: ” Bush sends wrong signals on CIA leak ”
ME: Somehow you keep expecting Bush to be the President, with no strings attached. He’s not. You’re suggesting that he should act like a “president” when he is what you see, but not what you get.
It would be nice if he took the responsibilities that goes with the job, but he can’t. He’s actually just that little boy was all saw reading a book about a goat, waiting for someone to tell him what to do.
Bush is a man who can’t handle the “presidency” all by himself, he needs someone to tell him what to do and when to do it.
The Cabal of Iraeli agents running this country aren’t going to clean their own house, they’d have to fire themselves and that’s not going to happen.
They are neoconservatives { Israeli agents } and acting morally just isn’t in them. If it was then 92 more American soldiers would not have lost their lives in Iraq this October, and the President would make the Israelis stop firing artillery shells indiscriminately into the Gaza refugee camps, killing unreported numbers of Palestinians. That’s not ” the American Way of doing things.”
Israel, whose Prime Minster is a wanted war-criminal, is calling the shots for Bush so don’t expect him to be the American president.
Yes, if he was actually the American President in fact, he would ” clean-house ” and this country would be run the American way.
He’s not.
he Isn’t.
There’s you signal, it’s a shame you don’t seem to see it.
Hey Randy,
Do you ever have an original thought, or do you just download the DNC talking points each day?
Of course GW is sending wrong signals! He allowed a special prosecutor for no other reason than caving in to his political enemies. After two years, the crime that was being investigated turned out not to exist.
Then we threaten poor ol’ Scooter with thirty years of hard time for having a poor memory.
It GW had any balls at all, he would have immediately pardoned Scooter and ended this whole fiasco.
Esod
The White House is “dirty.”
Karl Rove is “dirty” and isn’t off the hook yet.
Lies are subsituted for truth without concern for the American People on every issue, comming from the cabal running this country into the ground.
October took another 92 soldiers lives.
All that may suit your needs but not ours.
If the White House wants credibility then look at this. The intelligent course is to pack-up our lies and leave.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1101/dailyUpdate.html
Esod is perfectly willing to let other people die in Mr. Bush’s war.
That’s why he’s a Republican.
GW Bush, October, 2000, on the campaign trail in Pittsburg, PA:”In my administration, we will ask not only what is legal, but what is right, not what the lawyers will allow, but what the public deserves.”
There are two things that are scary about the above and too bad we did not know them back in ‘00. 1) By “right” in the above quote, Bush really means “far right ideology and dogma” and 2) what we are getting now, is what Bush thinks the American public deserves.
Collapse of the Bush Junta: Day 2 and Counting . . .
I really get sick of all you traitors and your BUSH LIED crap. None of you have come up with any verifiable lie yet. Duh, the NYT said he lied so he did. The NYT is in the business of making up lies.I know I can’t sway the Paid Traitors or the useful idiots out there but for the rest of you naive democrats, regarding the “Bush Lies” on WMDs, a history lesson may be useful.WMDs were attested to by several members of the Clinton team including the CIA director, Tenant. Kerry, Gore and many most leading Democrat congressmen and associated talking heads ALL agreed they existed. Clinton blew a billion in missiles to destroy them, but missed. Even the Liberal Tony Blair told US about the Iraq mission to buy Yellow Cake (or cracked nuts – their only other export). They even mentioned the forged memo but assured US that was not their proof.You all forget the first of the 16 words in the WMD “lie”. He said”The British have reported—I hope they were all wrong but it did not start with Bush.
Joe,I would not expect a reply from Whitehouse on your recent application to fill Karl Rove’s soon-to-be-vacated position. Changing the subject to the WMD story, is not the subject these folks want the subject changed to.
I’ll make a deal with Randy. Bush will make any apology you libs want as soon as you apologize for dragging Rove’s name thru the mud for months. I won’t hold my breath!
Joe B.,Even if I agreed that Rove’s name has been unfairly drug “thru the mud”, I am hard pressed to feel any sympathy for him. Maybe Karl could get some sympathy on that score from John McCain . . . or, maybe not, either.
Well Joe, we’re even: We’re equally sick of you.
Joe C.
I really resent being called a “traitor” just because I oppose Bush’s immoral and illegal war.
Or at least I would if I took anything you said seriously. But you’re so obviously enthralled by the “Bush can do no wrong” mentality, that one can only pity you.
The issue is not “who thought Saddam had WMD’s.” The issue is what do we DO about a possible Saddam threat?
Bush dived headlong into the war option. We know now that was a mistake. We had inspectors on the ground finding nothing. We could have let them work longer.
There were a host of alternatives other than full-scale war and occupation.
Bush wasn’t interested in them. He wanted war. And he got it.
But that’s fine with you and Esod AS LONG AS YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGHT IT OR EVEN PAY FOR IT.
Stupid plick . . .
Galahad
“plick?”
It sure seems funny how that anyone who opposes the war is automaticlly on the side of “EVIL”. The Republicans think we need a war and support it blindly. Could this be to make “W” look like a heroZ??? He had his chance to be a real hero, but disappeared for a couple of years.Leaking the CIA name to some could or shpould be considard treason. After all… we are at war.
Galahad, you plinkNow the traitorous democrats are in closed session to make up some more lies for the rest of you traitors to pass on.
Cool.
About time the Democrats started getting it together and offering a real alternative to the corrupt AND incompetent Bush mafiosi.
From Harry Reid’s statement–
“when General Shinseki indicated several hundred thousand troops would be needed in Iraq, his military career came to an end. When then OMB Director Larry Lindsay suggested the cost of this war would approach $200 billion, his career in the Administration came to an end. When U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix challenged conclusions about Saddam’s WMD capabilities, the Administration pulled out his inspectors. When Nobel Prize winner and IAEA head Mohammed el-Baridei raised questions about the Administration’s claims of Saddam’s nuclear capabilities, the Administration attempted to remove him from his post. When Joe Wilson stated that there was no attempt by Saddam to acquire uranium from Niger, the Administration launched a vicious and coordinated campaign to demean and discredit him, going so far as to expose the fact that his wife worked as a CIA agent.”
Now remind me again . . . who’re the traitors?
To Joe C, and every other Bush-worshipping, fascist traitor to the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law:
How’s it feel to get slapped down by Harry Reid, you snivelling little biotches? You’re crying like a bunch of little girls when they didn’t get the Barbie Dream House they wanted.
Republicans: they can dish it out, but they can’t take it.
Your majority leader SUCKS. Good luck with getting anyone to go along with the ‘Nukular’ option. What a numb-nuts Frist is.
Joe C.An ad hominem argument is a good Republican spin strategy. But, referring back to the Iraq war, I am sure, is not a winner in terms of the Bunker Hunkering your chums in D.C. are wanting to do right now.
Instead you ought to try something like accusing Liberals of being in favor of the spread of Avian Flu. That would really get them on the defensive and off your back. :-)
Galahad. She was not covert and there is no charges of indictments against anybody for her leak.
“I really get sick of all you traitors and your BUSH LIED crap.”
Joe I am a traitor, my loyalty does lay elsewhere. If the choice is the United States of America or G.W. Bush? I will stand for the U.S. this put me against G.W. Bush.If you have not realized by a preponderance of the evidence. That in fact the President of the United states and his minions did knowingly lied in their reasons and intent for the invasion of Iraq.
Then sir I can only believe that you are willfully blind or equally willfully a fool.
I would consider you a danger to this country, if I in fact believe you were other than just trying to stir up people for your own amusement. I doubt even you believe what you say, or perhaps you really are a fool for believe yourself.
Perhaps I was a bit hasty but I have never heard such anti-American rhetoric during wartime than I have been hearing from the democrats and their sympathizers. I will give you folks the benefit of the doubt. You are probably just hard working Al Jezera reporters doing a fine job.It’s just that I have family over there and any talk that encourages those who are trying to kill them makes me mad. And you ‘dumocrats’ sure do that. The only way we lose a war against the likes of the ‘Insurgents’ is for people like you to keep up the lies.
Joe C.,I have family (a cousin and a brother-in-law) there, too. That is the main reason (and one of many) that I am against the war.
My goodness, Joe C, we’ve made you mad? Here, let me go get you a tissue.
XXX,
Indeed. Somebody call the Waaaaaaaaaaaahbulance for Joe C.
My first sense is that all the “joes” are the same guy.
My CONVICTION is that “Joes”???? Your hannity is showing!
Ah ya gotta forgive and pity ‘ol Dumbya a bit here. This guy was selected to do photo-ops, and cut taxes on the super wealthy. His was to be a “smile and sign here” administation for those that got him in. And mostly, that has happenned. The war of opporunity only assisted that.
You gotta remember this and some other things about pResident bush. This guy has never been accountable to anyone or anything beyond his Mom and his wife. (his Dad while an ok guy was also accoutable to his mom…er I mean his wife) He does not see that the majority of Americans are against him as any dissenter is kept far away. Some conservatives see him as strong because he “delegates” out authority to others. But an un-curious man such as bush “delegates” not from authority but from incompetence.
bush has to be first perplexed, next confused and finally defensive. “I did something wrong?” I never do anything wrong, cause I don’t do anything I delegate. See that’s what a leader does and I got political capital”
I am heartened by the actions of Senator harry Reid today, in attempting to get at flawed (manipulated) intelligence leading to the Iraq war. This will only serve to further out the men behind the bush and their complicity at what will be found tantamount to treason. Freed from her appointment to the Supreme Court, perhaps bush’s lawyer Harriet Miers can begin to prepare for him a “stupidity defense”.
“It’s just that I have family over there and any talk that encourages those who are trying to kill them makes me mad. And you ‘dumocrats’ sure do that.”
This statement is wrong on so many levels, one hardly knows where to start–
1. You notice that all us “paid Al Jazeera types” (hey, where’s my pay check this month?! I don’t care if it is Ramadan) have no quarrel with AFGHANISTAN where the actual terrorists are. Neither does the rest of the world. Does the fact that we don’t critize Bush’s attack and overthrow of the Taliban make it easier to find Osama and protect our boys?
Unfortunately, no. BushCo. seems to be making about as big a mess there as he is in Iraq.
But, by golly, I support him there!
2. My son-in-law just got back. So tell it to the Army. Oh wait, he’s IN the Army. But not for long.
3. You’re saying if we Americans all got just as nasty and tough-talking as old President Pretzel-choker, why, those scardy-pants terrorists would just give up. Yeah, they’d give up.
Uh . . . I don’t think so.
Did we give up when the Japs made suicide charges at our guys instead of surrendering? Did we give up when we saw massive rallies of 10,000 Nazis high-fiving Der Furher?
4. It’s not peace activists who are killing American soldiers. It’s their Commander-in-Chief that keeps them there, so their comrades will “not have died in vain.”
Hey, President Cuckoo-Bananas, they have ALREADY DIED IN VAIN. You made sure of that when you went in without a real coalition behind you or even a plan to govern the country once you got it.
Don’t accuse the peace movement of killing soldiers when we’re the only ones that want to get them home alive as far as I can see.
Right, Joe C.
And since we “paid Al Jeezera hacks” (Hey, where’s my paycheck this month–I don’t care if it is Ramadan) fully SUPPORT Bush’s anti-terrorist war in Afghanistan, then things are just fine and dandy there, right?
I mean the country now has a stable government, the infrastructure is getting re-built by locals, and Osama has been caught and executed, right?
Yeah . . . right.
BTW, my son-in-law just got back from iraq. So tell it to the Army. Because, he’s IN the Army.
This website is wacked out. First it won’t post. I log off and come back. My post isn’t there. So I post another one.
And now my old post pops up from nowhere.
Technology . . . ain’t it grand.
We are all witness to the re-establishment of the final kindom on Earth by the great prince of darkness. The kingdom of the New World Order is here and now!
He is above the law! He is above control by the US govt. He is above the CIA. Pray for mercy in the direction of deciept we are readily advancing!
Yours in Prayer!
Rev Cain
Those of you who claim to have family over there and are still giving encouragement the the terrorists –
ARE CRAZY!
Let’s don’t forget that when Bush was pushing for this war, he made the only condition for Iraq to avoid war was for Saddam to turm over WMD’s. Makes you wonder if somebody in the White House knew damn well he didn’t have any.
It’s amazing how fast the bushwipes are to jump to the defense of a President who runs from confrontation (he’s in So. America today while Scooters pleads innocent) who is finally beginning to be seen by the American public as inept (look at today’s poll numbers).
Galahad”BTW, my son-in-law just got back from iraq. So tell it to the Army. Because, he’s IN the Army.”Which Army? All those I talked to were sick of the lies being told by the dumocrats.
JR”I am heartened by the actions of Senator harry Reid today, in attempting to get at flawed (manipulated)—If dingy Harry is your leader you better check how he voted on the war because most Dumocrats, having the same data as Bush, Voted to GO.
Nice try Joe but remember! I listen to Hannity too. The difference is I am a rational person , Hannity is a shill for the bush administration, and you Joe are a dumb hannitized dupe.
The Democrats that Mr Vanity……er Hannity, told you endorsed this war (and whom you dutifully list just as hannity does) never in fact did any such thing. Based on intelligence that we are beginning to see may have been manipulated at the highest levels of government, these Democrats gave AUTHORIZATION to bush to go to war if it was deemed in national interest. Their mistake, as with most Americans, was the assumtion that no Administration would ever committ to war merely for the purpose of elevating an unpopular and domestically failing “president”
New Bush approval rating? 35%. Pretty soon Joe, it’s gonna be down to you, hannity Rush, and mixed nuts.