Monday, July 09, 2007

NYT and More BushCo Garbage

If you've ever wondered how to spin the Emperor's Clothes out of nothing, the NYT can show you how to do it. You've probably noticed that a couple more Republican Repudiators are around now, they're now willing to say Iraq is messed up. They've come right out in public and said we need to do something different (they did vote to sustain the President's veto just awhile ago), what that something isn't particularly clear. So the NYT has an article about how 'worried' the White House is, " according to several administration officials and outsiders they are consulting." (if you like that authoritative sourcing this article has plenty) "But suddenly, some of Mr. Bush’s aides acknowledge, it appears that forces are combining against him just as the Senate prepares this week to begin what promises to be a contentious debate..." "some aides are now telling Mr. Bush that if he wants to forestall more defections, it would be wiser to announce plans for a far more narrowly defined mission for American troops..." "it looks pretty grim,” said one senior official, who, like others involved in the discussions, would not speak on the record..." " 'Sept. 15 now looks like an end point for the debate, not a starting point,' the official said. 'Lots of people are concluding that the president has got to get out ahead of this train.' "

The only actual human beings quoted in the entire article are quoted from public statements, all the stuff about BushCo's concerns is anonymous, and eminently deniable, by anybody inside. The entire credibility of the idea that the Administration is trying to figure out how to reduce troop levels and start getting out is based on the NYT's credibility, which you may judge on some of their previous reliance on 'official sources.'

If I were this Administration I'd have been real worried pre-06 election, very worried right after it and frankly real spooked back in 03 when I saw who and where my intel was coming from; so why is it that just because a couple Republican Senators decide to say Iraq is a mess is pushing BushCo anywhere is questionable to me. I personally don't buy into the idea that Karl Rove is some kind of genius, but even an idiot could see that 70% of voters disapproving of Iraq has meaning for Republican Senators who have to run in 08 and that's been true since November 06 and the "Surge" was the response.

What these Republican Senators have had to say is public pablum and I don't think any of the Machiavellians at BushCo see it any differently. Their previous votes say so, the prospect of being opposed in their primaries by "red-meat" Republicans says so, and the (R) says so. Gordon Smith (R-OR) got out early and his votes never changed, and if you listen to what he says, you'll be completely confused as to what it means in regard to voting. It should be a fair amount of fun watching these guys try to play both ends of the string to the middle...

In regards to our troops in Iraq, it's going to suck watching this.

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