The Workday Liberal

Here is Muhammad Ali, being presented the presidential medal of freedom, and giving the president a smashing right hook to the jaw in the only way he could in his present condition. As related in the Washington Post:

Bush, who appeared almost playful, fastened the heavy medal around Muhammad Ali's neck and whispered something in the heavyweight champions ear. Then, as if to say "bring it on," the president put up his dukes in a mock challenge. Ali, 63, who has Parkinson's disease and moves slowly, looked the president in the eye -- and, finger to head, did the "crazy" twirl for a couple of seconds.

The room of about 200, including Cabinet secretaries, tittered with laughter. Ali, who was then escorted back to his chair, made the twirl again while sitting down. And the president looked visibly taken aback, laughing nervously.

Since childhood I've been a big fan of Ali. He quite simply was the greatest. While flipping through the channels, if ESPN flashes by and they are showing an old Ali fight I'll stick there and watch, all the way through the post fight victory histrionics. (Much to the dismay of my wonderful girlfriend in most cases)

Of course the presidents remarks regarding Mr. Ali did not note his outspoken opposition to the Vietnam war, or his refusal to serve in the army. Those principled stands cost him dearly in his career. That kind of anti-war sentiment was fine 40 years ago but not something President Bush wishes to dwell upon given today's political affairs.
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In other news of note, there is a very interesting article from none other than Pat Buchanan on the current state of the Republican party. He really has no use for Bush II's governance, but the part of the article that really got my attention is the following quote.

post-9/11, Bush II converted to a neoconservatism that calls for unilateral American intervention in the Middle East and the Islamic world, to bring down dictators and establish democracy.

Thus, in March, 2003, Bush, in perhaps the greatest strategic blunder in U.S. history, invaded an Arab nation that had not attacked us, did not want war with us, and did not threaten us--to strip it of weapons we now know it did not have.

Result: Shia and Kurds have been liberated from Saddam, but Iran has a new ally in southern Iraq, Osama has a new base camp in the Sunni Triangle, the Arab and Islamic world have been radicalized against the United States, and copy-cat killers of Al Qaida have been targeting our remaining allies in Europe and the Middle East: Spain, Britain, Egypt and Jordan. And, lest we forget, 2055 Americans are dead and Walter Reed is filling up.

True to the neoconservative creed, Bush launched a global crusade for democracy that is now bringing ever closer to power Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Syria, and Shia fundamentalists in Baghdad and Basra.

Democratic imperialism is still imperialism. To Arab and Islamic peoples, whether the Crusaders come in the name of God or in the name of democracy, they are still Crusaders.

The apocalypse is upon us my friends. I find myself agreeing with nearly every word given by Pat Buchanan in the above quote.