The Workday Liberal

People who follow the news day in and out know a talking point when they hear it. Typically a talking point is distributed by the White House to the right wing noise machine, who in turn spreads it around the air waves. But lately there has been a talking point from Democrats making the rounds, and I must say that I really like it.

Here is Senator Harry Reid rolling out the talker today: They are protecting the President rather than protecting our troops.

Here's Senator Webb in his beat down of Senator Graham on Sundays Meet The Press, with the same point in different words: "We’re now in a situation where the soldiers and the Marines are having less than a one to one ratio, and somebody needs to speak up for them rather than simply defending what this president’s been doing."

I detect a theme developing, and this point is actually spot on target. President Bush's policies have required the sacrifice of the military, and their families... and you hear a lot of hot air from Republicans about supporting the troops, but all they are really worried about is that the President be protected. It is actually embarrassing to watch these administration flunkies out there defending obviously wrong headed policies that cost American lives and treasure just so their President can go back to Crawford and leave the mess to the next President.

Let me say this as plainly as can be said. I realize what I'm about to say is inflammatory, but I'm the guy who repeatedly states that Bush is the top recruitment officer for Al Qaeda housed in Washington D.C. so just deal with it. The President is responsible for the death of hundreds of military members solely with the intention of not having a loss in Iraq as a part of his legacy.

I'm not even going to specifically fault him for invading and the first few years of occupation in this context. After last years mid term elections which swept Democrats to power, followed by the Iraq Study Group telling us the obvious truth that there could be no "victory" in Iraq... after it should have been clear to everybody that the jig was up... Bush chose to send more soldiers to their deaths.

At this point there can be no doubt as to why he is behaving like this. Bush's prideful nature can not allow him to admit the defeat wrought by his own wrong headed and bumbling handling of the entire Iraq debacle. Americans are literally dying by the hundreds, being maimed and disabled, having their families ripped asunder, because of George Bush's pride!

If the President has his way on this, Bush will claw along until the end... leaving the entire mess in someone elses lap. Then when it all comes tumbling down, Bush and his few remaining sychophants will declare that the President who was handed the mess is at fault for not seeing the affair through to victory. The rest of the world will know better, but that doesn't matter to these delusional types. If they can justify it in their own mind, no matter how tenuous the logic, they will be able to sleep at night and wake the next day to continue the charade.

Frankly, I think this game by the President will only serve to sully his legacy even further. Not only did he blow it by invading a nation which did not threaten us, but Bush set policies which led to quagmire, and then refused to end the mess once it became apparent to everybody that staying was futile... because of his prideful nature. What a failure of a President.

Whenever I consider this legacy stuff I like to recall the days immediately following 9/11. The nation was united as never before with red white and blue lining our cities streets. The Presidents approval was over 90%, and the entire rest of the world stood with us in the new struggle. The President has followed disastrous policies which split this nation's people one from another, and alienated us from the rest of the world. The man who came to power promising to be a uniter, had the nation united under his leadership as has never been seen prior to that moment, but leaves us deeply divided amongst ourselves. How ironic that it was Osama Bin Laden who was the uniter, and George Bush who was the divider.

Thus it is that the lapdog Republicans who continue to enable this atrocity are responsible for protecting the President. Thus it is that Democrats and Republicans of good faith are spot on when they describe the lapdog R's as protecting the President and not the troops. It is a point that I'm happy to see spread around.