It's like one of those fairy tales which starts with "If we had a penny and then found another" and which ends with "Then we'd be billionaires."* But O the unity of the group! O the civility of the group! O the bipartisanship of the group! O also the very high age and unelected nature of the group and the fact that its recommendations will not be adopted by George Bush who said this about them:
"This report gives a very tough assessment of the situation in Iraq," Bush said. "It is a report that brings some really very interesting proposals, and we will take every proposal seriously and we will act in a timely fashion.
"The commission is headed up to Congress, and I urge the members of Congress to take this report seriously. While they won't agree with every proposal -- and we probably won't agree with every proposal -- it, nevertheless, is an opportunity to come together and to work together on this important issue.
mmm. And ten more Americans died in Iraq today, in addition to many more Iraqis. I've grown cynical of all the political posturing.
And especially of the suddenly fashionable call for more civility, now that the very rude wingnuts are losing some of their power. Even Bush wants the bickering to stop:
"The country, in my judgment, is tired of pure political bickering that happens in Washington, and they understand that on this important issue of war and peace, it is best for our country to work together. And I understand how difficult that is, but this report will give us all an opportunity to find common ground, for the good of the country -- not for the good of the Republican Party or the Democrat Party, but for the good of the country."
(Bush's alleged commitment to bipartisanship would probably be easier to swallow if he referred to the opposition party by its proper name. Although the White House press office tidied up the official transcript, the fact is that even in talking about finding common ground, the president referred to the "Democrat party" -- a clipped, derogatory locution favored by those who suggest that it isn't "democratic.")
Besides, saying "Democrat" rhymes with "rat".
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*It's not that bad, actually. But no report will make much difference at this point.