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August 08, 2005
Only the NYT could find a sinister plot behind Bush working while on vacation
This is a classic New York Times hatchet job. It manages to dredge up the completely dead Plame investigation, smear Bush once again with falsehoods about the intelligence prior to 9/11, and ironically equate Bush with the French, all while dripping with contempt for the heartland.
After explaining that other WH staffers were off to places like Maine, Florida and Greece, Elisabeth Bumiller notes that
Mr. Bush, of course, was in the less exotic blast furnace of his Texas ranch, settling in for a five-week stay on the prairie that will be his longest time away from Washington as president.
Get it? Bush is an absentee President. Lolligaging at his ranch for 5 whole weeks!! A little bitter Liz? Didn't bring enough moisturizer or what?
But in his first days away, Mr. Bush was relatively busy. He gave a speech on Wednesday in Grapevine, Tex., and met with the president of Colombia at the ranch on Thursday. He is to travel to New Mexico today, meet with his economic advisers and hold a news conference at the ranch tomorrow, travel to Illinois on Wednesday, meet with his foreign policy team and hold another news conference back at the ranch on Thursday, go to a Republican fund-raising lunch at a neighboring ranch on Friday and attend a Little League championship game in Waco, Tex., on Saturday.
Wait a sec. That means Bush is good! He's not really on vacation! He's working from Crawford! Good Bush! George is the Best! Right?
Noooooooooo. Because the reason for all the work is EVIL. Because whereever Bush is, even if it's Crawford, Texas, evil is afoot. Worse than evil, its a COVER-UP!!!!
One reason for the activity might be the desire to be in purposeful motion on another anniversary of the now-infamous C.I.A. briefing that Mr. Bush received at the ranch on Aug. 6, 2001. That briefing, which informed the new president that the terrorist network Al Qaeda had maintained an active presence in the United States for years and could be preparing for hijackings here, created a political uproar when its contents were eventually made public.Critics have long called it a symbol of the administration's complacency in the slow summer days before the catastrophe of Sept. 11, 2001. Administration officials have countered that there was no specific information to act on, and that the briefing never warned that planes could be used as missiles.
So, to recap, the reason he went to the Little League game is to deflect attention from a briefing he got four years ago that may (according to the President's critics) or may not (according to sane people the world over) have provided warning of the potential of something that no one in their right mind would have comtemplated would be on the order of 9/11.
And not only that, but Liz takes her opportunity to rehash the non-story of the decade, providing yet another sinister reason behind Bush's August vacation. I feel silly for even putting this part in, because of course you all know the real reason Bush is in Crawford this month. It's because he's (lets all say it together):
...fleeing Washington to escape the federal investigation into who leaked the name of a Central Intelligence Agency officer to reporters, a potential crime.
Obviously. Because with Bush hunkered down in Crawford instead of Washington, no one would ever write a story about the Plame investigation. (OMG. I used her name - I hope I don't get deposed.) And God knows the federal investigator would never think to look in Texas if he had to ask Bush or his staff any questions.
And of course, Karl Rove will be joining the Pres-- What? You don't know who Mr. Rove is? I can't believe it. Luckily, Liz is here to clue you in. Turns out he's the same Mr. Rove
who has testified to a grand jury in the leak investigation
Thanks for clearing that up, Liz (or is it "Lis"?) Because I had forgotten that aspect of the story. Certainly an essential detail not to be ignored in this story about how hot it is at the ranch and how much you - I mean all civilized people despise it.
If it weren't so pathetic and seriously off-putting, this story would just be a laugh riot!
Bonus Taranto metaphor alert: Ever wondered why it's like a "blast furnace" in Crawford? It's because of the "blistering sun."
And for what it's worth, the forcast for tomorrow:
Clouds and sun with a t-storm High: 87° F RealFeel®: 95° FCrawford, TX:
Some sun with a thunderstorm High: 93° F RealFeel®: 100° F
So, if you are a NYT reporter, and you are lucky enough to get off the Crawford beat and get to head back to Washington, better take a sweater.
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Comments
I love it when you sound bitter, honey! Now tell us how you really feel...
Posted by: Lor at August 9, 2005 01:48 PM
But it's a "dry heat" in Crawford.
Posted by: Lee Sheridan at August 16, 2005 01:59 PM
