President George Bush turned 61 yesterday but he had little to celebrate at the end of a week in which his isolation has been exposed as never before.
Bah. His present this year, as in previous years, is the big bowl of shit of his own creation, and his own insistence. We've had enough, so it's your turn to grab a spoon and chow down, Champ.
Although he has 18 months left in office, Mr Bush's options are limited. Last week, he lost his last chance for snatching a lasting domestic legacy when his immigration reform bill was destroyed in Congress. On foreign policy, there is little optimism of a late breakthrough on Israel-Palestine, Iran or Iraq.
The Washington Post reported this week on academics invited to the White House to discuss with him his legacy, including Sir Alistair Horne, author of a history of the Algerian revolt, which has parallels with Iraq. They, as well as former staffers and friends, spoke of his loneliness, his agonising over how history will portray him. Michael Conaway, a still loyal senator and long-time friend, said the president appeared to be worn down by the pressure and spoke of "a marked difference in his physical appearance".
Yeah, yeah, he's a haunted man, blah-blahbedy blah-blah. Jesus, anyone want cheese to go with this whine? Besides, you would think that maybe a man on the ropes, politically and spiritually, might be more willing to make even false overtures of reconciliation, for the good of the country if nothing else. Instead, we get more of this happy horseshit:
President Bush accused Democratic lawmakers on Saturday of being unable to live up to their duties, citing Congress' inability to pass legislation to fund the federal government.
"Democrats are failing in their responsibility to make tough decisions and spend the people's money wisely," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "This moment is a test."
Oh ho, this is rich. Pot, meet kettle. But then, it's about all he's got left, isn't it? He really is in a box here, no credibility on any issue whatsoever, so just take a jab at pocketbook issues and see if that resonates with the bedrock goobers. Good luck with that, but most of them are probably too busy impregnating their cousins and looking for Mexicans to harass.
The main reason the immigration measure died, however, was staunch opposition from Bush's own base conservatives. The president could not turn around members of his own party despite weeks of intense effort.
The immigration bill was the top item on Bush's domestic agenda. With its demise, Bush was left to focus on the annual appropriations process and reining in federal spending.
Get used to it, Junior, because this is how it's going to be for the duration. Eighteen long months of looking and sounding ridiculous, about as popular as Michael Vick at a PETA convention, pissing off even your own base, getting caught up in ever more inept lies, watching your party back away from you, and then moseying out to the tumbleweed farm, an abject failure, synonymous with incompetence.
Sometimes payback really is a bitch.
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