Last night’s network news seemed fraught with problems for President Bush. He went on television to describe, in much more detail than is usual for him, about how our security teams in the United States foiled an attack on the tallest building on the West Coast. It sounded as if this had happened earlier in the week; but the truth is this attack was noted by the 911 Commission in its report months ago. So why did Bush decide to get more specific now?
The media mill also hinted that Gordon “Scooter” Libby, who has been indicted and eventually could stand trial, is going to say he was given permission to leak the information to the media that he did leak by his boss. We all know that boss is Dick Cheney.
What started as a problem for Denmark, where a newspaper printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed a few months ago, has now engulfed the United States. Muslims across the Middle East have been rioting in response; and calls for reason are going unheard. Even Laura Bush, in her audience with Pope Benedict XVI, pleaded for calm. Yet today’s reports from the area describe more violence.
In addition, Bush is struggling in the polls regarding his credibility; his religious base is beginning to thin, and the next presidential election is already a topic of discussion. Even though it’s a long way off.
I’m not a Bush supporter, never have been. But I can’t say all this Sturm und Drang makes me happy. I would much prefer that Bush and his administration had chosen different paths these past five years, even if it meant I had to admit I was wrong about him. Presently, I don’t see any chance of that.
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