Prescience: Yes Virginia, there is a War On

"'Dear George W. Bush. If there's anything you know, I, Ashley Pearson, age 10, can do to help anyone, please send me a letter and tell me what I can do to save our country'. She added this P.S.: "If you can send a letter to the troops, please put, 'Ashley Pearson believes in you'." (Applause.)

While sipping my coffee this morning, flipping between CNN and WKRC, my mind wandered to The State of The Union address tonight, and how very badly things have been botched these six years...

As many of you are aware, these last years, particularly the last two or so, have been hard, because of what was a matter of public record well before the 2004 Presidential Campaign, yet so many failed to believe what the truth was. Even though people have come around somewhat, I have trouble with "better late than never". It's depressing: How much could have been stopped? King George could have been in the rearview, and we could have been attempting repairs on what maybe inreparable.

Needless to say: There's no satisfaction in "I told ya so!", not in this case.

Covington begat The_Wizard: He is the Ur in this case, Blog the Father to my Blog the Son, though I make no pretense at matyrdom, nor do I necessarily attribute divinity to Covington.

However, what I will attribute to Covington is that he is one sharp motherfucker, and while any of us could have found this stuff, paid attention, and made logical conclusions, he actually did (as did many others who were ostracized or ignored):

"One thing that has been on my mind is the "one percent" strategy Bush can't seem to let go of. In Afghanistan (where we needed to invade at the time) and in Iraq (where we didn't) we are making the same mortal blunder, taking the major cities (one percent of the country) then declaring victory, while ceding the rest of the country to a sort of lawless darwinism in which only the most radical American-hater thrives and rises to the top. It's almost like they want to create the perfect petri-dish conditions to evolve another generation of bin Ladens. They have a lot of practice, the American Right Wing having been the primary support and ally of both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden during the 1980s.

Why would they choose a strategy that so transparently is creating more problems for the US and the western allies? Do they think that the American electorate is so stupid that any danger or fear gives Republicans an advantage, even if they created the problem? Are they right?
posted by Covington at 12/30/2003 09:21:40 AM"

Prescience can be defined as forethought or foresight, the understanding of cause and effect, and the ability to see the implications of actions now down the line. Many did, except for the people in charge, who were either disasterously stupid, willfully ignorant, or flat out malfeaseant. I choose Covington to make this point, because he makes it so eruditely.

A month later, King George gave his State of The Union address:

"We also hear doubts that democracy is a realistic goal for the greater Middle East, where freedom is rare. Yet it is mistaken, and condescending, to assume that whole cultures and great religions are incompatible with liberty and self-government. I believe that God has planted in every human heart the desire to live in freedom. And even when that desire is crushed by tyranny for decades, it will rise again." (Applause.)

Would that applause be greeted with the sound of crickets chirping? If an ideologue falls in the wilderness, who gives a shit?

It will be interesting to watch. How much will Georgie keep humping the lie? How "skillfully" can he weave his grand narrative. He's looking at history, now, already thinking postumous.

The postumous is the past, buddy, and the fifth column know in the popular demonology of the day (two years ago) as the academic "left" already had you figured out.

So, how did George answer young Ashley?

" Ashley, your message to our troops has just been conveyed. And, yes, you have some duties yourself. Study hard in school, listen to your mom or dad, help someone in need, and when you and your friends see a man or woman in uniform, say, 'thank you'.(Applause.) And, Ashley, while you do your part, all of us here in this great chamber will do our best to keep you and the rest of America safe and free." (Applause.)

Hopefully, you've smartened up some since then, Ashley. Be sure to thank your parents who "helped" you write that, and thank them on behalf of the 100 plus Americans who died over the weekend in Iraq, and the over 1800 hundred that have died since since they helped re-elect this ingrate.

Oh, and if you have smartened up...Get this asshole and his cronies out of office. Try to remember your duty to democracy this time.

And kick your parents in the shins.

HARD.