Is Our Presidents Learning?

During his first presidential campaign, Bush famously asked::

"Is our children learning?"

Seven years later, he has provided the answer:

"As yesterday's positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured."

Haditha!!!

What a sad farce, what a monumental criticism of the US government, military and (gotta say it) people: Haditha Probe Limps to a Close.

Mr 14%

Bush Success Rating at Historic Low:

President Bush’s success rating in the Democratic-controlled House has fallen this year to a half-century low, and he prevailed on only 14 percent of the 76 roll call votes on which he took a clear position.

The previous low for any president was in 1995, when Bill Clinton won just 26 percent of the time during the first year after Republicans took control of the House. If Bush’s score holds through the end of the year, he will have the lowest success rating in either chamber for any president since Congressional Quarterly began analyzing votes in 1953.

Tears Of A Clown

What a wanker:

Fully aware of his isolation as he defiantly insists his forces struggle on in Iraq, Mr Bush told Mr Draper: "I've got God's shoulder to cry on, and I cry a lot."

Referring to the growing death tally in Iraq, he added: "I'll bet I've shed more tears than you can count as president."

As for his plummeting standing in the popularity polls, the president pointed to his dog, Barney, and said: "That guy who said if you want a friend in Washington get a dog, he knew what he was talking about."

But he said: "I made a decision to lead. One, it makes you unpopular; two, it makes people accuse you of unilateral arrogance, and that may be true. But the fundamental question is, is the world better off as a result of your leadership?"

Mr Bush says history will have to decide on his legacy, but he adds that he gets short shrift from wife, Laura, when he gets down. "She reminds me that I decided to do this," he said.

"Self-pity is the worst thing that can happen to a presidency. This is a job where you can have a lot of self-pity."

Mr Bush said he's hoping General David Petraeus, America's top commander in Iraq, will be able to sell the progress he claims is being made in the war when he delivers his report to Congress next week.

He said his belief that his "surge" plan would work in Iraq was not for show. "You can't fake it," he added.

But he worries about his ability to convince the public his strategy is working. "I've been here too long. Every time I start painting a rosy picture, it gets criticised and then it doesn't make it on the news."

One Bright, Shining Lie

This one is for the long-time readers, the handful of BushOut aficionados who might just appreciate exactly how and why the US media surge surrounding the Petraeus report leads directly to classic ITM drivel like this:

...try to picture the scene; dozens of passenger SUV's (GMC trucks mostly) and buses parking in he middle of nowhere in a zone that was until recently the heart of al-Qaeda's Islamic state! Obviously the drivers and families feel safe enough that they know they won't be robbed and slaughtered by cold-blooded terrorists. Even more interesting, this parking and resting zone was not designated nor protected by the Iraqi or American forces but simply an arrangement the drivers managed on their own perhaps with cooperation from the local tribes.

I still laugh every time I think of this incredible change and I honestly wouldn't have believed it if the story teller wasn't my father.

Ah, yes! The classic elements of a great ITM story: a narrator passing on word of mouth from another likeable character. By pure chance, it just happens to tie in nicely with the latest neocon talking points. All the good news from Iraq your stomach can hold down!

And get this for a bonus: remember all that talk about 4.5 million Iraqi refugees? Well, turns out it was just the holiday season!

...a good percentage of Iraqis who flooded Syria in the beginning of the summer season were just trying to escape the summer heat and enjoy a simple vacation, like my family did.

Now we just sit back and wait for Bush to quote Omar Fadhil in one of his speeches, or the WSJ to run this as an Op-Ed...

Actually, it kinda bothers me that they don't even try a little bit harder. You know, this same tired trick has been played over and over again at ITM. But the punters keep hanging on, so... whatcha gonna do, eh?

Rake in the money, boys. You will be burning in Hell for a long time.

CODA: I know there are a lot of Ali Fadhils in Iraq, but I can't help wondering if a 2-year Fulbright scholarship in the USA (as contracted by the Department of State) might not have bought silence from one of them?

Fadhil, who is finishing a master's degree in journalism at New York University this fall, said he understood his friend's dilemma. Fadhil's father is a Sunni Muslim, his mother, a Shiite. His family still lives in Baghdad, and Fadhil, a married father of two, felt compelled to return to Iraq.

This summer, Fadhil is filming an HBO documentary about Baghdad's Yarmouk Hospital and another for ESPN about corruption in government-sponsored sports. His wife and children have been granted asylum in the United States, but Fadhil plans to return to Baghdad this winter.

Hmmn.