[B]y all reports, President Bush is more convinced than ever of his righteousness.
Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him nearly wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated “I am the president!” He also made it clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of “our country’s destiny.”
Hat-tip to Sinphonyman.
Let’s face it. We have a mental case for president. Why should that come as a surprise? Nothing that has happened in this man’s life suggests anything different. This was even pretty apparent during the 2000 election cycle, but we American voters decided we wanted a mental case for president. Ok, so it was the US Supreme Court that made the actual decision, but we left it up to them.
At this point, I’d settle for a semen stained dress.
I don’t know that I’d call Bush a mental case – unfortunately, there’s really nothing abnormal about naked aggression and greed in today’s world. Now, the people who voted for him are an entirely different matter.
Strangely enough, it comforts me that he refers to a successor. I guess Bush doesn’t expect to be president forever. However, that doesn’t guarantee that he’s going to leave in January 2009. His self-awarded emergency powers could postpone that fateful day when America is free again.
From TPM:
When a presidential directive appeared on the White House’s Web site on May 9, seemingly expanding the president’s powers after a catastrophic attack, readers began emailing us asking why there had been no uproar in the media or amongst civil liberties groups.
The consensus amongst experts seems to be that the directive, aimed at establishing “continuity of government” after a major disaster, is not new nor does the policy seem to expand executive power.
In fact, Mike German, the policy counsel to the ACLU’s Washington office told me that an executive continuity plan actually might “not be that bad of an idea.”
Executive power expert, NYU law professor David Golove, also sent me an email saying the directive didn’t appear to be a power grab.
National Security Presidential Directive 51 or Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20 is posted here. Have a look.
Presidential directives outlining how the executive branch will remain intact in the event of an emergency have been around since the Cold War. The directive posted this month is the first to be made public, to the best of German’s recollection. (A description of Clinton’s continuity directive is available here.) German called the release a positive sign, but said he urges the release of all previous directives so we can get a real sense of what has changed.
The concept of continuity of government applies to all branches of government. Christopher Kelleye, a presidency expert and political science professor at Miami University Ohio told me in an email that he didn’t see any new powers listed in the directive, but wondered why Congress hasn’t done the same thing.
Crazy as a bessie bug.
Too bad they keep him so insulated – a dash more real life and he’d snap (preferably with cameras nearby).
the chimp is torn with wanting to go home and being the decider man. we have to make him want to go home.
Leaving Iraq for his successor – that’s a hell of a claim. I have no problem believing it, but I wish they’d sourced it.
“Our country’s destiny”=making lots of things blow up so Jesus will come back.
Don’t ever forget it.
Can’t we just arrange a long trail of brush that desperately needs clearing from the edge of the WH lawn all the way back to Crawford? He won’t be able to resist himself…and imagine if we staged some bald pates along the way to ‘spice’ it up a little? 😉
Elspeth
I really, really, cannot believe we elected this intentionally ignorant, childish, wannabe cowboy as our President. Twice.
And Zeno, I am with you. Based upon the legal theories that this administration has put forth, there is absolutely no reason that Bush, in his capacity as commander-in-chief, couldn’t decide that it was in the interests of national security to postpone the elections until the present “emergency” ends. The requirement that we elect a President every 4 years, and the limitation of Presidents to only two terms, are, after all, merely Constitutional. And as we well know, the Constitution is not a suicide pact. And the President may set aside any provision he determines necessary. And you don’t swap horses in midstream. Etc.
“I really, really, cannot believe we elected this intentionally ignorant, childish, wannabe cowboy as our President. Twice.”
We didn’t.
What I can’t believe is the rhetoric posted here.
Do you always abandon everyone you support? Do you throw away your wife & children when “you” think they are acting crazy?
How easy it is to betray someone you grew tired of
because of your own selfish wants or failures.
You live in The Greatest Country on earth with the finest people on this earth.Grow up!
Codeine.
How long does codeine stay in your system. Pseudoephedrine with codeine cough syrup. Tylenol with codeine.