Cognitive Dissonance – take two

The Decider threw a hissy fit yesterday over the deadlines for withdrawal contained in the Iraq funding legislation currently working its way through Congress. In this fit of pique, Bush really embraced his inner four year old and adopted the “gimme what I want, you meanies” line.

Speaking a day before he heads out of town for six days for events in the West and an Easter break at his ranch, the president said Democrats are failing their responsibility to the troops and the nation's security by leaving for their own recess after passing bills to fund the war that contain timelines for American withdrawal.

Given his promised veto of anything containing a deadline — and the likelihood that his veto would be sustained on Capitol Hill — Bush said Democrats are merely engaging in games that "undercut the troops."

"Democrat leaders in Congress seem more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than in providing our troops what they need to fight the battles in Iraq," Bush said. "In a time of war, it's irresponsible for the Democrat leadership — Democratic leadership in Congress to delay for months on end while our troops in combat are waiting for the funds."

Excuse me for a moment while I climb up on my soapbox…

OK, first off, he is back on the Democrat thing. Did he have to be an asshole and try to needle the folks with whom he should be negotiating? Apparently, yes but that is what children do when they frustrated and are not getting their way. They lash out, call people names, or otherwise huff and whine. The bummer is that this man-child is leader of the free world (Sidebar - it really hurt to write that). I find it quite disturbing that his first response is always to piss and moan rather than swallow his fucking pride and deal with the problem – arrogant prick. If you can’t admit that you are wrong, you miss many of life’s most instructive moments. Wise people learn from mistakes. This is not a wise man-child.

Moving on, what is this business of the democrats being the “irresponsible” party in this debate? Riddle me this fellow citizens:
Who sent our soldiers into Iraq without a plan for the peace?
Who did so with inadequate armor for those soldiers and their vehicles?
Who chose to secure the Oil Ministry whilst ignoring the Iraqi National Museum, leading inevitably to the ransacking of the museum and our credibilty?
Finally, who insists on funding this quagmire/monstrosity/clusterfuck through emergency legislation rather than including these costs in the regular budget so that the Administration could maintain ridiculous claims to half the deficit?

Those actions, ladies and gentlemen, were “irresponsible”. Those actions led us to this regrettable point in time. I know where culpability lays for Iraq and so does the other 60% plus of this nation that disapproves of the job Bush is doing. So fuck your “irresponsible”.

Putting on my amateur psychologist hat here (and I could be totally off base) but I think this is about his legacy. If Congress cuts off funding, the war ends on Bush’s watch. History will not be kind to the man-child. Iraq is one the great blunders in American history and he will own it lock, stock, and barrel. He knows that as things stand today, Iraq lands him somewhere in Nixon territory. If he can fund this mess beyond his term, he can kick the historical can, a little at least, to the next President. Spread the blame and pray for a good outcome later, or something. At its core though, he is sacrificing blood and treasure in service of his own ego. That is a horrible thing to say about a person and I don’t feel good about saying it. I just cannot figure out what other motivation there could be to continue a war which we have obviously, and quite painfully, lost.