Iraq War Czar?

President Bush has just announced that Lt. General Douglas Lute will serve as the Iraq War Czar. Huh? I thought Bush was Commander-in-Chief!! With all due respect to General Lute, my guess is that he will be as successful as the Drug Czars have been in the War on Drugs.

Fantasy Headline

This graphic ran briefly on CNN International yesterday. I'm sure it was greeted with a cry of relief from the international audience!!

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Iraqi Parliament to US: Get Out!

For the first time a majority of the Iraqi Parliament has gone on record as demanding a U.S. withdrawal from their country. Though the resolution is non-binding, there may soon be an effort to make it an official declaration. ThinkProgress has more on the story. It is also interesting, as the article points out, that the American media has largely been silent on this development. Surely another example of left-wing media bias. Yea.. right.

Too Much Information

The Associated Press asked the current crop of Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, "What time is sleeping in?". Dennis Kucinich's wife gave the following response:

"Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich: 8:30 a.m., according to his wife, Elizabeth. But she said this is how they really like to sleep in: up for brunch and then back to bed until 4:30 p.m., John Lennon-and-Yoko Ono style." Emphasis Added

A Wink and a Glare

These are pictures from yesterday's presidential ceremony welcoming Queen Elizabeth II to the White House. President Bush again played the role of Moron-in-Chief when he tried to remind the audience that the Queen had visited the US on the occasion of our nation's Bicentennial in "17 ..... 1976". Catching himself in mid-gaffe, Bush then turned and winked at the monarch. As you can see, the Queen was not amused. Yet another day at the Bush White House!!

My Early Line

Even though we are about 8 months from the first votes, my predictions for the nominations are as follows: Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney. Despite some unease among Democrats, there are many structural advantages that Hillary enjoys -- loads of money, high name recognition, frontloaded primary season, and the popularity/campaign skills of her husband. Hillary, as evidenced by her races in New York, is also a formidable campaigner in her own right. Obama and Edwards will make strong challenges, but I think Hillary will prevail.

As far as the Republicans are concerned, I think Romney is most likely at this point. McCain is distrusted by the base, though his unwavering support of Bush's war has probably earned him a few points among party activists. Giuliani's position on social issues make him an unlikely choice for Republicans. Though Romney has changed his positions on some social issues to match party regulars, he has done it in a way that I believe the base will forgive. Of course, the expected candidacy of Fred Thompson could pose a serious threat to Romney. I don't believe the potential candidacy of Newt Gingrich will gather much traction, as Republicans will not see him as a viable general election candidate.

How's That Again?

In last Thursday's GOP Presidential Debate sponsored by MSNBC and Politico.com, 3 of 10 candidates actually indicated that they did not believe in evolution!! Candidates were asked to raise their hands if they did not believe in one of the most accepted scientific conclusions of the past century. Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee all raised their hands and thereby should be disqualified from consideration by anyone with a high school diploma, or a passing familiarity with reality.

* Cartoon from Church of Reality

Worst President Ever?

Because of my interest in politics, I am often asked if George W. Bush is the worst president in U.S. history. I used to give a definitive "NO" to that question, offering instead Richard Nixon and his criminal behavior. After all, Nixon had engaged in a criminal conspiracy to thwart the investigation of Watergate, had approved the payment of "hush money" to Watergate burglars, and had participated in other obstructions of justice. Nixon's whole Administration was replete with criminals -- from his Chief of Staff, to his former Attorney General, to his first Vice-President, Spiro T. Agnew. Recall that unrelated to Watergate, Agnew was indicted on charges of tax evasion, bribery, and extortion. In short, Nixon and his felonious crew set the bar for worst president pretty high.

However, I am now willing to bifurcate this category. When it comes to criminal behavior, Nixon still takes the prize. However, George W. Bush now brings up the rear on the dimension of presidential incompetence. From the Iraq disaster to the bumbling response to Hurrican Katrina to the current US Attorneys fiasco -- Bush has proven to be an absolute disaster with repsect to competence. When he was first elected we were told that he would restore some order to the White House, in which President Clinton's managerial style was often criticized for being too chaotic. Bush would bring his M.B.A. skills to work in the White House, and he surrounded himself with "grown-ups" like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and others. This has proven to be another "talking point" that bears little resemblance to reality.

* Nixon/Bush morph photo from an ad produced by MoveOn.org

Now What?

Now that the president has vetoed the supplemental funding bill for the Iraq War, "compromise" seems to be in the air. The compromise will apparently be the inclusion of "benchmarks" that the Iraqi government must meet, though there is not likely to be any penalties for failure to meet the benchmarks.

If this is the form the compromise takes, it will be interesting to see how the vote in the House breaks down. Speaker Pelosi will likely lose the most liberal Democrats, who will still insist on withdrawal timetables. House Republicans are likely to embrace the compromise, especially as the White House will have given the "green light".

It will also be interesting to see how Democratic presidential candidates respond to this compromise. Party activists, which make-up the bulk of primary voters, want out of Iraq.

All of this is prelude to the big battle for war funding that is looming with the October budget. By then, the verdict will be in on "the surge", and serious efforts will be made to bring the war to a close -- only this time, there will be congressional Republican support for this approach.

Presidential Veto

President Bush has just vetoed the supplemental war funding bill passed by Congress with timetables for troop withdrawal. Democrats must now move toward a war funding bill that will need to be reviewed in 2-3 months, so that this issue will be revisited in June-July.

Bush's war of choice in Iraq has been a disaster, and the Congress must hold the President responsible. Support for the war is waning in almost all circles, and though there is not enough support for total troop withdrawal at this point, pressure will continue to build.