As Maccabbee observes, Frank Rich hands Bush his ass in his column today. One quote in particular stood out:
The joke, history may note, is that even as Mr. Bush deludes himself that he is bringing “democracy” to Iraq, he is flouting democracy at home. American voters could not have delivered a clearer mandate on the war than they did on Nov. 7, but apparently elections don’t register at the White House unless the voters dip their fingers in purple ink. Mr. Bush seems to think that the only decision he had to make was replacing Donald Rumsfeld and the mission of changing course would be accomplished.
(Source: Frank Rich, New York Times; Has He Started Talking to the Walls, December 3,2006 [emphasis added])
This brought to mind last year's State of the Union (SOTU) Address when Republicans dyed their fingers purple to emphasize the Iraq elections. (more below)
Remember this "turning point" in the Bush League's Iraq Adventure?
Congress salutes with purple fingers
By BOB DART
Cox News Service
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
WASHINGTON A footnote of political history will remember it as the night of the purple fingers.
Ink was provided by a fledgling Republican congressman from Louisiana near the entrance of the House chamber Wednesday night. On their way to hear President Bush's State of the Union address, many lawmakers — mostly Republicans — dipped a digit and thrust up a purple index finger. Purple ink pads awaited GOP senators when they reached the House floor.
Call me unduly partisan, but I think the Democrats should give Bush the purple finger at this year's State of the Union speech.
Purple is a particularly good color, as it is a mixture of red and blue - and Democrats can say with relatively straight faces that they're trying to show the voters want an end to partisan hardball tactics and a return to negotiated solutions.
I rather expect the Bush League will have stayed their confrontational, hardball, play-to-the-religious-right-and-jingoist-fanatics course - so a counterpunch by the time of the SOTU address will be an appropriate, measured response.