Howdy, Campers.
Well combining the intoxicating aroma of Valentine's Day, with the House Democrats' sudden spinal growth -- close business, except for pro forma activity, until February 25, thus calling the President's bluff -- has gotten me all feisty. Some of it will be uh, re-purposed, from the piece of January 31st, but I'm sticking a Special Comment in tonight's televised festival.
In exchange for imposing the plug on you, here's the first sneak peak.
"Who's to blame?" Mr. Bush also said this afternoon, "Look, these folks in Congress passed a good bill late last summer... The problem is, they let the bill expire. My attitude is: if the bill was good enough then, why not pass the bill again?"
You know, like The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
Or Executive Order 9066.
Or The Alien and Sedition Acts.
Or Slavery.
Mr. Bush, you say that our ability to track terrorist threats will be weakened and our citizens will be in greater danger.
Yet you are willing to weaken that ability!
You will subject us, your citizens, to that greater danger!
Then there's a couple of F-Bombs (not that kind; the political kind), and that brilliant summary from Ted Kennedy, and of course the stunned realizations of the AT&T Whistleblower Mark Klein.
Barring some late editing, this'll be the conclusion. Then later in the show, funnyman Richard Lewis!
Even in 2006 we spoke words like these with trepidation.
The idea that even the most cynical and untrustworthy of politicians in our history -- George W. Bush -- would use the literal form of terrorism against his own people -- was dangerous territory. It seemed to tempt fate, to heighten fear.
We will not fear any longer.
We will not fear the international terrorists -- we will thwart them.
We will not fear the recognition of the manipulation of our yearning for safety.
We will not fear calling out the vulgar hypocrites in our government.
We will not fear George W. Bush, nor fear because George W. Bush wants us to fear.