Bush, Novak and Rove

Yahoo reports that Bush's Approval Rating on Iraq Dropped again, down to 38%. But still a majority of the country sees Bush as "strong and likable." I don't get that at all, but this quote always troubles me:

"He's a man of character,' said Cheryl Cheyney, a school bus driver from Cumming, Ga., and a Republican. 'He's very honest in the things he says. I agree with his belief system, the way he believes in God and is not afraid to show it. That's very important to me.'"

Let me suggest to Cheryl that if Bush represents that to her, her sense of what it means to be a Christian is essentially meaningless. Bush has mouthed it, I will admit, but I am still waiting for any proof of his true faith. Not only that, but he isn't honest, and he hires people who are expressly dishonest. I guess that doesn't matter to Cheryl.

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Novak walked off the set of CNN yesterday swearing and ripping off his microphone. It was quite a sight. Especially since his oppenent had not said anything odd. They both dig at each other, but Novak flipped. Perhaps the weight of the water he is carrying for the White House is starting to weigh heavier than he expected. Maybe his previous journalism "ethics" are starting to weigh as well, and he realizes that he acted as a stooge for one of the more vicious political operatives in the biz.

As for Rove, here is what I think happened. He has practiced a pretty "scorched-earth" type of political action for most of his career. He learned at the feet of Lee Atwater, but unlike his mentor, didn't learn that perhaps treating people that badly was not a good thing. Rove has spread rumors of lesbianism about Ann Richards; suggested that a respected judge was a pedophile; and spread the rumor that McCain fathered a black baby out of wedlock in South Carolina. Rove and Cheney both seem to operate with a sense of absolutism--that they are right and the others are wrong. People are not political opponents, but enemies.

Back in 2002 and 03, Bush was riding high. No one questioned his approach to the war and when Wilson reported problems with their uranium claim, it angered them. Who was he to question the broader goal of democratizing the Middle East? And here is where arrogance got them in trouble. They didn't have to do what they did to address Wilson's concerns. They could have simply savaged him (as they have John Dilullio, Paul O'Neill, or Richard Clarke), or they could have simply said that they stood behind the evidence that Saddam was pushing for nuclear (sorry, nukular) material.

But they didn't. They responded with the arrogance and petulance of people used to getting their way. Rove decided that Wilson needed more than being ignored or dismissed. He decided to out Wilson's wife to show who was in control. So, he did it. And really assumed with John Ashcroft in the AG's office, that nothing would ever happen.

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One more note on what is wrong with our society today. Bill O'Reilly is a cancer on our society. The fact that so many people listen to this asshole is truly frightening. Here is a good example.

O'REILLY: The ACLU is also demanding that more pictures of the abuse at Abu Ghraib be released. The Defense Department is fighting that. Everybody knows those pictures incite violence against Americans. So why should more of them be fed to the press? We already know what happened at Abu Ghraib, and people are going to prison because of it. Clearly, more pictures of Abu Ghraib help the terrorists, as do Geneva Convention protections and civilian lawyers. So there is no question the ACLU and the judges who side with them are terror allies.

Why do people like this never say that those who actually performed the torture are terror allies? Why are those of us who desire a transparent system and accountability in our government the allies?

As McCain said, it isn't about who they are, it is about who we are. And if O'Reilly is any indication, we are not very good.