Saw recently that Bush decided to appoint Sam Fox to be ambassador to Belgium in a recess appointment. Fox gave 50 grand to the Swift Boat people and was chastized by the target of said group, John Kerry, during the Senate hearings. Bush withdrew Fox because he wasn't going to get out of the Senate, but then decided to use the recess appointment.
Bush has the right to do this, I don't doubt. But this is a good example of him poking people in the eye and then wondering why they don't want to work with him. I have no respect for this man--he has long ago decided that power is more valuable than relationships. Salon.com had a fascinating article on Matthew Dowd, famous recently for suggesting that he has lost faith in Bush. Salon's Sidney Blumenthal suggests that Dowd was more than just a loyal soldier, but THE guy who sent a memo to Rove suggesting that there was no "middle" in the electorate and that Bush should run a divisive campaign. Just that quick, Bush switched from "compassionate conservative" to the "screw you" model of governing. The Fox nomination is just the latest example.
Either way, Bush and Cheney seem to have missed the basic lessons that inform the rest of us--how to get along with others. I remain astounded that moral people I know continue to defend someone like this.
Sigh.
3 comments:
As much as I am used to him pulling garbage like this, I read the story about Bush's appointment of Fox with utter astonishment. Clearly this man will do anything possible to get his way and stick his tongue out at his opponents. It is childish and it is boorish. Granted he is playing by the rules, but he is stretching the rules so thin that they are bound to snap sooner or later.
It is hard to get too bent out of shape about the ambassador to Belgium. That being said, he can be pushy to the point of being undiplomatic. OTOH, how is it relevant that he made contributions to anti-Kerry ads? How does that make him unqualified to be the ambassador to a country like Belgium? I thought that these kind of appointments typically go to donors. Sounds like partisan politics to me. Maybe Kerry and Bush can attend a remedial Kindergarten class together.
I don't know. I think Kerry had every right to challenge this guy. Those Swift Boat ads were scummy.
I am not sure that Fox's participation makes him unsuitable for this kind of appointment, but it is unseemly. And Bush clearly doesn't understand or care that he actually could use some bipartisanship to get things done is disheartening.
My favorite part, however, was Bush slamming congress for taking Easter break (he is the most vacationed president in history) and then using that break to appoint Fox.
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