[. . .]
Forty democratic senators were gathered for a lunch in March just off the Senate floor. I was there as a guest speaker. Joe Biden was telling a story, a story about the president. ''I was in the Oval Office a few months after we swept into Baghdad,'' he began, ''and I was telling the president of my many concerns'' -- concerns about growing problems winning the peace, the explosive mix of Shiite and Sunni, the disbanding of the Iraqi Army and problems securing the oil fields. Bush, Biden recalled, just looked at him, unflappably sure that the United States was on the right course and that all was well. '''Mr. President,' I finally said, 'How can you be so sure when you know you don't know the facts?'''
Biden said that Bush stood up and put his hand on the senator's shoulder. ''My instincts,'' he said. ''My instincts.''
Biden paused and shook his head, recalling it all as the room grew quiet. ''I said, 'Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough!'''
[. . .]
As [Former NJ Governor & EPA Chief Christine Todd] Whitman told me on the day in May 2003 that she announced her resignation as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: ''In meetings, I'd ask if there were any facts to support our case. And for that, I was accused of disloyalty!'' (Whitman, whose faith in Bush has since been renewed, denies making these remarks and is now a leader of the president's re-election effort in New Jersey.) [my emphasis]
[. . .]
As I've said before, our (NY, NJ, CT) Repubs are different from their ilk in other parts of the country. They tend to be more of the Classic Conservative mold rather than the Bible-thumping, Christo-fascist bunch. The Mrs and I used to have respect for Christie Whitman. 'Used to' being the operative word until she too caved to pressure like McCain did and actively supported Bush this cycle. She used to have principles, unlike that asshole we have running our state (Pataki). But though she denies her remarks, they do have a ring of truth to them (Gen Shinseki, Paul O'Niell, and others). She was awful quiet after she left EPA, wasn't she?
P.S.- Go read Melanie too.
No comments:
Post a Comment