Another Bad Week for the Shrub

It seems the Torturer in Chief can't buy a break these days. Even after Harry the Horrible bailed on her nomination, saving her boss from the embarassment of having his dirty secrets revealed, he just can't seem to get things going his way. It seemed a good start, nominating Scalito brought the poor, betrayed Radical Right back into the fold. Scalito, whose mother even says will overturn fundamental rights, seemed the perfect start to a comeback.

Then Harry Reid (hero) invoked an obscure Senate rule and threw the body into closed session. The subject, Iraq and the intelligence leading up to the war. The effect: Scalito disappeared from the headlines almost before he had a chance to appear. Bush's red-meat diversionary tactic was lost with one simple refocusing of the Nation's attention where it belongs: The conspiracy, the misinformation and the marketing of an unnecessary war for nebulous purposes (does anyone remember why we're still fighting? Is it still to honor the sacrifice of those who have fallen or has it changed again this week?).

It might have still been a decent week but then, Scooter Libby, The Vice Torturer's former Chief of Staff, confidant and sacrificial lamb, decided not to plead guilty, not to take one for the team, not to take the fall. Now we have at least until February to wait for a pre-trial hearing provided a) Scooter doesn't end up with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the back of the head, b) Scooter doesn't see the error of his ways, repent, be born again and take the fall by pleading guilty or c) the President pardons him. It appears we may get our wish, that we may see the Vice Torturer on the witness stand or we still may see Rove indicted, provided Scooter cuts a deal to talk in exchange for a lighter sentence. In either case, poor Shrub didn't get a break on that one, either.

Some disgusted CIA heroes then started leaking and the Washington Post broke a story that had been in the rumor mill for months: The CIA is owner and operator of several secret prisons abroad. This dovetailed nicely with a second passage of language to prohibit torture in the Senate, a measure the Vice Torturer has begged to have changed so the CIA is free to break out the black leather as long as it does so in accordance with the Constitution, Federal law and treaty. I didn't know we had laws permitting torture, the Constitution bans both holding prisoners without charge and without access to attorney and cruel and unusual punishment and the Geneva Convention bans torture. Of course, terrorists are non-persons by edict of the Torturer in Chief so the prohibitions don't apply.

Finally the Summit of the Americas left the Shrub with no free trade agreement. Argentine farmers are still safe from Archer Daniels Midland, thanks to action by their own leaders. The Shrub, well, we may have found out why he's having so much trouble. When asked how he would react if he met Hugo Chavez, an avowed enemy of the Bush administration, how he would act. He said he would act politely. The American people expect their president to be polite. There's your problem, Shrub. We expect our President to lead with the best interests of the nation in mind and to be a man of integrity. Politeness, well, it's a nice to have.

Well, Shrub, it's been a bad week but you do get to stick Cheney's dikes in the Arctic National Wildlife refuge, provided global warming hasn't turned the whole place into a lake before you can drill. That is, unless your syncophants in the House have a rare surge of backbone and throw the measure out of the final bill. But you're vetoing it anyway, first time in your administration, because it contains anti-torture legislation.

This week, for the first time, a majority of Americans doubt Bush's integrity. Sixty percent seem to think his presidency has failed. His approval ratings continue to sink as even the most devout Neocon shrinks away from their poster child. As a poster child for Republican values, I think the decline in his approval ratings, his perceived integrity and support for his war are long overdue.