The President's Priorities

Never has one article shown the President's mind-set as plainly as the one in the NYT this morning by Richard W. Stevenson, “President Makes It Clear: Phrase Is 'War on Terror'”. Let me quote a few sentences: “Mr. Bush arrived in Texas on Tuesday, and is spending the rest of the month at his vacation home in Crawford.” “In a speech here (Grapevine, Texas) Mr. Bush used the phrase 'war on terror' no less than five times. Not once did he refer to the 'global struggle against violent extremism'”. “Administration officials became concerned when some news reports linked the change in language to signals of a shift in policy.” “He used the word "war," as he did at least 13 other times in his 47-minute speech, most of which was about domestic policy.” “In an interview last week about the new wording, Stephen J. Hadley, Mr. Bush's national security adviser, said that the conflict was 'more than just a military war on terror' and that the United States needed to counter 'the gloomy vision' of the extremists and 'offer a positive alternative.'” So. There you have it. The Prez is going to kick back for a month in Texas now that his work is done. That global struggle language had to be given the old one-two. But having put us back on-track with the war on terror rhetoric and an upbeat view of war in general, the Prez plans to enjoy a month of R&R. Spreading propaganda is exhausting. What does not concern the President is that as of this morning, 1826 American soldiers have died in his unnecessary war in Iraq. (Or, as others have so eloquently pointed out, the President just doesn't give a fuck.) That men have died and been horribly maimed is a gloomy vision. To a man's man like George W. Bush who admires manly talk, and engages in manly pursuits like riding a mountain bike and chopping down scrub-brush on his ranch, and dressing up like a cowboy, war is grand. To a manly man like GWB, war is, well, war is just fabulous.