The Wreck of the Mission Accomplished Express
I am not a blogger who has been giddy with blue-state schadenfreude as the presidency of George Walker Bush has begun to come apart.
For one thing, the Democrats are perfectly capable of screwing things up even worse. For another, the White House’s serial missteps of the past six years leave Americans vulnerable in ways that are not readily obvious but are pretty freaking diabolical, and I would much rather have the Bush legacy be mediocrity and not disaster.
No matter. We now have the specter (no, not you, Arlen) of Engineer George’s Mission Accomplished Express chuff chuffing ever faster down the track toward a crack up with an oncoming train, the Sh*t Happens Express. (More about that in a bit.)
Given this scenario, it is interesting in a voyeuristic sort of way to identify the Republicans who:
* Have jumped off the Mission Accomplished Express.
* Are undecided about whether to stay aboard.
* Are puffing on the last of their Jack Abramoff autographed stogies in the club car and show no intention of jumping.
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36 Responses to “The Wreck of the Mission Accomplished Express”
Whats ironic to me is that this entire middle eastern thing could have been settled or at least managed a long time ago if one thing had happened.
Europe had stopped Coddling to IRAN and IRAQ by supporting them, buying their oil and proping them up almost in a backdoor attempt at opposing the USA.
The USA is not very popular. We have not been popular since Japan signed the armistice in 1945. Because we were forced into the role of superpower because of the emmergence of the USSR. Europe was rebuilding, Britian was on the downfall and we were STUCK.
I think the USA and its allies have enjoyed a love/hate relationship since.
However having said that It has become very obvious to me that the real solution to the middle east crisis is simple. Stop buying IRANIAN OIL. PERIOD. NO MONEY……..NO Terror. At least not wave after wave of terror.
Saudi could easily make up for the lost prodution of the oil taken from the market. They are capable of increasing production 3 million bbl per day while IRAN produces 2.5 million. WE DONT NEED IRANIAN OIL. THEY USE IT TO FUND TERROR.
STOP BUYING IT AND WE WILL WATCH TERROR DRY UP.
“Stop buying IRANIAN OIL.”
Afaik the US are already doing this. Had no impact, since Korea, Japan, China, and others were glad for the opportunity to step in.
Popular misconception… In reality, anti-Americanism has existed for centuries already. I wrote an essay on this for the course American Society. I will write something on it once for TMV.
Anti-Americanism has a long and rich history.
Heh.
We have fought the USSR since the Russian Revolution. The Red Scare, after the USSR A-bomb, id similar to the paranoian directed toward Arabs today. The USSR was a state, the Islamo-Stooges are a criminal terrorist enterprise. I underatand W and the boyz have removed all images of “Mission Acomplished” from the whitehouse Website. Denial cannot coverup this trainwreck.
UpinSmoke – Do you drive a SUV in the city?
OH GAWD. Did I drive an SUV? HERE we go again. Its Americas fault that EUROPE and OTHERS buys IRANIAN OIL.
Find all the excuses we want but the fact is that if everyone stops buying the IRANIAN OIL….then they will be forced to become a responsible member of the world order.
Yes I understand the USA has been unpopular long before WW2. I was trying to relate it to modern day events, not to the fact that all the trouble makers from Europe fled to America with ideas that were not exactly mainstream at the time.
And Rudi. I drive a GEO TRACKER that gets 42 mpg in the city and 45 on the HIGHWAY. My second Vehicle is a Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide that gets on average abour 40 MPG.
Just for your information. My second car is a Saturn Vue 4 cylinder that gets 25 to 30 mpg.
However I fail to see what the point is that Americans drive SUV’s when the Oil Cartels could easily make up for the production of Iranian Oil. Lets understand that the Moderate ARAB states are all up in arms and afraid of the Iranians and yet fail to do ANYTHING about it. Stop funding them and force them to join the world community. Thats all Im saying.
Yes OH MY GAWD……Im pointing a finger at someone other then the USA and saying “YOUR NOT INNOCENT HERE” others have played a role in this middle eastern boondoggle and YET its NOPE, not gonna buy it.
ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THE WORLD must……it just must be the USA’s fault. IT has to be their fault. If its not give us a minute and we will think up an arguemnent to make it so.
When a “Desperate Housewife” (standing 5’4″) drives a Escalade to the mall she is lining Kookamaenis pocket. I’m glad to hear you drive a GEO Tracker. I’m old enough to remember when ‘working truck’ actually meant something. When Lincoln makes SUV’s for high profit we have lost our way. I love seeing ‘height chalenged’people driving SUV’s, barely able to see over the steering wheel.
The bottom line is…we become energy independent, the M.E. becomes strategically irrelevant to us. We need to work toward that goal.
For one thing, the Democrats are perfectly capable of screwing things up even worse.
Really? What Democratic administration fucked up on both foreign and domestic issues as the current crew? Carter trod the earth like a Colossus compared to these twits.
Do you honestly believe a Gore or Kerry administation would have been 1/2 as bad?
Profbacon:
I am not referring to what might have been. I am referring to what might be.
As mandates go, the Democrats got a pretty good one last November 7 specifically to resolve the war and generally to check Bush administration misdeeds and excesses.
We are a mere two weeks into the two-year window that the Democrats have to fulfill their mandate. I believe in my heart of hearts that they are perfectly capable of screwings this up even worse.
All I see is the wreckage of Grand Funk Railroad.
I hope Mel Shocker wasn’t injured?
Heart-breaker~~… bringin’ me down~~~..
i don’t see this as ‘democrat’ or ‘republican’. i don’t really know why people break it down that way constantly. what else in life do you insist on having only two choices in? especially with something as complicated as politics. in general i am left of what most people call republican and often right of dem’s. but on some issues i am far left of even the dem’s.
so to blame ‘republicans’ for this mess is odd. i will say, i wish the party had demanded more of their candidates. certinaly GW was not a leader and his life is one of ease and privilege. he wasn’t a good choice and they decided to turn him into ‘all that and a slice of toast’. and maybe they should have protested more when their leaders drug us into a war for no reason, but the dems in congress could have also raised their voices (other then Feingold no one did).
it is not a genetic failing of republicans that we are in this mess and americans die everyday for no reason, it is a failure of thinking and a willingness to follow along like sheep. for that, much of the country is to blame, and being republican, i don’t think, is the main problem.
“Find all the excuses we want but the fact is that if everyone stops buying the IRANIAN OIL….then they will be forced to become a responsible member of the world order.”
So sorry that the rest of the world doesn’t play this Neocon game of strong arming nations. It’s a pity. Must be an irrational fear behind this, something like ‘if we press too hard they will go plain crazy. Someone might get hurt’.
…I don’t think anyone heard me…
No, energy independence, good point, Chuck.
Iran funds and sponsors terrorist……..but its the USA’s fault.
Excellent Analysis. This is exactly why the world is in such a mess because its just easier to keep the status quo then it is to change things for the better. Stop buying Iranian oil and they will have no money to fund terror and the USA will not need to be in the middle east attempting to prevent another 9/11.
The middle east crisis was going on long before GWB arrived. Jews were dieing. Planes were being hijacked and everyone could point a finger at Libya and Iran. Libya was sanctioned into behaving. Iran has been coddled and mollified and emboldened by a cowardly world that points fingers at the USA and:
DEFLECTS BLAME and RESPONSIBILITY…….Just blame them and then snicker behind their backs.
This reminds me of another reply to global warming and me pointing out that China and India were very guilty of polluting the world into extinction……….the response was….oh pshaw….They get to Smog us out of existence because they are new to industrialization and how dare you point a finger at anyone but the USA.
Sanctions passed in the UN are a very real thing. The rest of the world does strong arm. YOUR DEAD WRONG> EUROPE is constantly trying to sanction Israel, to use strong arm tactics to get their way. It’s the point of Sanctions.
GO look at all the sanctions on the books in the UN. Thats not strong arming?
I propose this same body……THE UN sanction IRAN and stop the world from buying their OIL and this will force them to go broke or do what Libya finally did…….fall in line and become a relatively decent member of the world order.
Everyone in the world knows IRAN is the CHIEF and PRIMARY sponsor of Terrorism worldwide and YET we just keep buying their oil so they can keep funding their terror projects all the while screaming at the USA.
The reason you all scream at the USA is because you know the USA cares and TRIES to do whats right. YOU dont scream at IRAN because you know the could give a hoot. You dont Scream at INDIA, CHINA or the former USSR for polution because you know they dont give a hoot.
So blame the USA…..Cause that gets a response. Good plan. DEFLECT THE BLAME to the USA because they are the only country that really cares.
“So blame the USA”
WHAT happened to blame CANADA?
The Lefties can’t blame Canada, the Canucks are Socialists. The US is lone beacon and defender of Banana Republics.
Hey Upinsmoke,
What are you smoking? You do know that Saudi money has backed terrorism, right? Including the 9/11 hijackers.
As for oil conservation, oil is a commodity. If we buy more non-Iranian oil, the rest of the world has to either a) buy less non-Iranian oil (your suggestion) or b) buy Iranian oil. Now, which do you suppose other countries are going to want to do? Not anti-americanism. Its self-interest.
Upinsmoke…you may just want to take a breath for a moment.
I didn’t read people’s comments as “Blame the U.S.” as it appears you did. As Gray said, the U.S. already does not by Iranian oil since we still have an embargo against them. I seem to recall that UN attempts to sanction Iran have been going nowhere due to Russia & China not allowing them to and they each have a veto on the UN Security Council. As far as Russia & China are concerned, it’s not in their interest to sanction Iran because they do so much business with them. They both buy a great deal of their oil from Iran and Russia has been working with them on their nuclear power goals. While UN security council sanctions have been used in the past to “strong arm” Libiya, Iraq, etc., if a security council resolution can’t get passed, it can’t be enforced and non-security council resolutions are not binding.
Also, I don’t think anyone feels that China & India get a “free pass” on pollution just because they are new to industrialization, they will need to work on reducing pollution also but I don’t think anyone’s (particularly Walmart & other big box stores) working to pressure China to make these improvements since the price of their cheap goods will go up and cut into profits. And while the US may not be the biggest polluter, we are in a better position to work on pollution-reducing technologies (provided we haven’t outsourced that overseas too) but the current administration also doesn’t want fixing the pollution problem to cut into their backer’s bottom lines, hence many in the Bush administration feeling that global warming is a hoax.
Upinsmoke,
You’re forgetting some things. Our foreign policy set us up for disaster in the M.E. tens and tens of years ago…Supporting the Right-Wing dictatorship of the Shah of Iran, Supporting Saddam Hussein and giving him WMDs in the 80s. Support of a fundamentalist House of Saud. Support of the fundamentalist Mujahadeen (sp?) when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Add to that our current consumption of oil. How do we undo the damage we’ve done over the decades? It’s that simple. Admit our faults, learn from them, not support far right or left wing dictatorships because they suit our short term needs, start a Manhattan Project-like effort to gain energy independence, clean up the environment as best we can in our own neck of the woods, etc. If we lead by example, the rest of the world will follow. Trust that.
“The Lefties can’t blame Canada, the Canucks are Socialists.”
Hey, afaik they have a brandnew conservative prime minister nowadays. So it’s PC to blame Canada again!
Must be all Bill Clinton’s fault. Maybe if his wife wins, we can start blaming her for everything.
Seriously, our policies since the ’50′s were solely based on anti-Communist, Cold War goals —not pro-democratic ones. Since all of this venom has been building up for 60+ years, its a little hard to go backwards in time. After our misadventures in Iraq and Vietnam, what pro-democracy activist in his right mind would turn to us for help?
I think that’s basically what I’m getting at, Kim. I’m glad SOMEONE else sees it like that.
Better send MvdG to investigate – someone photoshopped the picture. Grand Trunk Railroad/Grand Funk was/is a Deetroit 1960′s band similar to the MC5. Anyone interested(CAZ) can checkout this excellent site about MotorCity Power Rock.
SE Michigan Deetroit Rock
Must be a Reuters, Fifth Estate or Metro Times conspiracy…../
This is pure fantasy. First, because there’s no way we could replace the 60% of oil we import each year, and secondly, because even if we did, we’d still be manipulated by the middle east.
Unless of course we are going to nationalize our oil companies and set price caps which seems unlikely.
Sorry, davebo, but I don’t think independence means what you think it means.
What if hybrid fuels and hybrid energy, and public transportation programs could break the hold Arab countries have on us? Or are you saying that the country that sent a man to the moon doesn’t have the ability to innovate energy?
More importantly, breaking our dependence on fossil fuels is a market effect, no? Why would we have to nationalize the oil companies, or set price caps, when their product becomes irrelevant? If prices go too high, you simply switch to the competition, right?
Thank you.
Seems to me there’s been a studied policy to avoid innovation, or anything that would actually decrease the amount of oil we consume. Oh that’s right, we have two former oilmen in the WH, who allowed oil executives to formulate our energy policy with the absence of environmentalists. It must go like this- expand drilling rights whenever possible. Avoid CAFE increases. Bury global warming studies by having the oil companies subsidize studies denying global warming. Give the oil companies huge tax breaks-whether they need them or not. And what about those royalties for drilling on federal land? And when the public gets outraged about high prices at the pump while those companies are earning record profits, make sure the oil execs aren’t sworn in when they testify on Capitol Hill. (can always count on Ted Stevens to do the right thing!)
Well you can wave it away with your hand because its hard.
I will grant you that. I will grant you that solving every worldwide problem is hard. But the solution is evident.
Deny IRAN OIL MONEY…….and they cannot fund terror.
I have offered a way to do it. I must add this is not my idea. It has been discussed for sometime and seriously. The key is getting the UN to back sanctions. Those are the key……..without them then its more meaningless chatter.
You like using the same tired argument, don’t you, upinsmoke…not thinking 3 inches in front of your nose and whatnot, as usual.
Kim,
It costs more to drill US oil than it does to drill in the Middle East (due to the geology). So if the US companies weren’t subsidized to drill here, we’d be even more dependent on Middle Eastern oil. I’m not saying that it is a good thing that there are conflicts of interest between this administration and Big Oil, but the issues are more complex than that. Even if we attempt to innovate renewable energy technology, there’s still going to be a time lag before that changeover occurs, and it still makes sense to use our own oil in the meantime rather than importing a greater share of it.
Chuck prez what tired argument is that?
Is that like Hybrid fuels and electric cars being hashed over and over again and yet how many Hybrid cars have been built. Like asking the USA to clean up its act and the rest of the world will follow suit.
Now thats an old and tired argument. Its the same argument we have been hearing from the environmentalists for 30 years. Worldwide energy needs and pollution
have changed but your arguments have not.
Oil funds terror. That much is very evident. Stop buying their oil and they will have NO money for terror. That is indisputable.
However I can see how you think my idea is lame and Im not thinking 3 inches in front of my face because it would not produce hybrid cars or punish AMERICA.
Your right what was I thinking.
While I have no problems at all with cleaning up America, producing Hybrid cars and making the environment cleaner, most of the rest of the world is not going to follow our lead by using this hyper advanced technology so IRAN will still be selling oil and funding terror.
I think I am thinking past 3 inches in front of my face. Mabey all the way out to 4 inches. Problems have to be solved when they arise while we are working on other solutions for later on down the road. Right now today, this minute Iran is funding terror with oil sales. That is what has to be addressed TODAY…..not wait 30 years till we can develop hybrid fuels and blah…….blah……blah.
But CS, if we had attempted it 30 years ago, where would we be? And no administration has been serious about advancing the cause of energy independence through innovation. The refusal to face these issues has left us with very poor choices. We can open up our shorelines and pristine reserves to drilling (which still would keep us dependent) or we can muscle our way around the ME, and hope to keep the supply of cheap oil going as long as we need it. If we weaned ourselves off of oil, or demanded higher cafe standards, our options would look much better.
If I’m wrong, show me how the path that we are currently on is anything but self-destructive. I’m not just blaming Bush- but the administrations from Carter on for not decreasing our dependency.