Watching Dana Perino’s last press briefing was almost as painful as watching President Bush’s speech last night (President Einsenhower, he ain’t).
In her final moments as President Bush’s Press Secretary, Perino dissed colleague Scott McClellan, displayed her blind allegiance to President Bush, and made it clear that she believes everything Sean Hannity says about the liberal bias in the media.
The room grew hushed with anticipation when Jim Axelrod, the CBS correspondent, asked Ms. Perino what she really thought of the media, and if President Bush had been subjected to bias.
“Here’s the thing,” she said. “I don’t think that I would always be asked about my feelings about liberal bias in the media if there wasn’t any liberal bias in the media.”
Mr. Axelrod interrupted. “For the record,” he said, “I just asked about bias.”
Over the years, when people referred to Bush loyalists as “drinking the kool-aid,” I always thought it was a metaphor. Now I think there’s something in the White House water. What else could explain why Perino – who lives in the same country we do, as far as I can tell – can’t see the damage done by this man. How can these drinkers of colored sugar water allow him to shirk responsibility for the current State of the Union (which, by the way, can’t possibly be described as “strong” or “very Strong” now).
In a post earlier in the week I referred to Trickle Down Victimization, in which conservatives – from George Bush to Tennessee’s own Robin Smith – would rather play the victim than take responsibility or action. Perino’s response has to be yet another example of this phenomenon. Or maybe it’s Stockholm syndrome. Or some potent witchy love spell. Either way, after watching President Bush participate in the Karl Rove orchestrated “Bush Legacy Project” over the last few weeks, which culminated in last night’s farewell speech, its clear that she is under the spell of a narcissistic man who doesn’t listen to criticism, doesn’t care that this country is worse off in every measurable way than it was 8 years ago, and is enjoying his exit like a rock star enjoys a promo tour.
Charlie Gibson, ABC News, on December 1, 2008: What were you most unprepared for?
BUSH: Well, I think I was unprepared for war. In other words, I didn’t campaign and say, “Please vote for me, I’ll be able to handle an attack.” In other words, I didn’t anticipate war. Presidents — one of the things about the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen.
Except that during the pre-9/11 2000 Presidential campaign he relentlessly did just that.
Secondly, as president, I will protect America from – America itself from missiles and blackmail. In a time of technology and terror, the defense of our homeland must be an urgent goal.
Both the President and the vice president have repeatedly said, during their march into history, that they did not govern at the whim of polls. But polls are a valuable measure of the health of the country and in our democracy, public opinion matters. Elected official have a responsibility to not only listen to public opinion but persuade us that their ideas are good ones.
Their hubris, not to mention President Bush’s delusion, is insulting.
Larry King, CNN, 1/14/09: No, but do you ever have a moment of feeling where it was wrong?
President Bush: No. I was – what I was worried Iraq was going to fail, not Iraq was wrong – that Iraq is going to fail. And that’s why I put 30,000 troops in when a lot of people were saying get out. And the surges worked. And a young democracy in the heart of the Middle East has taken hold. And, obviously, there’s more work to be done. But Al Qaeda has been denied the – you know, the base from which they wanted to operate.
While he continues his history revisions and continues to conflate Iraq with Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia – none of the hijackers were Iraqi and Al Qaeda didn’t exist in Iraq until after we invaded – he leaves not a “young democracy in the heart of the Middle East” but a democratically elected Hamas, a moderate Iranian President replaced by the reactionary and hateful Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a pissed off Lebanon and Syria, over 4225 dead U.S. servicemen and women, 167 who died of self-inflicted wounds, over 30,000 wounded, hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis, countless others maimed and injured, millions more displaced from their homes and living as refugees, a seething hot spot, and who knows how many angry young relatives hell-bent on revenge. In other words, we have no idea what, or who, will come at us from his “young democracy” and inflamed Middle East.
President Bush and Vice President Cheney say they don’t follow polls. But would they pay attention to one that asked the American people if they feel more or less safe than they did eight years ago?
At long last, President Bush’s narcissitic farewell tour is over. Only three and change more days until we have a President who uses the inclusive “We” more than reflexive “I.”
