Funny Things To Get Upset About

I have to point out something about the right’s snickering over Obama’s use of a teleprompter. The point seems to be that Obama is a two-dimensional media star, someone who needs to be coached or scripted and is somehow something less than genuine and extemporaneous.

Alarmingly, this has been picked up as some kind of inside joke among reporters within the mainstream press, even creating the oft-repeated lie that “he used a teleprompter at a school!” (he didn’t). The hypocrisy is not just that every other politician of the modern era uses a teleprompter. The hypocrisy--and I’m talking to our illustrious mainstream media here--is that for eight years the Bush Administration created all sorts of made-for-prime-time phony media moments, which the MSM gobbled up like a starving man at the all-you-can-eat buffet.

The obvious, most notorious example of this was President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” moment, a staged piece of political theater the media gleefully celebrated, from the manly flight-suit landing to the banner to the speech declaring

"In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."

Only months later, when Iraq spiraled into chaos, did the media start to question this stunt, and they saved most of their criticism for the actual banner. Yet they were present on the USS Abraham Lincoln. They saw that the aircraft carrier was close to shore, that it had been turned so land would not appear within camera range. They knew the President could have helicoptered to the vessel, that a jet landing wasn’t needed, that it was just theater staged for them. Yet they said nothing at the time. They were complicit. Hey, they must have thought; it's good TV!

There are dozens and dozens of examples of this kind of theater staged for the media during the Bush Administration. Using a teleprompter during a speech kinda pales by comparison.

Over at the Swash Zone today I was reminded of Shoshana Johnson. For those who don't remember:

One of them was Specialist Shoshana Johnson, who would spend her 22 days in captivity with gunshot wounds to both legs. While the media frenzy was focused on the rescue of Lynch, the eventual rescue of the others by the Marines went largely unnoticed.

Ms Johnson, the first black female POW, came home but her troubles were far from over. While her physical wounds would eventually heal, her mental health was more precarious. To add insult to injury she not only suffered from PTSD but also had to endure being misaligned as being greedy for challenging her disability rating so that she could get better benefits.

The whole “Saving Jessica Lynch” storyline was even more embarassing for America’s media elites than their failure to adequately cover the Mission Accomplished incident.

The story was a highly packaged piece of Pentagon propaganda which our media again swallowed whole, sometimes even embellished on their own. Who can forget the exaggerations and outright fabrications of her story, the glowing NBC made-for-TV movie, the way the media completely ignored Shoshana Johnson and other members of Lynch’s unit? Even Lynch found this disparity upsetting.

There are tons of examples, Bush fielding softballs like “can I pray for you,” and “will you pray for Oregon,” and on and on and on. Funny how all of that has been forgotten amid snickers over Obama’s use of a Teleprompter.

You know, I expect the righties to try to make political hay out of anything they can get their hands on; a teleprompter seems kinda stupid, but whatever. But why is our media finding this funny?

The White House Press Corpse likes to be in on the joke, but what they don’t get is that they are the joke.

This really shows there are two sets of rules, one for Democrats and one for Republicans. For Democrats, even using a Teleprompter shows what a phony someone is. For Republicans, expensive and highly staged theatrical productions are no big deal, because it’s good TV.

Flag Flap, Chinese Edition

Proving yet again that there’s nothing President Obama can do that won’t freak out the right wing nut jobs, I thought I'd call people's attention to this fauxtroversy about flying the Chinese flag to honor the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Apparently it has occupied the right wingers for the past two weeks, though I just heard about it today.

It started, as these things often do, with Drudge and rapidly ricocheted around the right wing nuttosphere. Here's fear-porn peddler Chuck Baldwin at News With Views:

Lest anyone doubt the communist leanings of President Barack Obama, look no further than to his decision to hoist the Red Chinese flag (for the first time in history) over the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, September 20.

ZOMG WHERE’S THE OUTRAGE!!!!1!!!11!!!ELEVEN!!!

Here’s the report from WingNut Daily:

The administration of President Barack Obama, whose official blogger while Obama was a candidate came under attack for hanging a Communist Party flag in his Harvard apartment, apparently has given permission to raise the emblem of Communist China over the south lawn of the White House.

The plan, reported by several English-language Chinese media outlets, has raised concern among those who are working to guard the United States from outside influences that could be threats.

According to the Global Times English-language edition, the national flag of the communist People's Republic of China on Sept. 20 will be raised for the first time on the White House's south lawn – a secured area seldom available for public events – in recognition of the Chinese anniversary.

ZOMG! The South Lawn is HALLOWED GROUND! Watered with the blood of PATRIOTS! There goes the Republic!!

WOLVERINES!

This just proves what a big fat Commie Obama is!

The story has since been picked up by right wing news outlets all around the country; one columnist even wondered:

Where is Senator "Tail Gunner" Joe Mcarthy when you need him?

Where indeed?

Of course Houston, we have a problem. This would not, in fact, be the first time the Chinese flag was flown over the South Lawn ever! Indeed, the Chinese flag flew on the South Lawn and all over the White House when George W. Bush welcomed Chinese President Hu Jintao in April 2006. The Associated Press took a lot of real purty pitchers from the welcoming ceremony. Lots of flags:







So, where were all these nut jobs when their beloved George W. Bush was flying Chinese flags (and even playing the Chinese national anthem) over the sacred White House grounds?

*Crickets*

Adding even more insanity to this story is the fact that President Obama has not, in fact, ordered the Chinese flag to fly on the White House South Lawn tomorrow. The story was debunked by, of all people, Fox News:

The White House on Friday dismissed as inaccurate reports from China that the administration will mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic by flying the Chinese flag on the South Lawn.

China Daily, citing other media reports, claimed the president of the Fujian Association of the United States had been granted permission to hoist the flag "in a ceremony in front of the President's residence."

A ceremony, indeed, will take place. But it won't happen on the White House grounds -- rather, on the Ellipse, on the other side of E Street from the presidential residence.

China Daily's report -- which said the flag would represent strong U.S.-Chinese relations and recognition of China's success in hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics -- set off howls of protest on the Internet and among conservative talk show hosts despite failing to receive confirmation from the White House.

Of course it set off howls of protest: even though Bush did it too (and probably other presidents as well).

What a bunch of hysterical phonies. These are the folks we're going to listen to on healthcare reform? I don't think so.

Ingrates

It seems a few members of Bush's entourage had an extra helping of sour grapes on the flight from Andrews AFB to Texas:

The Bush team had worked assiduously to make the transition smooth for incoming President Obama and stayed out of the way as he used the post-election period to take leadership of the economy even before being sworn in. And now, as far as some of them were concerned, the new president had used his inaugural lectern to give the back of the hand to a predecessor who had been nothing but gracious to him.

Yes it was particularly gracious how the White House accommodated the Obamas two weeks before the inauguration, ensuring Blair House was available to them instead of housing a partner in war crimes in town to receive a Presidential Medal.

Oh, wait. Never mind.

I guess they can't believe Obama isn't more grateful for the extra huge helping of turd stew Bush left for the incoming administration to clean up.

Maybe Not Always So Peaceful

At War Room, we get a comparison of this peaceful transfer of power and the last one:

In 2001, protesters at the site took over risers intended for ticket-holders there to support the new president; the ticket-holders themselves mostly went elsewhere. And when Bush drove down Pennsylvania Ave. after he was sworn in, the motorcade had to spend much of the route at full speed to avoid a hail of boos. Today, I saw no protesters at the site, and the risers looked well-used. And everyone along the parade route was happy, celebrating. I heard one woman say to her child, "We did overcome."

I have friends who were at the 2001 inauguration for the protests, and so I heard first-hand about what happened, long before the rest of the world got clued in via Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” three and a half years later.

What really struck me about 2001 wasn’t the fact that there were protests--after the contentious, challenged election, that was expected. But the fact that our media didn’t cover them at all shocked me.

I still to this day do not understand why the media failed to do its job on that January day. Maybe they were afraid that coverage would spark nationwide protests (and I'm not sure why that is supposed to be a bad thing). Maybe they thought it was more “patriotic” to try to “bring the country together.” I don’t know. I do know that it is not the job of the media to be patriotic, spark protests, be unifiers, make the president legitimate or illegitimate or any of those things.

Their job is to cover the news. News was made in 2001. They ignored it.

Cold As Ice

President Bush never took advice, and I knew some day he’d pay the price. And that happened in 2006 when Stephen Colbert appeared at the White House Correspondents Assn. Dinner.

I believe that moment galvanized us on the left like no other. Finally, after all the lies, the torture, the Katrina-sized fuck-ups, someone finally had the balls to call Bush and his Beltway media enablers on their shit. To their faces. With humor.

It was a moment I will never forget. Mr. Beale and I just stared at the television and said “oh. my. God.” over and over again.

Bush closed the door and left the world behind. It took a comedian to bust it wide open again. I think this was the first time Beltway insiders and White House sycophants saw the depth of the anger we on the left had toward the President and the media that failed to do their jobs. They couldn’t hide from it and even though they later claimed Colbert’s act bombed, he started a movement which can’t be underestimated.

Things started to turn around after that. Democrats won the November mid-terms, and the left was able to push back in a way we’d been unable to do before. Thank you, Stephen Colbert.

April, 2006: President Bush sits in stunned silence as he’s roasted by Stephen Colbert:

Another Bush Accomplishment

A nuclear North Korea:

North Korea Says It Has ‘Weaponized’ Plutonium


SEOUL, South Korea — The North Korean military declared an “all-out confrontational posture” against South Korea on Saturday as an American scholar said North Korean officials told him they had “weaponized” enough plutonium for roughly four or five nuclear bombs.

American intelligence officials have previously estimated that the North had harvested enough fuel for six or more bombs, although it has never been clear whether the North constructed the weapons. The scholar, Selig S. Harrison, said the officials had not defined what “weaponized” meant, but the implication was that they had built nuclear arms.

And this:

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea placed more soldiers at frontier guard posts and told its fishermen to refrain from sailing near North Korean waters on Sunday, a day after the North Korean military declared an “all-out confrontational posture” against the South and threatened a naval clash.

Oh goodie. Let’s just give everyone and I do mean everyone a nuclear bomb. From peaceful Costa Rica, which doesn’t even have a military, to saber-rattling Iran. Maybe if everyone had a nuclear bomb, we’d all be too afraid to use them and they’d lose their power.

I’m not serious, of course, but look at the world in 2009 compared to 2000: we have the same unrest between Israel and Palestine. We have wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and now tensions in Asia marked by weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the North Korean dictator. We have Russia waging a resource war on its neighbors. We have the United States failing in a plot to overthrow the Iranian government. We have Western nations joining energy-starved developing economies in China and India to wage resource wars in Africa.

The world is truly a mess.

Heckuva job, Bushie.

No Way Out

Everywhere he turned, he hurt someone. And nothing he could say would change the things he’s done.

We trusted him, and he let us down.

November 2005: A flaw in Bush’s exit strategy in China:

The Joker

People talked about him, said he was doing wrong. But he didn’t worry, no, no. He was right here at home.

He sure didn’t want to hurt no one.

March 26, 2004: Bush jokes about not finding WMD’s in Iraq:

Memories, Light The Corners Of My Mind

I missed President’s Bush’s speech last night, which Joan Walsh called “delusional and self-indulgent.” I was out, but had I been home I’m sure I would have avoided it anyway.

I’m tired of hearing the president’s misty water-colored memories of an America of the past seven years that exists only in his own mind. I don’t need him to remind us--again--how he “kept us safe” for the past seven years. Tell that to the five dead and 17 injured in the 2001 anthrax attacks. Tell that to the 1,800+ killed and thousands more displaced in Hurricane Katrina. Tell that to the 4,225+ U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, or the estimated 1000,000 wounded.

So from now until inauguration day, I’m going to offer my own little trip down memory lane, to ensure time won’t rewrite every line. Yes, it’s the laughter we will remember.

And if we had the chance to do it all again tell me, would we? Dear Lord, I hope not.

August 31, 2003: Bush drops Barney on a broiling-hot Texas runway: (check out the look of horror on the children's faces)

Bush Giving Freedom Medals To Iraq War Buddies

[UPDATE]:

Just found out on Countdown that this is likely the reason the Obama family was forced to seek lodging in a hotel: John Howard is the one staying at Blair House, traditional residence of president-elects and their families before their inauguration.

I'm sure no one could have anticipated scheduling this medal ceremony for January 13 would have interfered with something else important happening in the middle of the month. Sheesh.

--------------------------------------

Oh goodie, another BS ceremony President Bush can preside over:

Blair gets US medal as era ends

The award by President Bush of the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tony Blair marks not only the close alliance between the two men but the end of an era of British-American relations.

The former British prime minister will receive his medal, the highest civilian honour given by the United States, at the White House on 13 January.

Also receiving the medal will be the former Australian prime minister John Howard and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe - also allies in Mr Bush's "war on terror" and the war in Iraq.

Whew it just doesn’t get more pathetic than that. A week before the inauguration of President-elect Obama, Mr. Bush seems bound and determined to stage one last piece of kabuki theater for the handful of remaining sycophants and supporters who still believe the Iraq War was a splendid idea.

From the Memory Hole, here are some other Iraq War players who got their Medal of Freedom:






Good times, good times.

Good Ol’ Shoe

[UPDATE]:

No one could have anticipated:

Muntader al-Zaidi, the now-infamous shoe-hurling Iraqi journalist, has reportedly been “beaten in custody,” according to the BBC. Al-Zaidi’s brother reports that the journalist is suffering from a broken hand, broken ribs, and internal bleeding. Yesterday, TV al-Sharqiya in Iraq reported that the al-Zaidi had “signs of tortures on his thighs.” Meanwhile, thousands of Iraqis have taken to streets on Tuesday for second day to demand al-Zaidi’s release.

What's this about signs of Democracy, President Bush?

---------------------------------------

Since President Bush himself is making light of the Iraq shoe incident, why shouldn’t the rest of us?

Where was the Secret Service? Salon.com’s War Room blog reports that because the press is pre-screened, security isn’t quite as vigilant for a press conference as, say, when the President is mingling with the hoi polloi. Whew.

Thank you, Salon. That question was one many of us were asking, and we sure didn’t get an answer from the MSM, who seemed more interested in downplaying the incident--no doubt taking orders from the White House on this one.

I love it when the media goes into damage control mode. “Just act like nothing’s wrong,” I can hear them say. How else to explain the President’s incredibly lame “that’s what people do in a free society” comment after the incident? Like that happens all the time here in America?

Hey, let’s ALL throw shoes at the president! Yeah, try it, I dare you. Just watch and see what happens.

And what's with all of the "if he'd thrown a shoe at Saddam he'd be dead" BS? We're all so sure this reporter is alive and well and all is forgiven right now? Last I heard, he was still in custody. This is incredibly lazy and dishonest of the media. Come on, get serious.

Watching our fawning media report on the President’s “size 10” quip like it was the most courageous thing a Commander in Chief had done since George Washington crossed the Delaware is surreal, to say the least.

MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer and the NBC reporter assigned to cover the story gushed how “back in Saddam’s day, that reporter would have received the death penalty.” Um, excuse me, when was the last time anyone in America threw a shoe at the President and lived to tell about it? Hello? And has anyone bothered to mention to either of you two idiots that the incident has sparked demonstrations of support across the Arab world?

Of course the White House wishes to act like this was No Big Deal. Heaven help us if anyone should point out the obvious: the country we “liberated” hates us for it. Ouch.

Let’s face it: the Iraq War has been President Bush’s favorite PR backdrop since he posed with a platter of fake turkey and fixin's at his "unannounced visit" with the troops in 2003. "Unannounced" being the operative word -- the Iraqis would have hurled more than old shoes at him if they'd known he was coming back then.

Bush's lame attempt to salvage something resembling a positive legacy on Iraq backfired big-time. In the meantime, the shoe incident has me in mind of a fabulous Willie Nelson moment from that most cynical of political flicks, “Wag The Dog.” Someone needs to release that old song in honor of Muthathar al Zaidi, no doubt having electrodes applied to his genitals as we speak.



Recently I was accused of being overly “angry.” Like the bumper sticker says, if you are’t pissed off, you haven’t been paying attention.

Those Aren't Chocolates And Roses

[UPDATE]:

The New York Times reports:

He also called the incident a sign of democracy, saying, “That’s what people do in a free society, draw attention to themselves,” as the man’s screaming could be heard outside.

Uh ... okie dokie.

Pay no attention to the screaming protester.

Oh and I'd love to see someone try this in the U.S. The only people allowed close enough to the president for the past eight years have been loyalty-oath-signing supporters of the Republican Party.

Enough with the lies.

--------------------------

President Bush ducks as angry Iraqi throws shoes at him and yells, "This is a goodbye kiss, you dog!"



I guess it's safe to say that Muthathar al Zaidi will be getting a one-way ticket to Guantanamo Bay for his trouble.

No Room At The Inn

How apt for this holiday season:

Sorry, We’re Booked, White House Tells Obamas

Updated | 3:12 p.m. CHICAGO—The White House has turned down a request from the family of President-elect Barack Obama to move into Blair House in early January so that his daughters can start school on Jan. 5.

The Obamas were told that Blair House, where incoming presidents usually stay in the five days before Inauguration Day, is booked in early January, a spokesperson to the Obama transition said. “We explored the idea so that the girls could start school on schedule,’ the spokesperson said. “But, there were previously scheduled events and guests that couldn’t be displaced.”

It remained unclear who on Bushes guest list outranked the incoming President.

Wow, that’s so family-friendly! Keep it classy, Bushie.

Welcome To The Neighborhood

Of course, we always knew that the Crawford Ranch was just a presidential stage prop. So it was no shock to read that President Bush and Laura are moving to a wealthy Dallas neighborhood. I mean seriously, who thought the Bushes were going to clear brush in some West Texas backwater in their sunset years? Get real.

But this surprised me:

Until 2000, the neighborhood association's covenant said only white people were allowed to live there, though an exception was made for servants.

Enacted in 1956, part of the original document reads:

"Said property shall be used and occupied by white persons except those shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of different race or nationality in the employ of a tenant."



There are probably a lot of neighborhoods in Nashville that still have such covenants on the books.

Nice little reminder of how far we've come ... or not.

Memo To The Mainstream Media

Dear Mainstream Media:

Now seems like a good time to remind you all that disgruntled departing Clinton-Gore staffers did not, in fact, vandalize the White House and loot Air Force One:

An official government investigation, however, reveals one major problem with these stories: They apparently never happened. According to statements from the General Services Administration that were reported on May 17, little if anything out of the ordinary occurred during the transition, and "the condition of the real property was consistent with what we would expect to encounter when tenants vacate office space after an extended occupancy."

Ironically, the investigation came in response to a request from Rep. Bob Barr (R.-Ga.), and many conservatives who had assumed that the wild rumors would be confirmed by an official inquiry. That wasn't the case. (The "looting" of Air Force One had also been denied months ago by officials at Andrews Air Force base -- Kansas City Star, 2/9/01).

By the way, that official government investigation came at a cost of $200,000 to identify less than $1,000 worth of “prank” damages.

I feel the need to remind you in the media of this, since most of you gleefully reported these allegations as fact in the days after President Bush’s first inauguration. Yet few of you bothered to correct the record when the GAO’s report was released.

Now, having just watched MSNBC’s story on the transition to an Obama Administration, I have a feeling we’re going to be hearing a lot about missing “W” keys from keyboards and the like.

So please get the story straight this time.

kaithxbai.

Best Memory Hole Ever!

Via commenter Sekmet at Atrios comes this gem from September 7, 2000:

Bush Says That the Bottom Line on Gore's Proposals Would Consume the Surplus

By ALISON MITCHELL
Published: September 7, 2000

Gov. George W. Bush opened a new line of attack against his Democratic rival today, accusing Vice President Al Gore of making so many promises in this campaign that he would devour the entire $4.6 trillion federal surplus projected for the next decade.

Mr. Bush chose to fight on the economy and fiscal policy on a day when Mr. Gore unveiled an ambitious and detailed economic blueprint and called for the creation of a $300 billion rainy day fund to be set aside as an emergency source of money if the economy slows down.

The Bush campaign took out a full page advertisement in some regional editions of USA Today quoting six Nobel laureates and nearly 300 other economists praising Mr. Bush's approach to fiscal policy. The Texas governor also seized on an analysis released by Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee, who said the cost of the vice president's programs could be as high as $906 billion more than he has estimated.

''I want America to add up all the promises my opponent has made,'' Mr. Bush told a crowd at an early morning airport rally in Scranton, Pa. ''All the promises over the course of this campaign. He has the easy style of campaigning. Go to one community and make a promise here, go to another community. When you add it all up, he's spent the entire surplus on bigger government. He won't admit it.''

Ah, good times, good times.

Let’s add it up, shall we, America? After seven years, Bush has not only consumed the entire surplus but left the country $438 billion in debt--not including the government bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. And don’t even start that whole “but ... but ... but Democrats are in control of Congress!” Er, no. They have a one-person majority in the Senate. They aren’t in control of Congress because their majority is not fillibuster-proof and the Republicans have brought obstructionism to new heights.

So after seven years of Republican economic policy, you think you want more? Heh. Joe Klein has more.

There He Goes Again

Via Wonkette, enquiring minds want to know: Was Bush falling down drunk at the Olympics?

Let's get the National Enquirer on the story! After all, they've covered the boozing Bush story before. Since they are now the must trusted name in news, I say it would be irresponsible for the major networks NOT to cover it!

Nope, No Demonstrations Here

If you listened to the American news media, you’d think no one showed up to protest President Bush on his farewell tour of Europe. Bush's "lame duck" status, and a warming of attitudes toward the hated American president, have been credited.

From the “liberal” NPR:

Anti-Bush Animosity Waning

In scheduling what is expected to be his farewell visit, President Bush did not stick to countries where he'd be guaranteed cheers. Instead, he went to Germany, Italy, France and Britain — the capitals of "old Europe." Yet President Bush has seen little evidence of animosity or protest.

Oh, really? Maybe this has something to do with it:

Anti-war protest erupts in violence with 25 arrested during Bush visit

AN ANTI-WAR demonstration held yesterday to coincide with George Bush's farewell tour of London descended into violent clashes between protesters and police.

What began as a peaceful demonstration in Parliament Square yesterday afternoon flared into scuffles as protesters tried to force their way past blockades on to Whitehall.

The road was sealed off by police as the US president met the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, at Downing Street last night.

One protester, Suzanna Wylie, 29, was left bleeding from a head injury after being hit by a baton. She had been linking arms with protesters at the front of the crowd, trying to stop demonstrators surging forward.

She said: "I've been on lots of demonstrations before and every one of the Stop the War demonstrations has been peaceful.

"This time because Bush is here, specifically because Bush is here, because of his own security arrangements, they won't let us demonstrate. If they let us demonstrate, there would have been none of this."

And then there’s this:

British police say up to 2,500 people show up to protest Bush and 25 arrested

LONDON — Up to 2,500 demonstrators held a boisterous rally in London's Parliament Square on Sunday as U.S. President George W. Bush dined with his British counterpart nearby.

Protesters blew their whistles, banged their drums, and voiced their opposition to the so-called "War on Terror."

A few pelted officers with placards and tried to breach a police cordon set up to block them from getting near Downing Street, where Bush arrived for a private dinner with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Demonstrators chanted "Bush - terrorist" only about 300 metres away from where the president and prime minister were eating.

And then there’s this:

George Bush in Britain: Police investigate anti-war protests

Police today will begin an investigation into protests against the US president, George Bush, that turned violent after clashes between officers and demonstrators.

Scotland Yard said 10 police officers suffered minor injuries during a demonstration in Parliament Square yesterday, while Bush met Gordon Brown a few hundred yards away at Downing Street.
[...]
Protesters blamed the authorities for not allowing a letter to be handed to Downing Street. The trouble began after a few cans and placards were lobbed over police lines.

"This was very predictable," said Stop the War. "If they had allowed us to deliver our letters of protests to Downing Street, as we had asked, none of this would have happened."

Way to go, U.S. media! Don’t let facts stand in the way of a good story fantasy. President Bush and his war: still hated, all around the world.

Can’t Go Back There

I can really identify with Atrios’ post about the HBO film “Recount.” In particular, this:

That whole saga was just really traumatic. It was my "holy shit everything is really screwed up" moment when I suddenly realized that all of our elites - politicians, supremos, and especially the media - did not deserve the modest naive faith that I had given them. I'm not saying that I lacked any cynicism about the various institutions before, but just watching the media piss on our Democracy over that time period was incredibly jarring.

I can’t watch it, either. It really is just too painful.

The 2000 election and Supreme Court decision that installed Bush in the White House was my wake up call. Prior to that I paid little attention to the daily drama of politics. I voted, and watched the news, and kept as reasonably informed about current events as any busy working person. The Clinton impeachment was horrifying to me, of course, and I felt it was wrong for a bunch of people to take out their political vendetta in this sleazy way. But I also felt like President Clinton’s tawdry affair had been stupid and reckless. Furthermore, I didn’t feel like it affected me one way or the other.

The 2000 election was different. The fact that we didn’t know the results of a presidential election for an entire month was deeply unsettling to me. Even worse, I wasn’t in the U.S. when a lot of this was going on. Watching it all in snippets on TV while in a foreign country was jarring.

At the risk of sounding elitist, I was in France. Yes, France. I had taken advantage of early voting and left the country for a holiday with my sister. We went in November because that’s when it’s cheaper. On election day we went to Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, famed watering hole for American expats. We took part in Harry’s famous straw poll (which to our dismay declared George W. Bush the winner) and were interviewed by French radio about the election. When someone told me in broken English that he despised Karen Hughes, I tried not to let on that I didn’t know who she was.

We declared our distaste for Bush Jr., drank more than a seemly amount of beer, and toddled our way back to the hotel in St-Germain-des-Prés, expecting to turn on CNN International and learn who our new president would be.

Instead we spent the rest of our trip uncertain about what we’d find when we got home. Every day the news from home got worse. I wondered if part of the story wasn’t getting lost in its transatlantic journey. I saw pictures of the famous Brooks Brothers riot and knew immediately it was a fake: all those pasty-faced white boys in their Oxford shirts is a riot? You gotta be kidding me, I thought. Katherine Harris was in charge of Florida’s elections and Bush-Cheney campaign co-chair? Is that even legal?

And I just didn’t understand why any of this was happening. What had gone wrong with our system? If this had happened in a third world country, I thought, we’d write it off to a broken, phony democracy. Surely this wasn’t happening in America. I had a sense that something had been going terribly wrong for a really long time, and I just hadn’t been paying attention.

When it all finally shook down, I was disappointed but relieved. At least it was over, I thought. I was used to dumb Republicans winning elections over far smarter Democrats, and the world hadn’t stopped turning. No really serious damage had been done, at least, nothing that couldn’t be undone.

And then 9/11 happened and Bush showed how much damage a truly horrible president could do.

The Bush presidency and the 2000 election that spawned it awakened a lot of us on the left. Like Atrios, I realized that the institutions I had taken for granted were corroding, and it hadn’t just happened over night. It had been going on for years, while I hadn’t been paying attention. It was a painful realization, and I’ve had to acknowledge my own complicity. While I was watching "L.A. Law" and "Thirtysomething" the nuts took over the asylum. All I can say now is, never again.

But do I want to spend three hours reliving the moment I realized much of what I thought was true about this country had rotted away? No, I don’t.

Bush Not The Life Of The Party

It would appear President Bush is a bit of a fundraising dud these days:

Poor ticket sales, expected protests scuttle Bush-McCain fundraiser at Phoenix Convention Center

A Tuesday fundraiser headlined by President Bush for U.S. Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is being moved out of the Phoenix Convention Center.

Sources familiar with the situation said the Bush-McCain event was not selling enough tickets to fill the Convention Center space, and that there were concerns about more anti-war protesters showing up outside the venue than attending the fundraiser inside.

Oh no! There goes the party! But here’s the funniest part:

Bush's Arizona fundraising effort for McCain is being moved to private residences in the Phoenix area. A White House official said the event was being moved because the McCain campaign prefers private fundraisers and it is Bush administration policy to have events in public venues open to the media. The White House official said to reconcile that the Tuesday event will be held at a private venue and not the Convention Center.

Way to go, Bushie! Blame it on the McCain campaign! Well, I’m going to call bullshit on that one. I distinctly remember President Bush attending fundraisers at private homes here in Nashville back in 2004 and 2006. I know this because one of those events was at a home just a couple of miles from my house. Some people I know protested in the yard of a sympathetic Democrat who lived across the street from the home where the fundraiser was held. A quickie Google search confirmed my memory isn’t entirely shot. It was almost exactly four years ago.

And then there’s this:

During the Bush presidency, the press has nearly always been banned from fundraisers in private homes. Former President Clinton sometimes allowed the press into such fundraising settings, at least for his remarks.

Here’s another one:

Schwarzenegger isn't planning to join Bush at the library because of what the president is doing tonight: holding a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee at a private residence in L.A.

By the standards of presidential fundraisers, this one will be small. It's expected to yield $1 million, with 100 couples invited to pay a $25,000 door charge. (Some will get in free because they've already given big.)

Okay, as gotchas go, this one is small. I understand the White House is trying to cover for the fact that Dear Leader is the most hated Presidential figure in modern American history. It’s especially embarassing when ministers of the Methodist church campaign to block the Bush Library and think tank at Southern Methodist University. Ouch.

But there’s another component to this issue. Since the President cannot use the trappings of his office--like, for instance, transportation on taxpayer-funded Air Force One--for partisan political purposes, Bush has always coupled his nationwide fundraising travel with “official” business. A speech somewhere, followed by a swanky $25,000 a head private dinner. A lot of us think it’s pushing the rules a bit, and those of us who remember all of the pearl-clutching over which telephone Vice President Gore used to make his fundraising calls think the right’s being a little hypocritical here.

So we’re all going to be eagerly watching what the Righties do when a Democrat lands in the White House. Since there seem to be two sets of rules in the political playbook, one for Democrats and one for Republicans, I think we should all be paying attention to this stuff now, before the Memory Hole gets scrubbed and the conservatives get on their high horses criticizing Democrats for stuff they've been getting away with for years.