Cenk Uygur: How George Bush Can Rescue His Presidency

[norml]

Opinion
Cenk Uygur: How George Bush Can Rescue His Presidency

Cenk Uygur
Sun Jul 30, 1:06 PM ET


Conventional wisdom says there are two possible directions for the remaining years of the Bush administration: 1. Muddle along and hand off the mess that they've created to someone else. 2. Double down on their bet. Make things much worse by getting involved in a broader war in the Middle East either by entangling us in the Israeli conflict or attacking another Muslim country, e.g. Syria or Iran.

I agree that those are by an order of magnitude the two most likely outcomes. But of course there is a third way. He could change course.

Imagine what would happen if George Bush brokered a real peace deal in the Middle East. I know it seems absurd and I know there's no way he's going to do that while holding on to the ridiculous "bomb our way to democracy" and "first strikes rock" doctrines. But what if Nixon went to China?

What if Condoleezza Rice won the internal turf battles and convinced George Bush that he would have a real legacy if he converted all of his tough talk into leverage needed to actually strike a deal with the Iranians. A deal that would stabilize Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and, most importantly, Israel and Palestine.

Would he have to make concessions? Absolutely. Would he get everything he wants in the deal? No way. Would the neocons be furious and send Dick Cheney to yell at the president? Of course. But if he was willing to stomach all that, he could come out with a historic peace deal.


snip


http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060730/cm_huffpost/026082

[Phredicles]

1. "Would he have to make concessions? Absolutely."

And that's why it'll never happen.

[longship]

2. A recommendation for the "Young Turks"

More than slightly irreverent.

Love 'em? Of cooooooourse!
:-) :loveya:

[Bucky]

3. And I'd welcome such a development. With open arms & open jaw.

He's entirely right that a determined thoughtful Bush could do this. Of course it goes without saying that we don't acutally have "a determined thoughtful Bush" to call our own. But if Bush did this, I would be happy for any progress we get. The difference is that cutting a deal with Iran isn't "Nixon going to China" so much as a total repudiation of everything Bush has said and done over the past six years. No one, not even the Big Dog, could pull off spending six years trashing the planet solely for the sake of the political prize of turning around and fixing part of the problems he's caused in the last two years of his term. It's the stuff of fantasy.

But again, if Bush could somehow bring real peace, I'll welcome it wherever I can get it in this world.

[ticapnews]

4. I've been listening to the Turks since the Alito Filibuster Radiothon

It's a great show and they really know (usually) what they're talking about. A-level guests too: Just last week Senator Dick Durbin was on talking about the Bolton nomination.

http://www.theyoungturks.com/ They are on from 6PM-9PM Eastern, 3-6 Pacific. You can watch or listen online, or on Sirius or syndicated. I also recommend the chat room. Jill hangs out in there and is very cool.

It's good to see smart, young, progressive, outspoken liberals on the air!

[Sherman A1]

5. We could start with resignation

as a method to fix what is left of his years, but I don't see that happening. As you cannot change history, I don't see any method for him to rescue his "legacy" it will simply be that of the worst president this country has ever seen and that of complete failure. There are points that those who support him will argue, but none can argue the violations of the Constitution, the price of gasoline, the end product of his preemptive war and the simple answer to the question "are you better off now than you were when he came into office" . Even Social Conservatives who are strong in their beliefs cannot answer in the positive unless they have and have had lots of wealth. George W. Bush is a failure.

[kurth]

6. Who wants to do business with a lame duck moron?

Besides, his credibility in the world is ZERO.

[OneBlueSky]

7. "if George Bush brokered a real peace deal in the Middle East" . . .

sorry . . . not in the PNAC playbook . . .

[Demeter]

8. He Cannot Rescue His "Presidency"

He really ought to worry about rescuing his personal freedom, because that is the next thing to go.
He may have to do a Ken Lay to get any peace and freedom.

[CJCRANE]

9. This is a great idea.

I really believe B*sh can change and he'll team up with Superman and together they'll save the world. Hooray !!!

[yurbud]

10. great idea, but bush is only capable of 'take' not 'give'