Bob Herbert. Wow.

[Rose Siding]

Dancing the War Away

Watching the inaugural ceremonies yesterday reminded me of the scenes near the end of "The Godfather" in which a solemn occasion (a baptism in the movie) is interspersed with a series of spectacularly violent murders.

Even as President Bush was taking the oath of office and delivering his Inaugural Address beneath the clear, cold skies of Washington, the news wires were churning out stories about the tragic mayhem in Iraq. There is no end in sight to the carnage, which was unleashed nearly two years ago by President Bush's decision to launch this wholly unnecessary war, one of the worst presidential decisions in American history.
...
...President Bush and his equally tone-deaf supporters spent the past few days partying hard while Americans, Iraqis and others continued to suffer and die in the Iraq conflagration. Nothing was too good for the princes and princesses of the new American plutocracy. Tens of millions of dollars were spent on fireworks, cocktail receptions, gala dinners and sumptuous balls.
...
The disconnect between the over-the-top celebrations in Washington and the hideous reality of Iraq does not in any way surprise me. It's exactly what we should expect from the president and his supporters, who seem always to exist in a fantasy realm far removed from such ugly realities as war and suffering. In that realm you can start wars without having to deal with the consequences of them. You don't even have to pay for them. You can put them on a credit card.

http://nytimes.com/2005/01/21/opinion/21herbert.html?hp

[quiet.american]

1. You're right -- wow.

And always "wow" with Bob Herbert. If Tom Friedman got a Pulitzer, Bob Herbert definitely deserves one!

(I think he's pretty handsome, too. :) )

[BlueManDude]

2. I just emailed this column to someone. Great stuff.

[beam me up scottie]

3. Thanks, I missed that one today.

nt

[EVDebs]

4. His other columns "Repubs Parallel Universe" and "Scent of Fear"

"The Republicans' bizarre parallel universe"
http://www.iht.com/articles/537205.html

and

"Scent of Fear"
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/011105_scent_fear.shtml

should be REQUIRED READING for DUers !

And with Paul Krugman, the NYTimes has a one-two punch going on our common-sense-challenged administration.

[Cha]

5. And bush wouldn't have it any

other way..

"The disconnect between the over-the-top celebrations in Washington and the hideous reality of Iraq does not in any way surprise me. It's exactly what we should expect from the president and his supporters, who seem always to exist in a fantasy realm far removed from such ugly realities as war and suffering. In that realm you can start wars without having to deal with the consequences of them. You don't even have to pay for them. You can put them on a credit card."

That's OUR CREDIT CARD!

[dweller]

6. and OUR social security! n/t

[Cha]

7. Right! There's no paranoia

involved with those goons in the chimphouse stealing everything they can get their grubby, greedy, hands on.

[leesa]

8. I LOVE Bob Herbert. He was one of the first brave reporters to speak

the truth about the Bush Crime Family.

[muchacho]

9. tone deaf supporters

I like it...

[slor]

10. Great article...

and so tragically true.

[spanone]

11. A true patriot.

[UL_Approved]

12. One thing that worries me

Since Bush has angered so many of the world, and since so many people in his abused world don't share his views, he is ripe for an assassination.

What bothers me is the fact that his opposition is using bombs to carry out its actions. When Bush is killed, it won't be from a bullet like all other assassinations in this country, it will be with a bomb.

When a bomb is used, many innocent people will die. The harder it is to get to Bush, the bigger the bomb will be to accomplish the job. This is something that crept into my mind recently after reading up in LBN and archiving the articles. Bush has set precedent. He has so much personal hatred across the world aimed at himself. And he will bring us down with himself, one way or another.

[spanone]

14. You reap what you sow.

[gratuitous]

17. No . . .

Stupidhead will live a long, useless, blight of a life, impoverishing and killing many whilst enjoying all the trappings and perquisites of power and wealth until he finally dies, some time in his eighties.

And snot-nosed little kids, still in diapers today, will write moving words honoring a mean little man they never knew.

You and I will know differently.

[NJCher]

23. I don't buy that

I buy the bomb theory.


Cher

[Laurab]

27. I do too - the bomb theory

unfortunately.

I also doubt very much there will be much written to honor the "man". At least nothing that would stand up in a history book.

[steelyboo]

26. No, they are talking about Bush, You are talking about what happened to

That POS Reagan... oh wait, nm, I see what you mean :evilgrin:

[jasop]

36. You got that right. Just like Reagan...

Nixon, Johnson, and others.

[NEOBuckeye]

28. Yeah, that's all the Dominionist Right Wing needs -- A Martyr

You know, they would elevate him to "sainthood" so quickly that we'd never hear the end of it. All the tributes to Bush would make Reagan's elaborate state funeral look like a springtime gazebo band festival.

God, I hope it doesn't come to that. I'd much rather see Bush live long enough to stand trial for war crimes and human rights violations at the International Criminal Court, once we beat the GOP out of power and take back our country, however long it takes.

[njdemocrat106]

30. Reagan's already been canonized by the GOP

In my local newspaper, the local GOP chairman said he plans on recruiting more people to the Republican party by espousing the values of their "philisophical leader", Ronald Reagan. But yeah, I hope Bush lives long enough to stand trial for his crimes, and I hope I live long enough to see it.

[Robbien]

13. Another today by Wm Hughes: "Bush-Cheney Re-Crowned in Fortified Capital"

Washington, Jan. 20, 2005--Welcome to the quadrennial circus: “The Presidential Inauguration.” This was a $40 million show funded by fat cat contributors to the GOP. Package deals for the four days of partying, including hotel accommodations and tickets to one of the nine inauguration balls, cost participants as much as $250,000. However, the massive security operation for the re-crowning of George W. Bush as President and Dick Cheney as V.P., also hit the taxpayers with a $17.3 million bill.

After arriving early by train at Union Station, I made my way to Pennsylvania Ave. & 4th Street, NW, on the north side of the official parade route. The parade route ran for 1.7 miles from the Capitol to the White House. The ANSWER coalition had secured a permit to stage a counter-inauguration protest there. As an irony, the plaza where they gathered to protest is named after John Marshall, one of the greatest chief justices of the Supreme Court and a champion of the US Constitution, who strongly believed in the “sovereignty of the people.”

Brian Becker, a national coordinator for ANSWER, revealed how the permit rally process had been rigged by the President’s Inaugural Committee and the Interior Department to exclude from Pennsylvania Ave. individuals who weren’t on a Republican Party-donor list. He said the GOP wanted to “sanitize the coronation,” and create the false image that Bush & Cheney have “a green light” from the people to run the country for four more years. He said they had to “file a lawsuit” to get to the bottom of the matter.

Not since WWII has the nation’s capital experienced such a pervasive police/military presence, with over 13,000 cops/soldiers, from 60 different agencies, most in uniform, and some armed with assault weapons. They patrolled the skies in helicopters, the Potomac River with Coast Guard vessels, and the streets on foot. They blocked off pedestrian traffic and designated seven areas as “Free Speech Zones.”

http://baltimorechronicle.com/012205WilliamHughes.shtml

[DivinBreuvage]

15. There's a far more appropriate Godfather analogy he could have used

I don't think the "baptism of blood" is the best choice, because it illustrates Michael's phenomenal competence, which was doubted even by those closest to him. With a single brilliant stroke Michael reestablished the dominance of the Corleone family in the battle they had been losing for some time.

For the analogy to be accurate, Clemenza and Tessio would have been raving about Michael's straight-talking, resolute toughness while their power was being eaten away by the other four families. Michael's self-proclaimed "masterstroke" then would have gone horribly awry, resulting in piles of slain Corleone buttonmen and innocent bystanders throughout the city. Michael then would announce that in order to keep the family on top he was going after the pezzonovante of Las Vegas and Miami. Clemenza and Tessio would agree wholeheartedly; Tom Hagen would know it was folly but would go along for fear of losing his job.

The better choice, it seems to me, is the Cuban interlude in Godfather II: Fulgencio Batista chumming it up with the corporate magnates who were gearing up to loot Cuba blind; Hyman Roth glibly discounting the vigor of the revolutionary zeal that so concerns Michael; the rich American guests and their Cuban collaborators fleeing for their lives as enraged insurgents from the slums and barrios overwhelm the palace gates.

[UL_Approved]

32. Damn straight

In fact, that incident ties directly to this kind of forced freedom (oxymoron) that is Iraq. Don't forget, corporate heads drive all of this stuff, and it all comes back to the all mighty dollar...

[July]

16. Best writer on the NYT op-ed page.

I love Krugman, too, but Herbert has a way with words. Outside of those two, I'm not too impressed with the op-ed page. I could even respect a RW writer who wasn't a propagandist (Safire) or self-styled trends pundit (Brooks), but no luck there. And Dowd is insufferable.

[KlatooBNikto]

18. You can add a special category of intellectual

bankruptcy or drivel (your choice) for Tom Friedman and Nick Kristof.

[spanone]

19. We complain about MSM. Let's Give Bob a Thumbs Up!! E-mail ady

[e-mail]

[bvar22]

20. george w bush*...

America's First Cartoon President

[grasswire]

21. TONE DEAF

and OUT OF TOUCH.

That's our new battle cry. They're tone deaf.

[wryter2000]

22. His e-mail address is at the bottom

You know what the freepers will do. Send him some support. I did.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

24. Brilliant editorial. Thanks for posting.

[Phoebe_in_Sydney]

25. So powerful, I emailed him thanks immediately n/t

[Disturbed]

29. Lavish party scenes...

interspersed with Tsunami photos and Iraq violence.

[njdemocrat106]

31. Awesome column

Bob Herbert tells it like it is. At least someone in the media has enough guts to take on Bushco.

[donco6]

33. Best thing I've read in months

Have been off the news mostly since the election. Great stuff.

[ginnyinWI]

34. It's obscene

It is scandalously obscene what BushCo. is doing. Reminds me of some of the despotic rulers in Europe back in the 1600-1700s. Marie Antoinette comes to mind. And we know she didn't turn out to well, in the end.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

35. just watched the French Revolution on History channel last night...

I kept seeing scenes of this gaudy tasteless coronation as they told about the people starving outside the city gates, while the partying was going on inside.. history repeating itself AGAIN. Perhaps if the shrub had gotten higher than a C average he might have learned some of this in school...

[chomskysright]

37. My Reply to Herbert: my experience at coronation

Mr. Herbert:


Many professionals were at the inauguration as associated with protesting. The pictures and coverage in the press seems to feature old hippies and freaks. Sorry: not so.


This is what I witnessed and spoke to people about:


1. the gate at 1st St and D St: mostly inaugural ticket holders: no problems passing through Secret Service check points
Contrarily, the check points at 3rd St (1.5 hour wait by friends of mine from Asheville); check point at 7th and D St: 2.5 hour wait (I did this); check points at 13th St: don't know about the wait there but Code Pink women could tell you.


2. The protesters were 'divided up' as associated with policeman and security people creating cordones that could not be traversed. The ANSWER protesters at around 5th St could not get to the Code Pink and Vote Recount people at 13th. No way.


3. When I entered the cordoned area, an E-2 sailor, as I was using the port o potty, kicked my two protest signs under the port o potty. Another person told me when I exited said port o potty. I introduced myself as "Dr. Hammond from Asheville NC and you are?......" An "E-2" he answered. He told me I should not leave 'trash' lying around.


4. When I went into the crowd by the street, I propped my sign up against one of the street signs as it was hard to hold it up w/o being able to carry any sticks in. Republican 20 something year olds started bullying me. I told them I would stand there if I pleased as I was an American just like they.


5. many people did not get through ANY of the check points as protesters scuffled with the police outside 7th St and D St. All the gates were immediately closed at around 1:30 p.m.


6. Come inauguration night, as I was making my way to the Metro in order to stay with friends outside the Beltway, there were literally 100's of women in full length mink jackets making their way to the ball. Amazing: just amazing: like a 'symbol' for Republican power.


IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE SOME COVERAGE ABOUT THESE EVENTS. Please feel free to call me. I can direct you to other people with their experiences re: that day.


Sincerely,