OMG...........Check out this column from DAVID BROOKS....

[buff2]

I can't believe this coming from him....a bu$h ass kisser from way back.



September 4, 2005
The Bursting Point
By DAVID BROOKS
As Ross Douthat observed on his blog, The American Scene, Katrina was the anti-9/11.

On Sept. 11, Rudy Giuliani took control. The government response was quick and decisive. The rich and poor suffered alike. Americans had been hit, but felt united and strong. Public confidence in institutions surged.

Last week in New Orleans, by contrast, nobody took control. Authority was diffuse and action was ineffective. The rich escaped while the poor were abandoned. Leaders spun while looters rampaged. Partisans squabbled while the nation was ashamed.

The first rule of the social fabric - that in times of crisis you protect the vulnerable - was trampled. Leaving the poor in New Orleans was the moral equivalent of leaving the injured on the battlefield. No wonder confidence in civic institutions is plummeting.

And the key fact to understanding why this is such a huge cultural moment is this: Last week's national humiliation comes at the end of a string of confidence-shaking institutional failures that have cumulatively changed the nation's psyche.

Over the past few years, we have seen intelligence failures in the inability to prevent Sept. 11 and find W.M.D.'s in Iraq. We have seen incompetent postwar planning. We have seen the collapse of Enron and corruption scandals on Wall Street. We have seen scandals at our leading magazines and newspapers, steroids in baseball, the horror of Abu Ghraib.

Public confidence has been shaken too by the steady rain of suicide bombings, the grisly horror of Beslan and the world's inability to do anything about rising oil prices.

Each institutional failure and sign of helplessness is another blow to national morale. The sour mood builds on itself, the outraged and defensive reaction to one event serving as the emotional groundwork for the next.

The scrapbook of history accords but a few pages to each decade, and it is already clear that the pages devoted to this one will be grisly. There will be pictures of bodies falling from the twin towers, beheaded kidnapping victims in Iraq and corpses still floating in the waterways of New Orleans five days after the disaster that caused them.


Read the rest. Great column.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/04/opinion/04brooks.html?ei=5090&en=37eeb8918dbb6e2e&ex=1283486400&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

[TomInTib]

1. The worm has turned.

[Demoiselle]

2. He went ballistic last night (Friday) on TV, too.

My brother-in-law, who agrees with me that Brooks is an insidious mealy-mouthed right wing apologist, saw the performance, called and said he thinks the guy has had some kind of epiphany...he was slamming the Bushies but good. Makes me smile gently and wait for the next defection. Now, if only our own good Democrats would start going after the bastards......

[Mythsaje]

3. A little more

-snip-

Katrina means that the political culture, already sour and bloody-minded in many quarters, will shift. There will be a reaction. There will be more impatience for something new. There is going to be some sort of big bang as people respond to the cumulative blows of bad events and try to fundamentally change the way things are.

Reaganite conservatism was the response to the pessimism and feebleness of the 1970's. Maybe this time there will be a progressive resurgence. Maybe we are entering an age of hardheaded law and order. (Rudy Giuliani, an unlikely G.O.P. nominee a few months ago, could now win in a walk.) Maybe there will be call for McCainist patriotism and nonpartisan independence. All we can be sure of is that the political culture is about to undergo some big change.

-snip-

We'll only see a progressive revolution if our leaders suddenly get a clue.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. Had to dig deeper... -snip-

Reaganite conservatism was the response to the pessimism and feebleness of the 1970's. Maybe this time there will be a progressive resurgence. Maybe we are entering an age of hardheaded law and order. (Rudy Giuliani, an unlikely G.O.P. nominee a few months ago, could now win in a walk.) Maybe there will be call for McCainist patriotism and nonpartisan independence. All we can be sure of is that the political culture is about to undergo some big change.

A Progressive groundswell gives us Giuliani or McCain? :wtf:


I call that a groundswill!

[buff2]

6. I think the people are fed up with these so called

Compassionate Conservatives. The mask is being peeled off one by one. RIP GOP!!!!!! John McCain? :puke: Rudy? :puke: I'm not worried anymore. :hi:

[MADem]

54. The scary thing is that the GOP opposite of compassionate conservatism

(which is code for look like you are sorry about it, but do nothing) is Nixon/Agnew-like "law and order." I really don't want to go back to the days when cops were 'pigs' and cracking kids in the head with nightsticks. We need a better way. We need to respond to real need, and ignoring it or beating down anyone who needs help is not gonna cut it. I hope the one good thing that comes out of this mess is a major sea change in the minds of Americans. Some things, like our population, are worth the investment.

[belle]

69. yeah, plus add in the fundies. I worry a lot about that.

[Seabiscuit]

63. If McCain and Giuliani are the names the Repukes come up with when

talking about the failure of their own party and the need for progressive revolution, then they're truly doomed to the ash heap of history.

[MissWaverly]

7. what he said talked about on PBS was FDR and the New Deal

also heard that Bush is furious about those pictures of him eating
cake with John McCain that have gone out all over the globe paralleled with the New Orleans photos, the leader from China has canceled his trip
to DC citing Katrina.

[buff2]

11. Awwww......gee.......

The little bu$h kid worried about his image? Well,then he should be a President for ALL the people instead of just for the haves and the have mores. Yellow cake,birthday cake.....EAT IT BU$H!!!!!

[MissWaverly]

35. You don't understand he wants his cake,

he regrets nothing that happened, it is the PR that pisses him off,
where's Jeffie......

[marbuc]

76. mmm, cake. nt

[Greylyn58]

17. Well I guess all these little photo ops

that KKKarl arranges for you have come back to bite you in the ass haven't they Bubbleboy.

I love it.

[MissWaverly]

33. I think the republicans are nervous

they known things we didn't know for a long time about
Bushco, read John Dean's Worse that Watergate
but the rumor is that Bush now has no credibility with the world
community. The leader of China has canceled his trip here to see Bush,
this does not bode well with the Repugs at all. They wanted a free ride
unlimited tax cuts, unrestrained profits, the Democrats ground into
the mud. What could be sweeter, now Bush has become a messy and
costly embarrassment, the bill is coming due and they are not happy.

[tanyev]

28. Maybe he saw some of our own Distressed American's work.

Way to go, DA!

[MissWaverly]

41. When I think of David Brooks, I think of a tuning fork

He always seems to catch the Repubican group think and express
it, if the Republicans nix Global Warming then he nixes it,
I really think that he is expressing a major change in the
Republican mindset, which is a real shame because we have lost
so much and it really wouldn't have hurt to have given GWB
the boot after 1 term, they knew more than we did what was going
on.

[Imagevision]

66. I think David Brooks is a straight shooter the past 6 months anyway!

[MissWaverly]

50. DA's pictures are great

well, if this wasn't a let them eat cake moment, I don't know what it
was, and DA nails it every time

[belle]

70. Really? Literally eating cake? perfect.

[proud2BlibKansan]

87. Is bush also concerned about the photo of him

and the guitar? IMO, it is MUCH worse than the cake photo.

[magnolia]

22. If Bush becomes poison...

...then both Guiliani and McCain are contaminated. Both are opportunists who rode on the coattails of Bush's temporary and Rove manufactured popularity.

I love David Brooks article but he'll always be a republican. The democrats who criticized Clinton during the big BJ era didn't switch parties.

[MissWaverly]

38. something's gotta give

especially when Cheney and Rove were standing off to the side at the
big photo op today. I look for a change, surely any responsible
leadership will realize that GWB cannot govern if 2 of his senior
cabinet officials are indicted, this administration is on extremely
thin ice and it is impacting our national security.

[mandyky]

43. I think all his maybes were ors

separate and different, I don't think he was equating Guiliani and McCain with progressives.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

78. Brooks was contrasting progressivism with Giuliani and McCain.

Brooks is not confusing progressivism with "law and order" candidates or with Giuliani or McCain. Brooks puts Progressivism at the top of the list and then goes on to list other alternatives. Don't keep looking for negatives. Seize the positive, seize the day.

[journalist3072]

5. Wow! I think the world is really coming to an end

David Brooks criticizes Bush!!! Come and take me now!

[buff2]

8. A glimmer of hope among this week of horror

Maybe our nightmare is about to end. :toast:

[senseandsensibility]

9. He didn't criticize *

He didn't mention his name. And that's EXACTLY what he should have done. Railing and ranting about the "government" does not tie this to *. But I knew that he wouldn't do it.

[buff2]

13. He said enough. I got his message.

:hi:

[senseandsensibility]

24. I expect YOU to get it

After all, you're an enlightened, well informed and progressive DUer. Many people, if not most, however, are not. They need to be hit over the head with the fact that chimp is responsible by name. They won't get it otherwise, especially not after five years of brainwashing by the corporate media.:)

[buff2]

31. Hee hee.....

I do understand what the people here in DU are saying about Brooks not mentioning Chimpy by name. It would have been great,but like I said,I'm happy to take anything that gives us hope. :hi:

[journalist3072]

14. Yes, you have an excellent point...

He should have called him out by name.

But at POTUS, Bush represents the federal government. He is the face of the government.

[buff2]

15. That's right

I wish he would have mentioned bush by name. But I'll take anything we can get. Remember when that idiot never got ANY criticism? How his poll numbers were in the 80's? He was called "this popular President"? Haven't heard him called that in a LONG time....LOL

[journalist3072]

19. The veil is coming off, finally! n/t

[gatorboy]

25. Brooks answer was...More Republicans!

eom

[senseandsensibility]

32. bingo

I expect him to start blaming the local NO Dems shortly, and to decry "bloated federal government". I don't think this is a sea change at all for him. I don't think he's capable of one.

[buff2]

34. Good grief........

Maybe I'd better read it again...I could have sworn he said something about people wanting change... :shrug:

[Cocoa]

45. it's always wise to read Brooks more than once

if you find yourself thinking he's changed his colors.

I guarantee you, David Brooks is still David Brooks. This column is NOT a change of heart, imo.

Again, see "Hobbesian".

[Cha]

40. Yeah, that brought me to my senses.

ghouliani or pukeman mccain.

[MissWaverly]

42. read this quote from the article

We're not really at a tipping point as much as a bursting point. People are mad as hell, unwilling to take it anymore.

I think he knows that the game is up, GWB's free ride is over,
he talked over and over how 9-11 gave people confidence in government
and called Katrina the anti-9-11 how it had made people have no
confidence in their government. I felt his mention of Guiliani was
not as a savior but to point out that GWB was not the man with his
finger in the dike at Ground Zero.

[FredStembottom]

60. He said " Maybe this time there will be a progressive resurgence"

He DIDN'T use the Republican pejorative of "liberal". And he said "resurgence" and not "takeover" or "coup" or something equally negative sounding.

My God! Progressive Resurgence! There's no Talking Points bundled up in that phrase. That's a choice of words that only someone who has bottomed out and is thinking over the most fundamental beliefs he holds would choose.

To me, those 2 words uttered in that way by that particular man amount to the most stunningly positive event I have seen in 5 years! :wow:

-edited for clarity-

[Imagevision]

68. exactly - Brooks just told it like it is!

[leeroysphitz]

75. Yes that is surely a sign of the end times

as foretold in the book of revelations...

[BigBearJohn]

10. Thanks for this. Sending to ALL my republican associates-Recommended

[annabanana]

12. is he stumping for "competent corporate" control here?

or just "something different"?
Let's get this straight here... The institutions did not fail.. the people RUNNING the institutions did. They weakened the agencies ability to respond by gross and irresponsible budget cuts to the places that the public most needs for it's safety and welfare.

If the institutions had been financially robust and manned by professionals instead of political cronies..we would not be in this mess

[CrispyQ]

65. annabanana, you are spot on with this post!

Our institutions are fine. They may need some updating, but they have served us well for 200 years. It was when Reagan implemented trickle down economics & the repukes decided to cater to the rich & the corporations that our 'institutions' started to fail. Yes, it is definitely a failure of leadership.

[Cocoa]

16. what about Brooks's own role?

whom did he himself choose to serve?

[buff2]

21. I know he's an asswipe.....

But I love it how he is changing his tune.

[Cocoa]

30. he's speaking in the passive voice

he's pretending things just happened, he's neglecting to mention the people who caused them to happen, and the fact that he has dedicated his career to serving those people.

[pretzel4gore]

18. david's being emotional

what's all this bushbashing? bush is a media creation, david (even dubia says so; he admits he aint got no skills and only media has made him the mightiest politician in the white house!) so david brooks ought to step up to the plate and swing the big stick at all the home runs passing by, just like always!
shamme on david brooks for abandoning ship when the poor vessel needs every one of its rats to squeal "Bush is God, worshop him or die!" and keep up appearances (and morale) cuz the poor and working class is nasty nasty nasty if ever they get loose

[gatorboy]

20. Rudy Giuliani and McCain are his answers to the problem?

More Republicans? No thank you, Mr. Brooks. They've had their chance. I'm not reaping more of that crap.

[buff2]

29. I can't stand those two

McCain is the biggest two-faced hypocrite,and Rudy is right behind him.

[magnolia]

44. His readers and admirers...

ARE REPUBLICANS. Not us! If he is going to come down so hard on the administration, he has to at least throw them a bone. Well...two bones.

[fishnfla]

23. I'd vote for nonpartisan independence

its like ABB, but different, maybe better.

I think the 2 wings are not helping us.

[wellstone_democrat]

26. Bull---he likes "voice of reason" to cover his next

foray into "Bush* and Republicans are moral decent people, obey them"

No one is slicker than him. He's a corporatist and only worried that a real populist movement will arise again.

When I see two in a row from him like this, I'll entertain the idea he's stopped shilling.

[nookiemonster]

27. Unfortunately, Katrina was the tipping point.

What a fucking price to pay. Hell is not hot enough for this vermin.

[Cocoa]

36. key word: Hobbesian

Katrina through the neoconservatives' lens:

It's already clear this will be known as the grueling decade, the Hobbesian decade. Americans have had to acknowledge dark realities that it is not in our nature to readily acknowledge: the thin veneer of civilization, the elemental violence in human nature, the lurking ferocity of the environment, the limitations on what we can plan and know, the cumbersome reactions of bureaucracies, the uncertain progress good makes over evil.

[Cha]

39. I had to look that up..

"The philosophical system of Thomas Hobbes; especially : the Hobbesian theory that people have a fundamental right to self-preservation and to pursue selfish aims but will relinquish these rights to an absolute monarch in the interest of common safety and happiness"

Yeah, Right.

[MADem]

55. They call it the Strongman in the Arab world

And these same bastards who like the system over here think it is not quite right for those in the oil producing region....go figure!

[Cha]

37. Hard Hitting on the bushwa..

"We're not really at a tipping point as much as a bursting point. People are mad as hell, unwilling to take it anymore."


"Reaganite conservatism was the response to the pessimism and feebleness of the 1970's. Maybe this time there will be a progressive resurgence. Maybe we are entering an age of hardheaded law and order. (Rudy Giuliani, an unlikely G.O.P. nominee a few months ago, could now win in a walk.) Maybe there will be call for McCainist patriotism and nonpartisan independence. All we can be sure of is that the political culture is about to undergo some big change."

Time for a Real Progressive to Emerge! NOt the pseudo ghouliani, the lapdog mccain.. And what's this about "hard headed law and order"? "Maybe we are entering an age of hardheaded law and order."

That's what we have now!

[pretzel4gore]

49. real law'n'order cost brooks his life

and the shitty little punk knows it

[Jose Diablo]

46. Message to the Bu$h administration and the crooks in the repub

congress/senate, here is 'reality' right in your face. Welcome to the world. Wiggle out of this one Rove.

It IS the agents of the government responsibility to spend our tax money for our benefit, the people. Not your corporate money suppliers and the 'beltway boys'.

We the people expect the infrastructure to be maintained. We expect to be the ones that benefit from government spending. The government exists ONLY because we say it does. If it doesn't work for us, then we abolish it and replace it with one that does.

You got the people's blood on your hands. You're finished.

[goforit]

59. Wiggle out of this one?..starts with thr death of Renquist.

[Bucky]

47. Well, then David Broder can't be far behind.

Expect "Bush is a fuck up" to become the new conventional wisdom. In which case Venezuela should become very worried.

[Gloria]

48. Last night on PBS he said that when he saw Bush talking

at the Miss. photo op ( I think it was that one) he for the first time saw Bush the way Mark Shields has seen him.

That's sort of striking....

I would think he had a moment of revulsion....

[Cha]

51. INCREDIBLE!

Thanks for this, Gloria! To come out and say that is blasphemy for a koolaid drinker!

[yowzayowzayowza]

52. PBS NewHour transcript & audio link:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/political_wrap/july-dec05/bop_9-2.html

DEFINITELY werth a few minutes!!!

[Cha]

57. Thank you, very much! n/t

[renate]

85. great transcript

Cool to see those guys from different ends of the political spectrum, all talking sense.

[Jokinomx]

95. More and more people are seeing the same thing....

My question is why did it take so long to see something so obvious.

Many chimp supporters will be seeing the light after this fiasco.

[ray of light]

53. kicked and nominated!

[MH1]

56. Read the whole thing. Yech column from a yech rethug.

Like someone pointed out upthread, he is just using this to praise Reaganism and other rethugs: "McCainist Patriotism"?!! :puke:
(I would buy the o.p.'s point if he had said "Kerry-like patriotism" or "Cleland-like patriotism". Like that would ever happen.)

"Rudy Giuliani, an unlikely G.O.P. nominee a few months ago, could now win in a walk." :puke:

Brooks is still just as putrid as ever.

[goforit]

58. Basically.This Bush Cabinet, surrounded by constant death & destruction

[pippin]

61. It's Nice to see

another worm turn.

[ThomWV]

62. What Bullshit

Yeah, read the whole god damed thing, basically what it says is when this Republican is gone lets try one of these other ones.

[Peace Patriot]

64. There are a couple of realities that we need to face...

1. Diebold and ES&S, two electronic voting system companies run by far right Bushites, are now counting all our votes with SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code--code so secret that not even our elected secretaries of state are permitted to review it--as a consequence of deliberate design by Republicans, and corruption and/or collusion by Democratic Party leaders (local election officials lured by the $4 billion electronic voting boondoggle, with the upper ups remaining SILENT on this election system INSANITY because they support Bush's war and want to "control" and "manage" the great antiwar majority in this country.)

2. There is no way that a true antiwar populist can get "elected" in this system. The best we can hope for is that a War Democrat will be chosen for us, who, on the one hand, will likely expand the war in the Middle East and get a Draft (things Bush cannot do), but, on the other, may pay lip service to progressive values--such as honest elections--and give us room to reform the election system. Basically, we need to throw Diebold and ES&S election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor,' so to speak, and start over--a task that can only be done at the state/local level, where the power over election systems still resides, and where ordinary people still have potential influence.

3. SOMETHING is going on behind the scenes. That is for sure. Maybe it's the pending indictments of major Bushites for treason (the Plame outing), with Cheney (possible target of the prosecution) currently in bunker-mode, trying to keep his bloody hands on the reins of power. I was struck by Daddy Bush and Clinton backing Junior Bush, but saying nothing, in that raggedy press event, re: the hurricane--very weird. Just standing there, as if...as if to say that legitimacy still resides HERE, not...elsewhere. Junior is STILL president. 'We're backing Junior.' It really gave me the willies. WHAT is going on?

4. A revolt has been brewing within the intelligence community and military for some time. They are very unhappy, and I think who they are unhappy with the most is not Bush Jr.--a puppet--but Cheney and Rumsfeld, the grand architects of the disaster in Iraq. I most definitely think that the regime is in disarray, and it wouldn't surprise me to find out, for instance, that Cheney and those allied with that monster have a plan to get rid of Bush Jr., that the disastrous lack of response to Katrina is part of the plan, and that items like the Bush "birthday cake" photo op may even have been "arranged" to further destroy Bush Jr.'s image, prep to a Cheney overt takeover. In this regard, I DO think that there are some forces working in our favor--to prevent something worse, say, the nuking of Iran, or...God knows...the nuking of an American city? Cheney's and Rumsfeld's actions on 9/11--or, I should say, inactions--were very strange, indeed. I think the stand-down of the Air Force--the failure to even protect our nation's capitol, with almost an hour's notice--may have been their doing, and that this may have become known within the inner circles of the establishment dissidents.

5. We don't have much control over these things. We have for too long permitted shadow governments to operate in our name, and large scale war profiteering. The only thing we can do, as to items #3 and #4 above, is hope for the best--have faith that there are good and courageous and SANE people working on our behalf--and try to REGAIN our power as voters to put responsible, well-meaning, and truly representative people into office. That is OUR job, in my opinion: achieving transparent, verifiable elections.

6. The War Democrat. We don't have any choice about this. It's all set up--with people like David Brooks talking about the disarray in government and all. I think the plan among Republicans is to install a War Democrat to take the BLAME for the war, and for a possible Great Depression (a la 1929), and to further militarize our country with a Draft and to take the heat for that. With the war profiteering corporate news monopolies' "short term memories," it will be no problem to get a Democrat into major trouble with the populace; then we get Jeb (in '12). How can we avoid that outcome--a very strategic question? War Democrats are beholden to the predatory global corporate military machine, and to Israel, and will NOT relinquish the 15 new PERMANENT U.S. military bases in Iraq, nor designs on Iranian oil, and all the other "neocon" purposes. He/she will run a more efficient Mideast war, with somewhat less thievery and probably with some relief for the military grubs (better treatment of veterans; relief on the "stop loss" situation--but at the price of a Draft). If things remain relatively stable here (no major riots and violent putdowns, etc.), then we MIGHT be able to get our country back, in the long run--through election reform. I don't know what we'll be able to do about the Supreme Court (will have to give that some thought--impeachment maybe). But if we can eventually regain popular control of two branches of government, there will be a lot we can do to outflank the Supreme Court, to demilitarize our society, and to RESCIND corporate policies, such as tax cuts for the rich, out of control news monopolies and oil companies, treasonous job outsourcing and other outrages. In the meantime, I think we need to proceed cautiously with regard to the War Democrat who is very likely going to be installed. We need to think LONG TERM, and we need to make ELECTION REFORM our FIRST priority.

7. There are many educational parallels between our situation now, and that of the 1920s--when "Robber Barons" and finance profiteers destroyed the U.S. economy, with a succession of pro-rich Republican presidents DOING NOTHING and seeming to be insanely incompetent, but installing a dinosauric Supreme Court (appointed for life) that Franklin Roosevelt then had to battle to achieve needed reform (with half the country out of work and starving). As of WW I, the U.S. economy had gone onto a permanent military footing that it has never recovered from, and so--as some say, and I believe it has truth--the thing that really saved us from the Great Depression was WW II, which required, among other things, fair taxation of the rich and presidential control over industry. The truth is that our economy is BASED ON war profiteering--to the point, now, that wars are being invented out of thin air, to keep it going, and, in the current situation, to loot us blind--to squeeze our last dime out of us (due to the overweening political influence of military contractors). The current war has been instigated with the collusion of the War Democrats. It is NOT "Bush's war." It is the "WAR PARTY"'s war. We cannot stop it (why do you think they took away our right to vote?!!). All we can hope for is a strong FDR-type leader with somewhat progressive tendencies, and a feeling for the country, who will not permit our country and our people to be trashed any more than we have been; and who will keep things stable UNTIL PEOPLE FIGURE OUT HOW ALL THIS HAPPENED--via Diebold and ES&S--and find the ways to CHANGE IT.

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

David Brooks' article is so full of crap, I don't know where to begin. So I will just discuss this one thing--his use of the beheading of Nick Berg as a sign of all this disorder he's so affronted by...

"There will be pictures of bodies falling from the twin towers, beheaded kidnapping victims in Iraq and corpses still floating in the waterways of New Orleans five days after the disaster that caused them." --Brooks

Notice how he slips that in there--"beheaded kidnapping victims in Iraq." Well, there has been only one, and that was after the "victim" was not only in U.S. custody for 10 days, but also after he had been previously questioned by the FBI about his email account and password showing up in Zacharias Moussaoui's computer! Remember that? --the computer that Coleen Rowley was trying to get into BEFORE 9/11, and was prevented from doing. AFTER 9/11, they found Nick Berg's email in THAT computer. And they let this guy go wandering around Iraq "on business"? And his beheading then becomes the cause celebre of the Freepers to take the heat off the Abu Ghraib torture photos?

We think Louisiana smells bad!

So, David Brooks doesn't like all this incivility. The foppish S.O.B. Take comfort, if you will, from Bush Jr. being history. Pray that the "Dick Cheney Protectorate" (a la Cromwell) is not what's next. And get busy on election reform!

[gristy]

90. Man, did you write this?

Fascinating. I cannot disagree.

[Beam Me Up]

96. MY GOD COULD YOU PLEASE START A THREAD WITH THIS INFORMATION

rather than letting it disappear inside another?

It truly deserves a thread of its own.

[Mr Rabble]

97. Excellent post. This is a strong argument. nt

[liberalhistorian]

67. I've actually noted more and more

anti-Bush sentiment expressed in Brooks' columns lately; it's been subtle, but very obvious nonetheless. Hopefully, the worm has, indeed, turned with him and this is the beginning of the repuke apologists finally dropping the scales from their eyes and helping others to do the same.

[shance]

71. To me, it seems to read like a promo piece for Guiliani.

His criticism is warranted, however, there are MANY questions with regards to Guiliani and even McCain.

[BeyondThePale]

72. I sent him this response:

You wrote that: "It's already clear this will be known as the grueling decade, the Hobbesian decade."

However, you forgot one other specifier: this is the Bush decade--and all of these failings fall largely from his failed foreign and domestic policies, his cronyism, his choice of faith-based programs (e.g., faith in PNAC beliefs over intelligence, faith in fundamentalist beliefs over science), and his service towards his base rather than to the needs of the American public.

I am glad that you are starting to see the light, but let's consider the true source of the grueling decade.

[fortyfeetunder]

73. I disagree with one point.

"Nobody took control"

The truth was, as Aaron Broussard, Jefferson Parish President, pointed out in that emotionally chilling MTP interview this morning, that FEMA practically cut them off at the knees.

And I agree with another point from Mr. Broussard: there needs to be a congressional hearing on this atrocity.

I am not going to recommend this topic.

[stevietheman]

74. Let's boil it all down.

Brooks is telling Republicans: Find a moderate-conservative replacement for Bush, or progressives will tear us a new one, one way or another.

[electricray]

77. Fuck that guy.

This was a backdoor slam on Nagin. The first sentence sets it up. There is no anti-Bush message here. This is agit-prop al the way. Most people only read the headline and the first few sentences. If that is all the people see in the paper, the message is Giulliani good, Nagin Bad.

[ananda]

79. Yes, Nagin is being..

.. swiftboated for Reeptile propaganda purposes.

Brooks is justifiably horrified at -Bush- but he's still blinkered by rightwing warped goggles.

The last thing we need is a Guiliani or a McCain as Prez.

Sue

[mpendragon]

80. just one more chapter in the excuse presidency

9/11
- He says: I didn't know it would happen, no one could.
* He did: He did nothing to fight terrorism after being warned and used it as an excuse for . . .
Iraq
- He says: Bad intelligence is responsible for the lack of WMD's. He and the rest of the team try to link Osama Bin Laden to Iraq.
* He did: Fix the facts to make an argument for war whose aftermath we were unprepared for including . . .
New Orleans
- He says: Help is now on the way and his cronies try to blame the victims
* He did: Weakened the agencies in charge of preparing and handling the aftermath

It is just one long chorus of "not my fault." I guess the right never gets tired of excuses.

[prohemp]

81. While it may be a good sign

I am not positive either. Another constant Bush apologist, FOX news was also slamming the government for not doing enough. i could not believe it. It is possible they had some sort of epiphany seeing all the dead. But after being through 9/11, this reeks of problem - reaction - solution. The government creates a problem, the media hypes it until the people are desperate for a solution, then the current leaders step up with one, like the Patriot Act and a permanent war on terror. FOX is hyping Guiliani saying he needs to be in charge of the tri-state area to cut through the red tape and get things done. I think they want to get him more PR for a presidential run, as well as possibly appoint reconstruction contracts to cronies. FOX was also calling for the government to end taxes on people who invest in reconstruction to make it happen faster making these investments more lucrative. As another poster mentioned, I also think the war will get worse, and we will have a depression. Republicans may be hoping for a democrat congress in 2006, dem president in 2008 so they don't have to take the whole blame and can go on the attack again.

[Mr Rabble]

82. I have a problem. Brooks is ALWAYS wrong.

Right down the line he has been totally out to lunch.

While I am glad to see him react this way, I cant help but think of every editorial in the last few years at the NYT where he has TOTALLY missed the mark.

[txindy]

92. A broken clock is right twice a day.

His time finally arrived. Who knows, maybe he's even got another one in him.

[cascadiance]

83. Oh the "Bitter" irony of this!

Bush's ratings and acceptance by the American public were built up artificially by one "unforeseen" tragedy (9/11).

And now they are about to be taken down by another "unforeseen" tragedy (Katrina)...

Shakespeare couldn't have written a better script!

[brettdale]

84. kick

kick

[proud2BlibKansan]

86. Rudy Giuliani is white

as were most of the 9/11 victims.

Draw your own conclusions. I know I have.

[Nothing Without Hope]

88. NO! No worm turning. Adds up to the new GOP line: BUSH NEEDS MORE POWER!

1. Can't praise the president too much because people won't buy it and then poor, smarmy Brooksie won't be as popular to his media bosses. But he certainly doesn't want to imply that he blames Bush at all - so he carefully avoids any wording that could possibly point to blame for Bush's decisions. Instead, he blames the non-federal authorities and "partisans." Presto: it's not Bush's fault, it's those bickering partisans - GOP language for Democrats - and the "diffuse authority." Very, very telling choice of words.

2. Careful to NOT blame the FEDERAL government, since he doesn't want any blame on Bush. This is the new meme, you know: state and local officials are supposed to have dithered, blocking all effective effort -- not the Feds' fault, let alone Bush's, heavens no!

3. Implies that unified power that is not partisan or local is required to solve the problem. In other words, the problem was that Bush did not have enough power. His effective leadership was blocked by those bickering "partisans" and the "diffuse authority." Implied solution: give Bush more power, especially more power over the states and civilians.

Look at Brooksie's careful parsing here:

Last week in New Orleans, by contrast, nobody took control. Authority was diffuse and action was ineffective. The rich escaped while the poor were abandoned. Leaders spun while looters rampaged. Partisans squabbled while the nation was ashamed.

Now note the key phrases and words:

• "Authority was diffuse and action was ineffective."
  That is a clear statement that Bush's authority wasn't strong enough, he needs more power to do anything to rescue those people. Brooksie is ignoring who made the orders to delay relief and block foreign aid. I wonder who ordered the aid convoys from other states to be bocked? Somehow I don't think the desperate locals would dream of doing such a monstrous thing.
  
  
• The "leaders spun while looters rampaged."
  Another telling phrase: THE LEADERS. That's PLURAL. Again, he's saying it's not Bush or the Feds - that would be ONE leader - implying that it's the locals and state leaders who are responsible for the problems. And oh yeah, gotta get those scary "rampaging looters" in there - dark skin implied - eeeek!!!! Time for some military police to make us all safe, eh Brooksie?
  
  
• "Partisans squabbled while the nation was ashamed."
  Now that's very revealing - he's saying again very clearly that it's NOT the Bush Administration's fault, it was those "squabbling partisans," I.e. theoretically either Dems or Repubs, but we know which one he always blames and so will his regular audience. Again, the implication is that Bush's leadership was blocked by those "squabbling partisans" - it's not his fault at all. It's those "squabbling partisans" that made our nation ashamed. He's exonerating Bush again.


Looks like if Bush hadn't been prevented by all those locals and partisans from getting anything done, everything would have been fine. Looks to me like Brooksie would LOVE for Gov Blanco to sign away state powers to the federal military. Then his revered Supreme Leader Bush would no longer sadly be prevented from, well, leading. See? Bush doesn't have enough power, that's the problem. Poor Bush just couldn't do anything, poor guy's hands were tied by those "squabbling partisans" and the "diffuse authority." Poor Bush! Sorta makes me all snuffly for such a nice guy, you know?

I suggest you read this sorry piece of propagandizing again, knowing how this toad NEVER does anything but push what he has been given to push. This ISN'T an attack on Bush or any of the alleged federal "relief" efforts at all. It's the OPPOSITE. THIS IS THE NEW ADMINISTRATION MEME. See, it's all the fault of that "partisan squabbling" and that "diffuse authority." Brooksie is saying that it's not the Feds' fault, let alone Bush's, and he's advocating "unified" leadership with no "partisan" arguments. Hey, roll in the Pentagon military and kisses to Our Leader Bush! He'll protect us all from those scary "rampaging looters!" Sieg Heil!!

I read the whole article and at no point does Brooksie give me any reason to doubt this interpretation of what he wrote. THIS IS NOT NOT NOT CRITICISM OF BUSH OR HIS ADMINISTRATION. Far from it, it's in effect calling for MORE power to be given to Bush.

Brooksie finishes with a flourish of GOP foot kissing as is his pleasure and duty. This really calls for a barf bag - but again, look carefully how he is praising likely Republican 2008 candidates:



Reaganite conservatism was the response to the pessimism and feebleness of the 1970's. Maybe this time there will be a progressive resurgence. Maybe we are entering an age of hardheaded law and order. (Rudy Giuliani, an unlikely G.O.P. nominee a few months ago, could now win in a walk.) Maybe there will be call for McCainist patriotism and nonpartisan independence. All we can be sure of is that the political culture is about to undergo some big change.

We're not really at a tipping point as much as a bursting point. People are mad as hell, unwilling to take it anymore.

[PinkyisBlue]

99. Excellent Points!

I'm not as knowledgeable about politics as you and many others here on DU, but I have a good gut instinct.

It bothers me that Brooks doesn't specifically criticize the Bush administration for this failure to provide disaster relief; he calls this and other leadership failures "institutional failures". Huh? And who has been in charge of these "institutions" for the last 4-5 years? Who has cut funding for and reorganized these government agencies, or "institutions"? You're right, he's acknowledging that people are angry (which he needs to do), but he's very carefully attempting to shift these angry feelings onto government institutions and not onto the people in charge. He doesn't mention anyone in this administration once by name.

And, in the ninth paragraph, he tries to shift blame for all recent disasters to: " ...elemental violence in human nature, the lurking ferocity of the environment, the limitations on what we can plan and know, the cumbersome reactions of bureaucracies, the uncertain progress good makes over evil." According to Brooks, unfortunate circumstances are the cause of our recent tragedies and failures, not any decisions made by this administration.

It also bothers me that he writes "The economy and the moral culture are strong." By several measures, the economy is not that strong. Most people's wages are stagnant, there is increased national and personal debt, the gap between the rich and poor is increasing, etc. I think he, and others, are setting the stage to blame a future recession/depression and failed economy on this hurricane disaster (and subsequent rise in oil prices) rather than on Bush's horrible economic policies, which is where the blame lies. Look at how long they blamed 9/11 for any downturns in the economy?

[savemefromdumbya]

89. 911 was planned

I guess they had time to groom Guliani with the planned 911 attacks. With Katrina they were all over the place. Have you noticed?

[DinahMoeHum]

91. "Government response quick and decisive" on 9/11 ?? I beg to differ.

The LOCAL government in NYC was quick and decisive, but that was about it.

Giuliani was discharging the duties of his office (and nearly getting killed in the process) Bush and Cheney were nowhere to be seen, and Bush was running around like a scared bunny rabbit on Air Force One for most of the day.

The only Federal thing that worked was for the airports to ground all flights shortly after the first hour. No thanks to Bush here.

:evilfrown:

[Nothing Without Hope]

93. NO NO NO! This column spouts GOP propaganda and avoids blaming BUSH

It's blatant. This smarmy toad is still licking their Guccis. I laid out my reasoning here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4616247#4632830

[krkaufman]

94. Look closely. Brooks is *STILL SPINNING* his conservative line.

Ya gotta read and listen closely. Within Brook's recent articles and appearances, he's continuing to insert the overarching Conservative mantra, that goverment is bad, big government is worse.

From this article...

No wonder confidence in civic institutions is plummeting.

And from Sunday's 'The Chris Matthews Show'... (paraphrasing, since I can't find a transcript) ...

FEMA's failure is "a demonstration that big government doesn't work"

The Democrats seriously need to pile-on the Republicans in regards to the dismantling, deconstruction, defunding, etc of proven government programs and agencies. Government works fine... when it's being run by people who believe in the good of effective government and don't make deconstruction of the government their primary priority.

[Quixote1818]

98. .

[Mr_Scarecrow]

100. crap crap crap

No turning worm here. Just a worm, spouting tired old crap, such as:
"the pessimism and feebleness of the 1970's." Code for "those pesky Democrats who got annoyed at Nixon (pessimism) and Jimmy Carter (feebleness). Just another asshat pretending that he "gets it" about the latest fiasco so he can drudge people back into line.

[Princess Turandot]

101. David Brooks has always understood that Republicans stand for the wealthy

and that what motivates them is classism. Sometimes they are racist as well. Depends on the situation. But it always comes down to nobles and serfs. He does not have the slightest problem with that generally.

Once in awhile, he'll analyze something in the terms described above. For example, a year or so ago, he wrote a column abt why poor white men would ever in their right minds vote for Bush or any Republican. His analysis was that it was because identifying with the nobles by voting for them made the serfs think they could be nobles some day. His overall tone implied that the serfs were not just poor but deluded. That was okay with him.

This showed the world WHAT the nobles were, not just WHO they were.
Exposing the 'what' seems to have gotten to him.Not an epiphany. He just doesn't want this to be the image of what's in his closet.