Eleanor Clift, MSNBC: Bush is "inept, out of his depth, rudderless"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Falling and Faltering
A hundred days into his second term, President Bush’s agenda is in trouble. And things are not looking much better for Republicans on Capitol Hill.

By Eleanor Clift
Contributing Editor
Newsweek
Updated: 2:26 p.m. ET April 29, 2005

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7680442/site/newsweek/



April 28 - His second term is in a sinkhole. The American people give him low marks on everything but the war on terrorism, and that’s because there hasn’t been a second attack on U.S. soil. President George W. Bush is inept on economic policy, out of his depth on the issue of Social Security and rudderless on foreign policy.

Yet, as he demonstrated in his press conference last night, Bush conveys unshakeable confidence, arrogance even. His core message: we know where we’re going and nothing is going to stop us from getting there.

As Bush’s numbers fall and the image of Congress falters, there’s a general impression that Washington is increasingly out of touch with the American people. Bush is talking about Social Security privatization when health care and gas prices are the top issues that worry voters. The president has the luxury of indulging in an ideological crusade. He’s isn’t running again. Bush brags about how courageous he is for touching the third rail of politics, but he’s more cowardly than courageous in refusing to talk about increasing taxes during a time of record budget deficits and when his Social Security plan will cost huge sums to implement. (At his prime-time press conference Thursday, Bush for the first time mentioned possible cuts in Social Security benefits for future retirees, as a means of shoring up the program, but he did so tentatively.)

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, cracks are appearing in the Republican phalanx on Capitol Hill. Ohio GOP Sen. George Voinovich stunned the White House last week by calling for a timeout on the nomination of John Bolton to be ambassador to the United Nations. Democrats surfaced new charges about Bolton’s heavy-handed treatment of underlings, and Voinovich, in a rare burst of conscience for the partisan Senate, agreed that the charges deserved a full hearing. Democrat Chris Dodd sent Voinovich a handwritten note saying, “Thanks for listening.”

[NMDemDist2]

1. cracks appearing? now we need to make sure we scream at the top

of our lungs we are the party of fiscal responsibility

many moderate repubs would come over if we could kill the "tax and spent liberal" labels

[enid602]

13. pugs

No more tax-cut and spend Pugs!

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

15. What the Democratic leadership in both the House and Senate

need to do ASAP is label the Pukes as the "borrow and spend" party.

It's the truth and needs to be told to the American people.

Hell, we went through this before when St. Ronnie was President, it's the same old BS from 20 years ago.

Time to take the gloves off. Hit them and hit them hard!!!!

[brokensymmetry]

2. Kick!

Good article - if this doesn't make you want to take back the Senate and the House in 2006, nothing will.

[Why Syzygy]

3. They have NO ONE to run in 2008!!

Nothing left to lose. He's lost it for all of them. Are they waking up to smell the coffee?

It's about g-d time a REPORTER reported on the arrogance factor. sheesh

[FreedomAngel82]

4. Hopefully

I'm glad to hear they finally reported on it. Hopefully we can all get people out to vote 2006 and 2008 for democrats. If we ever want to get teh bastards we have to get everything back by 2006 so we can run investigation's and TRUE investigation's.

[Arugula Latte]

12. No no no

Not arrogance -- self-confidence. Manliness. The common touch. A guy you'd want to have beer with. :puke:

[bunkerbuster1]

21. A guy you'd want to pour a beer ON.

Kerry, OTOH, I might consider falling off the wagon to have a beer WITH.

Just to clarify.

[tinrobot]

41. Beer?

He can't drink beer... he's an addict.

I'd love a president who really COULD drink a beer.

[POAS]

55. Not necessarily on that could have a beer

but rather one that would admit to not being able to have one. Part of the problem is that he is too arrogant to admit a fault, like alcoholism.

[jean]

53. those who think he's an oh-so-manly beer drinker must be having second

thoughts as they gas up their vehicles these days... Their strutting preznit isn't man enough to control gas prices in his own country. Where is all that oil he's getting from Eye rack?

When will the lightbulb click on with these folks? :shrug:

[sellitman]

27. Horse feathers!!!

They have someone very important to run. Someone who will grab more Democratic votes than last time. Someone who can weather any storm, someone who you may even wind up having voted for....


DIEBOLD


:think:

[DesEtoiles]

5. tellin' it like it is

[Skarbrowe]

6. Now won't it look truly suspicious if the Repubs make gains in 2006?

I know the house won't be able to pick up many Democrats because of massive redistricting, but if the Senate picks up more Republican seats, won't this all look more strange than we have been thinking?

[raysr]

9. Yeah

but they still have the machines!

[Skarbrowe]

44. You would think if the Repubs are in crash and burn mode, stealing

the election would be harder to do. Naaaa. They'll just say that all the good Christian Repubs were being "shy" not answering polling questions or exit polls so when the vote count "materializes" there will be all these "shy" Repub votes to carry the day.

Yep. I can see it in my pagan crystal ball.

[glitch]

45. They'll rig the machines for the Dems, accuse them of cheating and declare

martial law.

[loudsue]

58. I've thought about that, glitch:

And I wouldn't put it past them, actually!

HOWEVER, IF that should happen, at least we'd FINALLY get the entire country....every single person...behind us to STOP the computerized vote stealing machines. It makes it WAY too easy to move a few million votes with the touch of a finger.

:kick::kick::kick:

[glitch]

60. Yes - because everyone knows who they personally, and their friends and

family, voted for. Already the mod repubs are suspicious over 2004, perhaps moreso than the rest of us, because they KNOW they did not turn out for bush. If bushco does try something like this, and they are just that cocky aren't they? then that will be it.

The final straw we've all been waiting for. Of course, my suspicion is that they will implode before 2006 and not even get the chance.

Here's to that: :toast:

[siliconefreak]

7. "Thank you for your answers"

I just heard that The Chimp ended his news conference last night by looking at all of the reporters and saying, "Thank you for your answers." Is that true?

Nothing surprises me at this point.

[Chipper Chat]

16. That's what he said.

I was startled. Then I realized he "misspoke" and was just in a hurry to turn on his iPod to listen to "My Sharona."

[TahitiNut]

34. Yep. He was obviously responding to his earbud prompter.

The guy is three suits short of a full deck.

[Terre]

8. She writes some GREAT articles

I always enjoy reading them.

[radfringe]

26. but on the tube (Capital Gang)

she kisses butt

[TahitiNut]

33. I don't recall seeing her on Capital Gang.

She's a regular on the McLaughlin Group and a token liberal on Fox News. I've never seen her "kissing butt" but she's unflappable and soft-key, so the rabid right seems to tolerate her as a token spokesperson who can be shouted down.

[FSogol]

49. She's also a somewhat frequent guest on

NPR's Diane Rehm Show's Friday Newsround Up. Great show IMO on Friday's from 10 to 11 EST.

[monarch]

62. I think that you're confusing her with

Margaret Carlson. I have never seen Eleanor Clift on Capital Gang and I have never ever seen her kiss butt.

[radfringe]

69. my oops -- I keep getting her confused with

Kate O'Beirne ... don't know why ... just call it a "senior moment"

[Erika]

10. Who will they run and on what agenda?

Silly me. The GOP and Rove will get their fundies and the rich as a coalition and go for it. No problem. They will see the U.S. slide down the tubes to nothingness.

[FrenchieCat]

11. Thank God for that ONE Reporter.....

telling us what we already know and should be clear to all!

Now, what will those in the Poodle Press do? That's what will make the real difference!

[Lindacooks]

14. You know one of the many, many things that bugs me most about chimpy?

That stupid smile on his face whenever he finishes a sentence. He has this half-assed smirk, while sticking his head forward, that looks like he's begging people to believe him and corroborate what he's saying. It makes him look even stupider, if that's possible.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

19. I was thinking about his comments last night re: Bolton...

"John Bolton is a blunt guy. Sometimes people say I'm a little too blunt."...

Despite what he says about "a president who tries to lead while following the polls is like a dog chasing its tail," he KNOWS how much of his country...and the WORLD, for that matter...feels about him.

This is NOT a well-liked or respected man.

The sad thing is that as his self-awareness increases, so does his arrogance. There's too much work that needs to be done in this world, and Bush carries far too much psychological baggage.

[spooky3]

23. a president who ignores the polls doesn't understand he is

employed by the people to do their will.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

36. And I don't believe he gets that part of the job at all...

He had a five minute window in which some people loved the arrogance and bravado and fake cowboy crap...immediately following 9/11. People were frightened, people had no idea what had just happened or why.

If George Bush thinks that in any time in his career he had "political capital," HE DID...immediately following 9/11. But he didn't spend it. He squandered it, and made the U.S. hated throughout the world.

And yes, before someone points this out, there have ALWAYS been those in the world who hated the U.S...George Bush didn't "create" that situation, but he certainly didn't make it better.

[Vickers]

50. But even right after 9/11 he ran around like a wimp for most of the day

Before his handlers (bosses?) got him all cowboy-ized. :eyes:

[DoYouEverWonder]

24. Like this?

http://us.news3.yimg.com/img.news.yahoo.com/util/anysize/345,http%3A%2F%2Fus.news2.yimg.com%2Fus.yimg.com%2Fp%2Fnm%2F20050429%2Fmdf548354.jpg


He's such an embarrassment.

[0007]

30. Embarrassment is to weak of a term for someone who has flushed

America down the toilet.

[ooglymoogly]

32. lol...good composition

now if you could just set these pics to some bad opera

[Lindacooks]

63. Yes, it's the last one! That toothless smile of an idiot.

PLEADING with his 'audience' to agree with him. Blech.

[Nothing Without Hope]

65. These blivet** pix are WONDERFUL - here's what they say to me:

TOP LEFT: "Who, me?" (Stalling while he waits for a prompt)

TOP MIDDLE: "It's hard work!"

TOP RIGHT: (censored)

BOTTOM LEFT: "What, ME worry?"

BOTTOM MIDDLE: "The NERVE of them, disagreeing with ME!"

BOTTOM RIGHT: "TRUST me" (said while holding a knife behind his back)

That one on the lower right is the QUINTESSENTIAL used car salesman"Trust me!" he's saying, while he tries to sell you a broken-down clunker for a premium price. I'd like to get a copy to use - it says it all: this man is a fraud.

[TahitiNut]

35. "Little Jack Horner"

"Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said,
What a good boy am I!"


"Little Gee Dubya,
Stood at the podia,
Acting all wise and sly;
With his thumb in his ass,
He passed some more gas,
And smirked,
What a sly boy am I!"

[googly]

17. and this moron still beat our magnificent John Kerry?

What is this country coming to???????

[siliconefreak]

18. I know...

The press conference got me thinking about that first debate between Kerry and Bush. Kerry was fantastic; Bush was a complete moron (no surprise, of course). But to think that nearly 51% of the American people still voted for him...ugh...

[MontageOfFreedom]

25. Lets deflate that myth once and for all. 51% did no such THING.

They did no such thing, and most of the election in 2004 was covered by fraud. The outcome was never resolved or even proclaimed.
http://www.votersunite.org

It's more of the same fundamentalist garbage, to not realize the election was simply stolen and was then left to the sidelines. Kerry basically won. Another illegitimate poppers in the henhouse, and everything about it smelling like rats.

Get ready for the lid to start screwing right off, Sibel Edmond's coalition is appearing on TV tomorrow and the election fraud is just becoming front and center.

[siliconefreak]

47. I knew someone would probably say that...

Okay, even if it wasn't 51%, I'm still aghast that anyone with a brain voted for The Shrub.

But if it wasn't 51%, what percentage do you think he got?

[arikara]

51. Thank you for saying that

There is no way that the chimp won that election without major cheating. His only mandate is the muscular Mr. Guckert.

[sellitman]

28. No he didn't

DIEBOLD & ES & S beat John Kerry. Any they will beat our next candidate unless we stop them.

[MontageOfFreedom]

29. Correct as stated. n/t

[Spiffarino]

42. Don't forget Sequoia

That's what we voted on in NC and our election was horribly mangled.

[earth mom]

37. And that's exactly why I know the election was stolen!

Who can seriously believe that * won the popularity vote?! Geez! Give me a break! The majority of this country is smarter and more savvy than that! That's why they voted for Kerry and that's why Kerry won.

[siliconefreak]

20. her last line

Referring to DeLay and Bush:

"The good news is that it’s blowing up in their face."

:evilgrin:

[dbt]

22. Not to minimize Ms Clift's work here, BUT

if the President in question were, say, Bill Clinton, there would have been a hundred articles like this one. And they would have come out roughly six months (or less!) into his first term.

Most of the Media still marches in lock-goose-step with bu$hler, which only serves to make these rare glimpses of Truth look like the grumblings of lone malcontents.

Thank Goddess for the Internets!

[emulatorloo]

31. Kick for the depressed about "invincibility of Bush" crowd n/t

[paineinthearse]

38. Elenor is not long for the McLaughlin group

There will be a move to silence her now.

[whometense]

40. I dunno about that.

McLaughlin himself has been pretty hard on Smirky for the past year at least. He seems to side more often with Clift these days than with Buchanan or Blankley.

[spooky3]

56. yes, I think so too--besides even if he didn't, they need Eleanor as

"The Liberal" that everyone else on the show can shout at. She's not saying anything in this article she hasn't said in other terms previously.

[Helga Scow Stern]

39. Why are they waiting "to do the people's business"?

"Listening to Reid sketch out the opposition’s strategy over sausage and eggs to a roomful of reporters made me wonder why the Democrats are waiting for the bomb to drop before they do the people’s business."


What are they waiting for?


"Democrats will not shut down the Senate, Reid says. To the contrary, they’ll keep the Senate open for longer hours to talk about issues people care about, like health care, raising the minimum wage, gas prices and veterans benefits. Under Republican control, senators enjoy a two-and-a-half-day workweek, popping into town late Monday evening and leaving in a rush by noon Thursday. What labor union would dare to propose such hours, Reid ventured."


Is the message, "don't screw up Republicans, or we will start taking care of the people!"?

[TayTay]

46. She's not entirely accurate on this and is part of the problem

There were over 30 amendments to the Bankruptcy Bill that Democrats pushed to make the foul thing less of a burden on lower and middle income Americans. Did Eleanor write anything about this? Did anyone? Did she write about how the Democrats tried to save the Arctic Wildlife Refuge from drilling? (3 Dems defected. that means 41 stayed.) There have been bills filed to fix the voting system, provide health care for kids, help make the burdens of war time service less awful for our troops and their families and so much more.

Has Eleanor written about those bills? Does she give a damn?

[Sick_of_Rethuggery]

48. Actually,

the reason is that whatever they may pass in the Senate (an iffy prop to begin with, considering we are 45-55) is still useless, since the House is never going to act on it.

[ananda]

43. Ouch. If..

Well. If Bush's second term is a sinkhole. If he's indeed inept, rudderless, and out if his depth, then..

.. what are Democrats who are -still- rather ineffective at stopping this monstrous idiocy known as theocratic corporo-fascism?

Sue

[CatWoman]

52. Email Eleanor your support and appreciation

at: [e-mail] <[e-mail]>

[Hailtothechimp]

54. Memo to 58 million Americans:

Suckers! You fell for it! And now we all have to pay for your stupidity. Thanks.

[Aviation Pro]

57. The President...

...is a fucking pretz. This is what happens when the ignorant elect the stupid because they look just like each other. The electorate is finally beginning to stir not because of SS or oil prices but because of the picture of our "leader" holding hands with the ruler of the nation that sent 15 of 19 murderous scum into our airplanes and buildings and murdering 3000 people.

This is the campaign picture for 2006.

[AuntiBush]

59. Because he is just that - ARROGANT.

That's what everyone says about him. Oh the names one hears when they speak of this Cringe-Causer. Chimp just doesn't cut it any more, nor arrogant.

[bunny planet]

61. Unfortunately with this criminal gang in power, I tend to get even more

nervous when their popularity is plummeting like it is now and polls show people being dissatisfied. Look at what happened the last time His Fraudulency appeared to be a lame duck, only four months into his FIRST term. I put nothing past these people.

:smoke: :tinfoilhat:

[PassingFair]

64. Eleanor Clift is a shining ray of sanity in the crazy world of modern day

media coverage. She is a clear spoken freethinker, and I am thrilled whenever her reports are aired.

[Dervill Crow]

66. Okay, gang, when is the impeachment? n/t

[understandinglife]

67. And, he is a war criminal with a rap sheet ten miles long. May 2 2005....

.....is The Day WE THE PEOPLE BEGIN holding Bu$h and his fristian neoconster buddies accountable.

Peace.


www.missionnotaccomplished.us

[autorank]

68. Eleanor Clift deserves combat daily and an award for...

putting up with the assholes she has to face every day. She has the McLaughlin Group crows, a nasty bunch, and, worse yet, the Washington Post company pukes at Newsweek. She does a very good job of staying steady in her honest analysis and takes no guff from the right wing and corporate bully boys who taunt her.

Thank you once again, Ms. Clift, for speaking the truth.