Bush The Deliberate

Yesterday's wave of surreality crested with The Decider In Chief refusing to be rushed into revealing the next phase of his ongoing war crime.

Bush had hoped to announce his new strategies next week, but pushed back his speech until January. He wants his new defense secretary to participate in the policy review; Robert Gates will be sworn in on Monday.

“I will be delivering my plans after a long deliberation, after steady deliberation,” Bush said. “I’m not going to be rushed into a difficult decision.”

Long and steady deliberation. This is the new, improved Gee Dub - thoughtful and open to reasonable suggestions about the best way to achieve V-I-C-T-O-R-Y over the freedom-haters wreaking havoc in Greater Shiastan.

With all that deliberation going on between now and the Happy New Year that awaits, only a fool would try to predict the Unitary Executive's ultimate course of action. Unless, as US News & World Report reveals in the administration's latest trial balloon, President Gas isn't really "deliberating"...

The White House announced yesterday that President Bush's speech announcing his new policies for Iraq won't be given until January. The reason? CNN's The Situation Room mentioned "senior administration officials" who suggested Bush wants more time because he "is planning to do something big" namely, he is "very seriously considering agreeing with John McCain and increasing troop levels." In fact, the Los Angeles Times reports on its front page that "strong support has coalesced in the Pentagon behind a military plan to 'double down' in the country with a substantial buildup in...troops, an increase in industrial aid and a major combat offensive against Muqtada Sadr, the radical Shiite leader impeding development of the Iraqi government." The Times also notes that strategy would overlap "somewhat a course promoted by" McCain. And the Washington Times says "top military officials with whom Mr. Bush met yesterday backed Mr. McCain's stance."

Precisely because there is no deliberation, our corporate media masters dutifully portray The Little Dictator as an open-minded statesman instead of the accomplished homicidal maniac everyone knows him to be.

Were this a sane country, John McCain's knee-jerk enthusiasm for funneling America's sons and daughters and mothers and fathers into the Imperial Meat Grinder for at least another two years would render him a pariah in every sense of the word. As it is, promoting human misery, death and perpetual war makes for a dandy Republican presidential campaign. This is humanity's payoff for McCain surviving rats, rice and Jane Fonda for five and a half years. Talk about getting the short end of the chopstick.

But, then, if America bore even a passing resemblance to a functioning democratic republic, George W. Bush, having demonstrated only incompetence and malice since seizing the White House in 2000, would have been stopped long ago. Period. No excuses.

Being well past the dark point of mere dysfunction, we will continue adjusting our expectations accordingly. Congressional Dems - those well-coiffed, inspirational firebrands comprising The Opposition Party for the last six years - can be counted on to feverishly raise cash with an unprecedented sense of urgency while millions are killed, injured and displaced as a result of Bush's homicidal psychopathy.

No use getting uppity about accountability and justice. After all, Henry Kissinger is still living the good life, counseling power junkies and popping Viagra, his blood-drenched cynicism the perfect palate-cleanser between the single malt and creme brulee.