Excuse me but was that a pig I just saw flying by? And did el Presidente just say it’s not unpatriotic to question him? And did he almost apologize for insulting a critic?
“I know that the decision to call for an immediate withdrawal of our troops by congressman Murtha was done in a careful and thoughtful way. I disagree with his position,” Bush said.
– Bush tries to cool tempers over Iraq – Yahoo! News
In case you hadn’t heard it, here is what the “hawkish” Congressman Murtha said last week:
[The White House] apparently misjudged the reaction the administration’s tough talk would draw from some moderates, such as Congressman Murtha.
During a news conference, Mr. Murtha, who is a decorated veteran of the wars in Korea and Vietnam, thumped the lectern as he dressed down Messrs. Bush and Cheney.
“I like guys who got five deferments and never been there and send people to war, and then don’t like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done,” said Mr. Murtha, who has served in Congress since 1975.
“I resent the fact, on Veterans Day, he criticized Democrats for criticizing them. This is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public knows it. And lashing out at critics doesn’t help a bit. You’ve got to change the policy.”
Mr. Murtha said American forces should “immediately redeploy” from Iraq in order to help Iraqis take control of their country. “The presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is impeding this progress. Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency. They are united against U.S. forces, and we have become a catalyst for violence,” the congressman said.
– Bush in ‘Nosedive’ as Mutha Urges Iraq Retreat – Common Dreams Newswire
The White House originally responded to this like so:
In a broadside issued Thursday night, Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said that it is “baffling that [Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha] is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party.”
– White House: Murtha’s call is ‘surrender’ – CNN.com
They are so off their game! Rove must be in a straightjacket.
They’re up to something! I mean, the one strategy that they cannot possibly deploy would involve being genuinely nice.
Possibilities:
1) They think nodding nicely to Murtha will help the issue go away.
2) They know that what THEY are going to do is get the hell out of Iraq as soon as possible such that it will poison the midterm election that much less.
3) They are about to bring the hammer down on Murtha or his brother and they are trying to hide the evolving WH conspiracy.
4) One word: Syria!
5) Good cop, bad cop. Watch out. Coming soon to an auditorium near you: Cheney Unchained!
6) Bush is in the process of cutting the whole kit and cabootle of his rotted team loose, and will allow them to sink! Bush is trying to appear to have gotten something out of the ethics seminar, and he will now Purge the Stink! It’ll be Bush, Rice and Miers hand-in-hand-in-hand for the next three years.
7) Bush has been tipped off that the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis have been meeting to devise THEIR OWN time table for the pullout of foreign troops, very similar to what Murtha wants, so he is — heh, heh — getting in line with the ship which is about to sail.