Bush: ‘I’m the Commander Guy’ By Sheryl Gay Stolberg WASHINGTON, May 2–And you thought he was still “the decider.” President Bush coined a new nickname for himself — ‘’the commander guy” — on Wednesday, as he criticized Congressional Democrats in a speech to the annual gathering of the Associated General Contractors of America, a construction industry trade group. The man who last year proclaimed “I’m the decider,’’ in response to a question about whether he would fire Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary, came up with this latest moniker in explaining why he vetoed an Iraq war spending bill that dictated a timeline for troops to withdraw from Iraq. “The question is, ‘Who ought to make that decision, the Congress or the commanders?,’’ Mr. Bush said. “As you know, my position is clear – I’m the commander guy.” Mr. Bush issued the veto Tuesday; on Wednesday, the House failed to muster the two-thirds majority necessary for an override and Congressional leaders went to the White House to talk to the commander guy about a new spending measure. Both sides said afterward they believed compromise was possible. But if Democrats try to tie his hands in prosecuting the war, Mr. Bush has vowed to exercise his veto power again. Would that make him “veto man?” http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/bush-im-the-commander-guy/ the Commander Guy’???
One veto in 6 years of a republican controlled house and senate. And now one veto in barely 6 months of a democratic controlled house ans senate. But he's not playing politics. Right
he may be playing, but that doesnt mean he isnt getting out played. dont try to fool yourself that both parties arent playing politics.
State Dept’s media affairs director speaks out. Until recently, Price Floyd was director of media affairs at the State Department. He has now written an op-ed about the difficulties of trying to sell the Bush administration’s policies to the public: The full article http://www.star-telegram.com/245/story/114346.html
Isn't it freaky to read columns from former members of the Bush Administration that could have been taken almost straight from posts we have made here? What a trip. Waiting on basso's spin. D&D. Replicant Wash and Repeat.
you'd think as state's media affairs director he'd be able to get his basic facts right: the bush admin di not "pull out of kyoto." perhaps that's why he had such trouble "selling" the president's policies- he lacked even a basic understanding of them...
Wasn't it a Mr Al Gore who failed to get Kyoto adopted by the US???? (I'll save my Gore bashing for the inevitable Gore to Run for Pres thread ). Nice deflection basso... I think there's a bit more to the article then Kyoto.
You fail to mention that it was a republican controlled senate that wouldn't ratify it. Hence the reason that it was never put to a vote and Bush all but killed it once he became president. Maybe that's why it was such a hard sell.
i wasn't aware the republicans had 95 votes in 1997, including robert byrd's and ted kennedy's: [rquoter]On July 25, 1997, before the Kyoto Protocol was finalized (although it had been fully negotiated, and a penultimate draft was finished), the U.S. Senate unanimously passed by a 95–0 vote the Byrd-Hagel Resolution (S. Res. 98),[54][55] which stated the sense of the Senate was that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol that did not include binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized nations or "would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States"...The current President, George W. Bush, has indicated that he does not intend to submit the treaty for ratification, not because he does not support the Kyoto principles, but because of the exemption granted to China (the world's second largest emitter of carbon dioxide[57]). [/rquoter] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol facts, basic facts, mr.mark...get them right, then re-apply to the taken seriously club.
The Byrd Hagel resolution has zero practical effect, that's why it passed 95-0. If the Senate ratified the Kyoto treaty subsequent to the BH resolution, it would go into effect and become the law of the land just the same as if BH resolution had never been passed. That's why it's useless. I don't even thnk it would need a simple "Whereas" clause, though I guess that part is debatable - regardless it presents no hurdle to anything. PS basso you were suspended from the "taken seriously" club when you started copying from random blogs, changing the words, and claiming them as your own posts.
While the Senate didn't ratify prior to the Bush Admin. The Bush Admin. refused to resubmit it and vowed not and for awhile withdrew from further negotiations. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/italy/03/29/environment.kyoto/index.html
Ouch! The president slipped out of town for a long weekend in Maine before the Senate delivered the final blow to his immigration bill, but it wasn't the only setback that might put a damper on his seaside getaway with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the space of a single short week, Bush was hit with more Republican defections on Iraq, more bad news from the battlefield, more subpoenas from a hostile Congress, a new assault on his signature education plan and embarrassing disclosures about his vice president. He also found himself in a fight over executive privilege that begs comparisons to Richard Nixon's legal battles during the Watergate scandal. "It's the incredible shrinking presidency. He's lost battles in the courts. He's lost battles in Iraq. He's lost battles on Capitol Hill," said Paul Light, a professor of public service at New York University. "His bank account is empty and there's nowhere to go for more. I think his presidency is essentially over." Light proposed a headline to sum up the week: "The president loses his legacy." http://www.mcclatchydc.com/whitehouse/story/17469.html
yep, Donkey, this admin really is has an impressive track record when it comes to the environment Because of Cheney's intervention, the government reversed itself and let the water flow in time to save the 2002 growing season, declaring that there was no threat to the fish. What followed was the largest fish kill the West had ever seen, with tens of thousands of salmon rotting on the banks of the Klamath River.
lol. good to see someone else having a little harmless fun like him or not, we will all miss his little quirks
Interesting read in this morning's WaPo -- A President Besieged and Isolated, Yet at Ease Bush, Grasping for Answers and Fixated on Iraq, Remains Resolute At the nadir of his presidency, George W. Bush is looking for answers. One at a time or in small groups, he summons leading authors, historians, philosophers and theologians to the White House to join him in the search. Over sodas and sparkling water, he asks his questions: What is the nature of good and evil in the post-Sept. 11 world? What lessons does history have for a president facing the turmoil I'm facing? How will history judge what we've done? Why does the rest of the world seem to hate America? Or is it just me they hate? These are the questions of a president who has endured the most drastic political collapse in a generation. Not generally known for intellectual curiosity, Bush is seeking out those who are, engaging in a philosophical exploration of the currents of history that have swept up his administration. For all the setbacks, he remains unflinching, rarely expressing doubt in his direction, yet trying to understand how he got off course. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/01/AR2007070101356.html
At least Nixon, in the throes of attempting to wrap his head around massive protests against his Vietnam War policy, went out to the Mall in the middle of the night to talk to some of the young men and women there, to the utter horror of the Secret Service. At least one couldn't completely pigeonhole Nixon. Bush, in his cocoon in the White House, is completely predictable. Predictably incompetent. So over his head that he better call the Navy, quick, before the country drowns. D&D. Replicant Relaxation.
