The Moose wonders where's Smokey Bear when you really need him.
Bushies increasingly act like serial arsonists who sound the alarm about a rash of forest fires they themselves set. That is the metaphor that came to the Moose's mind upon reading this story in today's Washington Post titled, Bush Paints His Goals As 'Crises',
"President Bush had great success in his first term by defining crises that demanded decisive responses. Now, as he begins a second term, Bush is returning to the same tactic to accomplish three longtime conservative goals. Warning of the need for urgent action on his Social Security plan, Bush says the "crisis is now" for a system even the most pessimistic observers say will take in more in taxes than it pays out in benefits well into the next decade. He calls the proliferation of medical liability lawsuits a "crisis in America" that can be fixed only by limiting a patient's right to sue for large damages. And Bush has repeatedly accused Senate Democrats of creating a "vacancy crisis" on the federal bench by refusing to confirm a small percentage of his judicial nominees."
The Moose would argue that the Bushies are the masters of creating crises - social security, for instance. By raiding the social security lockbox and giving the contents disproportionately to his rich buddies through tax cuts, the President himself exacerbated the problem in the system.
By turning surpluses into deficits, they created a budget crisis. Of course, this may not be a crisis, but rather a part and parcel of the Bush "ownership society" - future generations will "own" trillions of dollars in national debt.
By failing to prepare for the post-war period, the Bushies created a crisis in Iraq. By developing a new program in Medicare that helps the drug industry and lying about the cost, they worsened yet another crisis. And by pathologically being adverse to the truth, the Administration gave birth to a credibility crisis.
Surely, Mooseketeers can come up with other Bushie created crises. Its really a diabolically shrewd political strategy when you think of it. Rather than admit mistakes, claim that you are the only one with the expertise to solve a problem that you created.
But, as Smokey used to say, "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires."
Disclaimer - No government funds purchased this posting - the Moose, unbowed and unbought.
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