The Nerd's Eye View

I never set out to write a political blog, but I am addicted to schadenfraude and so it is with great glee that I listened to the President's speech yesterday. He had the hangdog look about him, as I'm sure he did when Barbara told him he wasn't her favorite mistake. For most people this would have evoked some sort of sympathy but whatever quarks of sympathy I could muster were banished once he opened his mouth. In his heavy-handed attempt at levity, Bush state that as his "first bipartisan act since the election" (... of 2000, I couldn't help but adding) he would be putting Nancy Pelosi in touch with Republican interior designers to help her "pick out drapes for her new office".

I don't think there's any need to mention this to most of you, but Mr President, you are aware that we are no longer living in the 1950's. You may as well be referring to your new Speaker of the House of Representatives as "little lady" or "darlin'" and smacking her tushie as she leaves your office. I'm not even sure I should have mentioned that, lest I give him some ideas (Lord knows, he needs someone to feed them to him - but I'll get to that in a second).

He peppered his speech with expressions like needing "to find common ground in the next two years" and mentioning frequently that we had to "conduct ourselves in an ethical manner". As if that's how business had been done for the last six years, and he was just making sure the Democrats didn't get to feel their oats too much. After all the Republican party, while in control of both houses of Congress, was nothing less than a model of gentlemanly behavior - in much the same way that the denizens of a frat house are on homecoming night. With such beacons of ethical behavior as Tom Delay, it's good to know that there is a good example for the Democrats to follow. It's amazing that he could say any of that with a straight face, and immensely gratifying to see his tail between his legs.

But back to the guys who give him all his ideas. Seems that Karl Rove was a little over-confident. His hubris was on display to all and sundry during an interview with NPR recently. He snidely responded to his interviewer that he read more polls than they did, and he was confident that the Republicans would win, since "you use your math, and I use THE math". Where's your math now Karl?

While Karl crys in his "math", the other lobe of Bush's brain, contemplates a future devoid of sending young men and women to certain death. It must be tough, but hey you'll hang in there and know that you did your level best to ignore realities on the ground and go full steam ahead regardless of reports from the field. Bye bye Rummy, it's been real - hope you like your next post: our man in Baghdad!