...laugh. Or cry. Or both. Or something. I don't know.
Just when it seems like the White House has managed to exhaust the possibilities when it comes to showing their complete and utter lack of regard for American troops, they manage to scrape up something new. The latest entry comes from the aptly named Tony Snow, during yesterday's press briefing:
Q Is the Iraqi government and the Iraqi parliament taking the month of August off?
MR. SNOW: Probably, yes. Just not --
Q They're taking the entire month of August off, before the September deadline?
MR. SNOW: It looks like they may, yes. Just like the U.S. Congress is.
Q Have you tried to talk them out of that?
MR. SNOW: You know, it's 130 degrees in Baghdad in August, I'll pass on your recommendation.
Sadly, I didn't just make that up. He really said it.
The Iraqi Parliament isn't going to work during August because it's too hot, and the White House apparently thinks that's an acceptable reason to take a one month vacation. (Actually, given the President's habit of taking extended vacations from reality and his habit of spending long periods of time away from Washington, that probably shouldn't be surprising.)
I certainly hope that the President makes his position on not working when it's 130 degrees in Baghdad known to a few other people who might not have had the time to watch Snowjob at work yesterday. I'm sure the folks in the 1st Cavalry Division will be happy to know that it's too hot to work in Baghdad during August. And so will the people in the 2nd and 4th brigades of the 1st Infantry Division. And the folks in the 2nd brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division. And the 2nd of the 3rd Infantry. And the 508th PIR. And the support battalions. And Army Aviation. And the Marines. And the Navy. And the Air Force. And . . .
If Tony Snow were anything but a pitiful excuse for a member of the human species, an apology would be forthcoming. He's not, of course, and it won't, but the US military is owed another apology from their civilian leadership nonetheless. I guess that just gets added to the ever growing unpaid debt this administration is leaving for others to deal with when their time is done - 556 days from now, but who's counting.
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I say it's high-time we gave Bush an all expense paid vacation to the Hague.
Given the things the Iraqi government has done while not on vacation, you should be delighted.
They are, after all, in power because the Bush cronies expect them to continue to be subservient to the Bushies poorly-thought-out and grossly immoral goals.
I'm a bit confused. If you were pissed off about their vacation harming Iraqi troups I would understand (though not actually agree that it's harmful). If you were pissed off about the US congress taking time off and so hurting the US army in Iraq I woudl understand (though, again, I would not agree on the effect). But why should the Iraqi parliament skip vacation out of safety concerns for an occupying army?
"But why should the Iraqi parliament skip vacation out of safety concerns for an occupying army?"
You miss the point entirely.
It is a time of war. There are people who have been placed in danger by both governments mainly at the behest of the U.S. For either legislature to take a vacation at this time is disgraceful. For the person who set this whole mess in motion, the President of the U.S., to take a vacation at this time goes beyond any human standards of decency. People, thousands of them, are dying at his command. He has no right to a vacation for as long as that continues. Unless that vacation is in a small room with barred doors and windows.
R.
The US legislature might as well take a vacation. The president will veto anything they pass that he doesn't like and there aren't enough Democrats in either (let alone both) chambers to override those vetoes.
The Iraqi legislature can take a vacation if they like. They aren't accomplishing anything much, anyway - in sober evaluation all 18 benchmarks were missed; the 8 the White House weren't were so feebly addressed that if I could get away with meeting job requirements to that level I could take the rest of the year off, too.
The President might as well be on vacation, too. His tactic is to stay the course (whatever he calls it now) and to stonewall and veto until he can leave office next January and blame the ensuing catastrophe on his successor. All he is doing is running in place; it doesn't matter if that place is Camp David, or Crawford, or DC. It really doesn't.
And the troops? They're the pawns in his bid for immortality. He has never given a rat's ass for them, and he doesn't now. They're like Romney's dog: hose them down to get the car pretty and keep on driving...
I just checked the weather forecast for Baghdad, Iraq.
It says that the high temperatures are about 104F(40C).
Congress needs to sprout some balls and make it really hot for Bush.
What Tony Snow might have said (but didn't) that makes his "130 degrees in August" argument a bit more reasonable:
"...and we still haven't managed to get the power working reliably so they can air condition the place."