From the Department of Just Asking:

It's always interesting theater when the Republicans--who have been the party of the rich and the businessman for as long as I've been alive--portray themselves as protectors of the common man.  That was Reagan's primary pose, as it is for George W. Bush (but not his father).

And of course the foaming heads on t.v. are all just as ordinary as...well, lets take a tour of some menus and a trip through Ann Coulter's past.

I just came across this bit of info on the Cooperative Research web site, in the form of a reprint of a Sarasota Herald-Tribune; article from September 10, 2002:  In the now-famous film of the President reading his children's book in a Florida elementary school when interrupted with news of the terrorist attacks on 9-11, the typical grade school decorations on the wall behind the president were designed by--get ready--"A White House stage artist, not teachers or students..."

God, they do so much better at playacting than they do at governing!  If we chipped in and bought them a nice little theater where they could play Government Executives to their heart's content (or until they actually grew up), do you think they'd just get the hell out of here and let us go back to trying to live?

The Economist magazine for March 25-31 has a lengthy piece on the situation in Iraq titled Iraq--Murder is Certain (pages 49-51).

Some interesting quotes, facts, and sentiments, especially in light of the source, which is hardly anti-Bush or anti-war.  But don't expect to hear any of this from Bush, Cheney, Rummy, Fox, et al.

How do you tell what really matters to someone?  You pay attention to what they do, not what they say.  What they say can help some in interpreting ambiguous actions, but most actions really aren't that ambiguous.

And "actions" means both affirmative actions--things done, and negative actions--things undone when it was possible to do them.  In fact, it is often telling to compare actions taken in one context to inactions in other but similar contexts.

Who is George Bush?  Well, I'd love to hear some respected mainstream journalist ask him in direct terms to explain the apparent contradictions inherent in Mr. Bush's actions in these contexts.

Was I kidding last time I posted a story like this one....?

Larisa of Raw Story has a complaint: The Associated Press ripped off Raw Story...

Readers of WTW know that while members of this community are not fans of outsourcing and privatizing, our current federal government and its business community supporters just love it, whether the subject be tax collection, research & development, veterans' health care, or other essential services.  And the effects have been devastating.

George Bush, speaking today in Indianapolis:
"I know it's troubled times," [President Bush] said. But, he added, "The only way we can lose is to lose our will."

The competing interests involved in producing "homeland security" are on full display these days.  Not only do many business entities resist efforts to tighten border security, and the chemical industry resists efforts to tighten security of chemical plants, but the American Association of Port Authorities just voted to oppose the "National Defense and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act," introduced earlier this month in the House, which would require all U.S. port terminal operations to be managed by a U.S. entity, while mandating inspection of all cargo coming into the United States.

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