\jeff{krimmel}

A Bad Day for President Bush

Yesterday wasn’t such a great day for President Bush. I took a screenshot of the CNN front page some time last night, and as you can see (click to enlarge), the titles of three of the links aren’t particular good news for the president:

• U.S. to pay $2M, apologize for false terror arrest
• Senator-elect, Bush have unfriendly chat on Iraq
• Colin Powell says Iraq in a ‘civil war’

In the first article, we learn the government flat-out got it wrong when they arrested an Oregon lawyer, Brandon Mayfield, for his alleged involvement in the Madrid train bombings. A mistaken fingerprint identification was to blame.

In addition to the two million dollar settlement, Mr. Mayfield received an official apology from the United States government. Is there a chance the government has made a similar mistake with anyone now languishing for eternity in Guantanamo Bay? Nah, I bet this is a one time deal.

In the second article, we get a glimpse of just how on-edge the president is over this whole Iraq disaster:

“How’s your boy?” Webb, in an interview Wednesday, recalled Bush asking during the reception two weeks ago.

“I told him I’d like to get them out of Iraq,” Webb said.

“That’s not what I asked. How’s your boy?” the president replied, according to Webb.

At that point, Webb said, Bush got a response similar to what reporters and others who had asked Webb about Lance Cpl. Jimmy Webb, 24, have received since the young man left for Iraq around Labor Day: “I told him that was between my boy and me.”

Webb, a leading critic of the Iraq war, said that he had avoided the receiving line and photo op with Bush, but that the president found him.

Here’s a hint: when you haven’t sniffed the faintest hint of real combat, how about you not patronize a Marine veteran (Senator-elect Webb) and his son, an active Marine. You’re a little out of your league at that point, even if you’re the president.

Finally, in the third article, it is reported that Colin Powell has deemed the current disaster in Iraq a “civil war”, and if he was still in the current administration, he would recommend they use that term as well.

Now, words and words, and in some sense it doesn’t matter what we call the disaster that is continuing to unfold in Iraq. At the same time, it’s important not to gloss over any of the important, though gruesome, details and call it what it’s not. It is a civil war over there. Sunnis and Shiites are organizing into militias and waging war on each other across the country. Hundreds of Iraqis are dying every day. Do you think they believe they’re better off for us having invaded three and a half years ago? Do you think the families of the thousands of American troops that have died believe we’re better off for having invaded Iraq?

What a horribly sad and regrettable situation.