President Bush: "I Listen To The Voices"

OMG, he's crazy, we gotta stop him!!

Oh wait, he didn't mean those kind of voices...

Here is a quote from the President this afternoon, answering a question on whether he is concerned about the impression that he doesn't take into consideration the advice of retired generals-

"I say I listen to all voices, but mine's the final decision and Don Rumsfeld is doing a fine job. He's not only transforming the military, he's fighting a war on terror. He's helping us fight a war on terror. I have strong confidence in Don Rumsfeld. I hear the voices and I read the front page and I know the speculation, but I'm the decider and I decide what is best and what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense. I want to thank you all very much."

And that was the end of that press conference. See video- here (Alternate- C&L).

-CNN.com: Bush: 'I'm the decider' on Rumsfeld
-Wonkette: President Bush: “I’m the Decider — and Nancy Pelosi is the Cootie Girl.”
-Arianna Huffington: Fresh Faces of '06: Bolten, Portman...and Rummy?

And I know I love to pick on neoconservative manchild John Podhoretz alot (see past examples of his stupidity- here or here), but c'mon folks, he makes it soooo easy. In a column today in the NY Post, he writes-

WHAT'S the dumbest thing George W. Bush could possibly do right at this moment - the action that would, more than any other, suggest his presidency was and is all but finished?

The answer: Fire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Either a forced resignation or a dismissal would effectively bring the Bush presidency to an end...

Good lord! The Bush presidency must be in shittier shape than I thought if its very survival depends on Donny "Stuff Happens" Rumsfeld remaining in charge of the Pentagon. Podhoretz says that we need him. Bad. I always thought America was a strong nation, which has withstood many threats, but I appreciate the White House and their surrogates letting me know that we are, in fact, a weak nation so fragile that a strong gust of wind might knock us over. Thank you, Mr. President, for your strength in telling us the truth.

After all, no mere mortal can do what Donny Don't does. Or so the editorial suggests. I can understand Mr. Podhoretz standing up for his fellow Project For A New American Century member, but this is insane... even by Podhoretz standards. Ohh, and the subtitle for the editorial? "Firing Him Loses Iraq". Funny, I was going to argue just the opposite. His reasoning has nothing to do with any military strategy issues at all. Rather, Podhoretz bases that strong conclusion on the notion that the ensuing political process of finding a proper replacement would be a circus and demoralize the nation. No surprise there, as the President and his supporters believe the really important war they're fighting is one here at home to regain popularity.

And so politics triumphs over progress. It is the Republican way, you know.

[PS- War critics- aka the majority of Americans- are merely pawns in the media manipulation orchestrated by Zarqawi and bin Laden. They don't want us to know how great the war is going. This we also now know due to the collective wisdoms of Masters Donald Rumsfeld and Rush Limbaugh. God bless them and America. We will need his blessings in our weakened, manipulated state.]