Presidential Hissy Fits

I'm not as big a fan of Keith Olbermann as many liberals are (It's not personal... cable news in general is a disturbing mess to me). But this segment, on the way President Bush throws increasingly childish temper-tantrums (see this from Thursday, for example) to browbeat his critics, is excellent. It perfectly captures the 'I want to "compromise" by forcing my opponents to do whatever I say' mentality that guides the GOP leadership.



Truly embarrassing for our nation. Can you imagine Bill Clinton speaking like this? Or even Bush's own father? Etc.

Ultimately, though, this has been a consistent strategy because it works... particularly using the troops as an emotional cudgel. That's the big guns. If it wasn't so effective at cowing so many Democrats, I could write it off as more random petulance from The Decider.

Yes, the President is an immature egomaniac; that's not changing. What should change, and what we really need, is for Democrats to-- as John Edwards says-- "show a little backbone, to have a little guts". Polls show the lack of that is what's dragging down congressional approval ratings (to ram the point home, more Republicans approve of Congress right now than Democrats).

They stood up last year and they won that fight. Why are they re-afraid now?