Maybe something's finally clicking out there in the head- and heartlands. Today even the NYTimes has to admit it's worth a few lines, but without a doubt this story has real legs--and great pictures!
The violent demonstrations against President Bush caught White House planners by surprise, a presidential spokesman said Friday.What does this say about Washington intelligence, including the kind that is supposed to stop real evil-doers?It's not unusual for presidents to be confronted by small protests when visiting outside Washington, D.C. But demonstrations that result in the kind of skirmishes with police that erupted here Thursday night have been rare.
"We did not have any inkling" that such protest would occur, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters.
Officials with the National Lawyer's Guild asked Mayor Vera Katz to fire Police Chief Mark Kroeker, claiming Thursday's actions by police were "atrocities against humanity."The Shrub has a bulletproof limousine, a locked-down hotel, and the entire American military establishment to protect him, but the people who are sovereign, whom he is supposed to represent, who under normal circumstances elevate a president to the temporary position where he is expected to serve their welfare, mean nothing, and their safety is not even the concern of their own city police force.Katz' spokeswoman, Sarah Bott, said the mayor and her staff were reviewing film and videotape of the incidents. She said the primary objective was to protect the president and that was accomplished.
Get rid of those thugs before they really get into trouble! You don't want Brown Shirts on the public payroll.
But thank you, Portland! We really really love you.