Juan Cole has written a speech George Bush could have actually delivered in the fall of 2002, but only to his real base (most interestingly, it's actually an outline of the administration's entire domestic agenda as much as it's about one ruinous war).

The rest of us would never hear these words from his lips, but there's nothing new there for those with eyes, ears, ordinary intelligence and perhaps some love for this world. Very sorry, America; most of you don't make that cut, but unfortunately we will all continue to pay for your fear and stupidity.

Meanwhile, although the Bushites want to continue to undo the New Deal, will they do an FDR in one area and go for a third term, or more? And it may be no problem, since amending the Constitution seems to be no big deal for this crowd.

[thanks to George Carter for the Juan Cole post tip; image of anti-FDR button from authentichistory.com]

I just spotted this reassuring headline in the "Reuters: Top Stories" section of the MY YAHOO! home page on my browser:

"Bush Freedom Speech Not Sign of Policy Shift - Aide"

Goodness! That's a relief. For a while there I was pretty nervous about the fact that Bush's inauguration address seemed to suggest he intended to go off in some wacky new direction during his second term.

I'm copying the first few paragraphs of the Reuters story here, but only for their entertainment value; they read something like a Saturday Night Live "Weekend Update" segment.

Bush Freedom Speech Not Sign of Policy Shift - Aide

By Caren Bohan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush's inaugural vow to spread freedom and stand with the oppressed against tyranny was not meant to signal a shift in U.S. foreign policy but to elaborate on a long-term goal, a senior U.S. official said on Saturday.

Bush's second inaugural address on Thursday raised questions around the world about what measures he might use to bring about his vision of freedom.

Some analysts wondered if it signaled a new, more aggressive policy toward countries like Iran and also if it would lead to strains with nondemocratic allies like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

"The speech builds upon our policy," said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It states very clearly the long-term goal we should always be working to achieve."

The official said there was a recognition not all countries would be ready to embrace freedom right away and that the means for trying to further the goal would in many cases involve quiet diplomacy.

[image of bumper sticker is from Irregular Goods; for text documentation see the Washington Post]

the president, his tank, his guards, his people

Seems like we're just spitting in the wind now, as an activist friend said the day before the republic's formal obsequies. Still, it was good to see these noble souls lining the path of the funeral cortege yesterday.

Bless 'em. May we all live to fight another day.

[image from Reuters]

I AM NOT A TORTURER!

Contact your senator now! We deserve a top law enforcement officer with a better resume.

For those who have a senator on the Judiciary Committee itself, which began hearings on the nomination this morning, here's a link to the roster, with access links within it. To email the committee leaders, and for a message form, see this "Action Alert" site from The Nation.

[image from AP by Susan Walsh]]