What will today bring? The incredibly incompetent and contradictory performance of the White House the last two days has been quite a hack job [thank god Judith Miller has been on the case]. Summarized as: 1. Condi Rice & Spanky McSpokesman: "We listened to Richard Clarke and that was the problem, and he's partisan" 2. Dick "Sorry about the anti-gay marriage thing Mary, but Daddy's got a Paycheck for you" Cheney: "He was out of the loop, and he's partisan" 3. My god, look at this, he wrote one polite sentence in his resignation letter, so he must be LYING...why does Richard Clarke hate America? And then consider this...according to Newsweek (via MSNBC) these call out the hounds moments were personally ordered by Bush himself. I'm sure we can picture the moment: "W": Karl, I'm upset about this right? Rove: More than that Mr. President you are livid? "W": Livid? Rove: Incensed. "W": Incense? What do the hippies have to do with this? Rove: No, Mr. President, you are angry. "W": About what? Rove: You are angry about Dick Clarke. "W": Why am I angry with Dick Clark? Is it because he still looks young? Rove: No, Mr. President, not Dick Clark... "W": Is he still doing that Pyramid show? Rove: Hold on Mr. President, let me explain. "W": Please do Karl, because I've always liked Dick Clark, I really liked that American Bandstand show he had on with all those live acts. Rove: Just a second Mr. President, that is a different Dick Clark, I'm talking Dick Clarke, with an "e" at the end. "W": Clarke has an "e" at the end. You mean like Potato(e)? Rove: Mr. President, you have confused yourself with former Vice-President Quayle again, that is not what we are talking about. "W": Well, I realize that some people are different in public and in private. For example, many people don't realize I'm just foolin' them when I look dopey in public. I suppose it is possible that Dick Clark has a darker side in private. Rove: No, Mr. President, please listen to me. I am not talking about THAT Dick Clark, I am talking about Richard Clarke, your former Counter-Terrorism Director who has written a book where he talks about how we discounted the Al-Queda threat and focused on Iraq right through September 11, 2001, and even afterward. "W": Well, wasn't Iraq responsible for all that, I mean they still might be right? Rove: Good job sir, I see you are staying on message. Here's a pork rind. "W": Um, just like daddy used to have for dinner when Consuela was off for the weekend. Good times. Rove: Anyway, Mr. President, Richard Clarke is out there telling the public about this, and frankly it hurts us in the polls. "W": That's bad right? Rove: Very bad sir. "W": Now, which one is Richard Clarke again? Rove: Mid-50s, average build, square jaw, serious. "W": Isn't that Rummy? Rove: No, the guy had less hair, and wrote less poetry than Rummy. "W": Not ringing a bell, oh is he the boss? Rove: No sir, that's Dick Cheney. "W": I'm sorry there are so many Dicks here, I'm having trouble following. Rove: I know, Mr. President, there are a lot of Dicks in our administration, but this is a different one. Rove: [Clears throat] You called him, "Snapper". "W": Oh, Snapper. Oh yes, I remember him, always seemed upset about something, always wanted to talk to me about some guy named Al, was it "Woody" he wanted to talk about? Rove: No, Mr. President, "Woody" was Al Gore, we didn't like him, remember. "W": Oh, right, right. Well, was the Al he wanted to talk about "The Calculator"? Rove: No sir, that is Alan Greenspan, the head of the Federal Reserve. "W": Oh, the guy that manages the National Parks? Rove: No sir, the guy who manages the Nation's money supply. "W": Well, which Al was it he wanted to talk about? Rove: Al Queda. "W": Oh, um, sprechen zie deutsch? Your speaking Spanish right? Rove: No sir, nor German. "W": Huh? Rove: Never mind sir. "W": Well, whatever Karl, SportsCenter is going to be on in a minute, just take care of whatever the problem is you are talking about. Rove: With extreme prejudice sir? "W": Huh? C'mon Karl you know we just reserve that for the gays. [clicks on TV] Dah duh Dah duh dah dah. Uh, "Hair Guy" and "Wondering Eye Guy" are the anchors tonight. Karl? Rove: Yes Mr. President? "W": I like to watch. Rove: Yes, Mr. President. **** And there you have it. The one millionth completely unfair and uncalled for (and rather lame) George W. Bush is dumb sketch. I'd like to thank all those who have supported this blog -- all three of you -- and of course you mom, for enabling this to happen. **** Richard Clarke is obviously two things: competent and a bigger bulldog than Lynne Cheney. Today is going to be quite interesting. The attacks have been so vociferous and so poorly organized and ill-conceived they are all sturm und drang and no substance -- all making Clarke's accusations even more damaging AND for the outside the beltway crowd - i.e. 99% of America, worth considering. Already yesterday, without being there, Clarke is the STAR. The news programs I saw had some of the 9-11 family members, who, when interviewed, were uniformly critical of BUSH (and to a lesser extent Clinton) -- particularly because of the manner in which Clarke has been treated by the Administration. They, the families, want to hear from the guy -- and apparently so far have a favorable impression, perhaps moreso because of the over-the-top reaction of the Bushies. Clarke has been teed up -- will he deliver? (and will Tenet back him up?). If he does, and the 9-11 families who will be given a voice back him up, that is definitely NOT good for the Administration, in fact it will likely be a disaster. It could be a very painful day for the Bush Administration, leading to a few very bad weeks and possibly their political doom. Bush's whole campaign is based around the war on terror -- it is the only category in which he is ahead in the polls. If his reminders and advertisements look like self-serving hagiographies (and, of course, they are already there for me) in contrast to what the rapidly credible and publicized Clarke says (and others before him) then what will he have other than the desparate hope of catching OBL or another terrorist attack causing a rally around the office [and even cynical me does not believe they'd go that far]?