McClatchy: Leading Dems Need To Get Laid

Well, I'm assuming that's what they mean when they say the Dem leadership is frustrated after meeting with President Bush on Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Top Democrats in Congress left a White House meeting with President Bush on Friday frustrated over what they perceived as his reluctance to embrace major recommendations from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.

Harry Land-shark Reid is frustrated as he doesn't think Bush will implement the 79 suggestions of the Iraq Surrender Group, or make significant changes in Iraq. Frankly, that's a crock, changes are coming, just not the cut and run variety which would make Reid and many Democrats happy. The idiots with no plan at all as regards Iraq simply want to be able to say I told you so.

Interesting that a later meeting with the Blue Dog Democrats appears to have gone much better. So, who is being reasonable and who isn't? Clearly it's Bush and the conservative Dems.

Bush had a friendlier afternoon meeting with leaders from the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of 44 conservative House Democrats united primarily on fiscal conservatism. Bush apparently was feeling them out to see if their political agenda could dovetail with his. But even they stressed that they expect to see him revamp Iraq policy.

As for a bit about Bush comparing himself to Truman, I don't believe it has a lot to do with a place in History for Bush at this time, I think it's about the coming to grips with Islamo-fascism, something the Liberal Democrats simply can not or will not do. That's why they ultimately can't be trusted to run America and certainly not a war.

As for the last bit, it looks to me like Bush was simply letting little Dick Durbin know he, indeed, is just a little Dick.

"I just didn't feel there today, the president in his words or his demeanor, that he is going to do anything right away to change things drastically," Senate Majority Leader-elect Harry Reid, D-Nev., said following the Oval Office meeting. "He is tepid in what he talks about doing. Someone has to get the message to this man that there have to be significant changes."

Instead, Bush began his talk by comparing himself to President Harry S Truman, who launched the Truman Doctrine to fight communism, got bogged down in the Korean War and left office unpopular.

Bush said that "in years to come they realized he was right and then his doctrine became the standard for America," recalled Senate Majority Whip-elect Richard Durbin, D-Ill. "He's trying to position himself in history and to justify those who continue to stand by him, saying sometimes if you're right you're unpopular, and be prepared for criticism."

Durbin said he challenged Bush's analogy, reminding him that Truman had the NATO alliance behind him and negotiated with his enemies at the United Nations. Durbin said that's what the Iraq Study Group is recommending that Bush do now - work more with allies and negotiate with adversaries on Iraq.

Bush, Durbin said, "reacted very strongly. He got very animated in his response" and emphasized that he is "the commander in chief."

Comments

[marc bloch]

Someone who knew Truman should have a word with George W. Bush the way Bentsen did with Quayle. Truman recognized BS and called it by its Anglo-Saxon name. That's what he would have done with the whole rationale for war in Iraq. And that's what he would do with all the hysterical harping on "Islamo-fascism" by those who can't face up to their own horrendous mistakes.

[Rhod]

Christopher Hitchens is credited with coining the term "Islamofascism", Mark. Is there such a thing, in your opinion? Is there a danger from Islamists? Just asking.

[micah]

Um, Marc -
I really regret having to state the obvious... but ISLAMO-facist is EXACTLY what these people are! If you had been alive in 1939 (and clearly you weren't!), you would have been one of the people saying Hitler was a misguided, but harmless, freak.
WAKE-UP!! This isn't isn't a "Bush-invention", these people are FOR REAL and they're coming after YOU and all of us - if we don't stand up and fight them on THEIR turf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!