People have not stepped up and have agreed that it’s still necessary to protect the country

Bush today made a plea for Patriot Act renewal that completely ignored the NSA surveillance scandal: “And now, when it came time to renew the act, for partisan reasons, in my mind, people have not stepped up and have agreed that it’s still necessary to protect the country.” It’s that crisp, dispassionate, completely fair-minded political analysis that makes George W. Bush the chimp man-child man he is.

And Scottie McClellan, on the same subject:

Q But, Scott, again, the people who are against the surveillance, as well as the Patriot Act are citing --

MR. McCLELLAN: I don’t think people, if they’re not talking to people overseas that are al Qaeda members or related to terrorist organizations, they have to worry. And I think the American people understand that.

You know, the old “if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn’t mind the cops going through your underwear drawer” line just never gets old.

The Palestinian elections are increasingly likely to be postponed because of Israeli interference. Even if the Israelis decide to allow polling in East Jerusalem (which Bush is calling for), they are currently interfering with electioneering there, because Palestinian political activity there is illegal in that part of The Only Democracy in The Middle East. (Or, rather, an area that The Only Democracy in The Middle East considers to be part of The Only Democracy in The Middle East.) (Where, incidentally, there is yet another case of bribery to Ariel Sharon and his tubby family.)

“What I Heard About Iraq in 2005.”


Bush, listening to the governor of West Virginia talking about the trapped miners, trying to look concerned, just looking kind of gassy.