Bush In Theater

Field general Bush?  Or does Karl Rove think he’s Spielberg?

Studying these shots set up last week at Fort Irwin, you can go one of two ways.

You can picture George Bush as the true warrior he is, doing his thing in the Afghan desert (as opposed to its California equivalent).  Or else, you can more closely examine the Administration’s (deepening) delusion that Bush — having completed his mental and spiritual merged with the military — is the ultimate guider, decider, diviner and banded brother.

In an address to his comrades and Karl’s crew members — the “Red Devils” of the 58th Engineers; the “Renegades” of the 557th Maintenance Company; the “Super HETT” of the 2nd Transportation Company; and the 699th Maintenance Company, having just returned from Afghanistan — Bush once again pontificated on 9/11, otherwise know as the “ocean-leaping danger cloud,” as well as the “plain as day” Afghan – Iraq connection.

As part of his remarks, he also tossed in both explanation and justification for the surge.  I’d like to share it, since I hadn’t heard it before:

The American people are weary of this war. They wonder whether or not we can succeed. They’re horrified by the suicide bombings they see. I analyzed all the situation here this fall — I listened to the advice from the military, I listened to the advice from the political people — all in reaction to the fact that al Qaeda and the extremists bombed a sacred place, which caused sectarian violence to begin to rage. And it looked like that if action wasn’t taken, the capital of this young democracy would be overwhelmed by chaos.

If I despise these pictures, it doesn’t mean I don’t also appreciate them.  If nothing else, they bring new gloss to phrase: “in theater.”

Oh yes, and let’s not forget the director.

Taking that wonderful expression into account (plus not one, two, but three flags, as well as an unsuspecting black person as prop, as is his signature), Rove is never more self-satisfied than when he’s feeding the imagination.

Out-take from the cast party.

Corresponding White House photo gallery.

(image 1 – 4: Jason Reed/Reuters.  image 5: Jim Watson/AFP.  Fort Irwin, California. April 4, 2007. via YahooNews)