Saturday, April 15, 2006
The Angry Left * Retired Generals * Senator Chafee
Primal Scream
There must be legions of bloggers who read David Finkel's article about Maryscott O'Connor in the Post and understood exactly what made her tick. Not all bloggers on the left use expletives but we share her visceral antipathy toward Bush and the Republicans. "Out there, awaiting her building fury: the Angry Left, where O'Connor's reputation is as one of the angriest of all. "One long, sustained scream" is how she describes the writing she does for various Web logs, as she wonders what she should scream about this day."
The Generals Speak Out
The rumble against Donald Rumsfeld turning into thunder and lightning. The mounting criticism by retired generals--now there are six of them--of Secretary Rumsfeld's handling of the war is causing waves. The president issued a statement expressing strong support for the secretary. "In an unusual statement issued from Camp David, where he had already retired for the weekend, Bush stepped directly into the debate over Rumsfeld's performance to offer his "strong support" and make it clear he would keep the embattled defense secretary. Rumsfeld separately declared that he would not go." What else could he do? To remove Rumsfeld because of things gone awry in Iraq would be an admission of his own failure. It will be interesting to see whether the president would be able to put a lid on this.
Senator Chafee Facing Long Knives
Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island is facing the ire of his party. What did he do? He opposed the war against Iraq,domestic wire tapping,and confirmation of Justice Alito. Deadly sins. "Chafee, 53, once could count on voters in Rhode Island to tolerate his maverick ways, but this time the response was blank stares. "Nobody listened to my reasoning," Chafee recounted as he piled hay into a wheelbarrow. "They support the president on everything."
