A Bad Week for George Bush

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/7/04 at 11:27pm

Thursday 9/30: George Bush gets his butt kicked by John Kerry in the first presidential debate.

Saturday 10/2: Partly due to Bush's dismal debate performance, polls indicate that Kerry is catching up. Bush's 12-point lead appears to have been reduced to 2-3 points.

Monday 10/4: Donald Rumsfeld admits that Saddam Hussein didn't have any substantial ties to al-Qaeda. "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two." After his statement is reported, he tries unsucessfully to claim that he was "misunderstood."

Later Monday: The CIA agrees with Rumsfeld. The linchpin of the administration's case for collaboration between Saddam and al-Qaeda has been Saddam's alleged "harboring" of terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but a CIA report concludes that it probably didn't happen. "The evidence is that Saddam never gave Zarqawi anything," said an official who read the report.

Tuesday 10/5: Paul Bremer admits that the administration made a big mistake by not having enough troops in Iraq. "The single most important change -- the one thing that would have improved the situation -- would have been having more troops in Iraq at the beginning and throughout" the occupation.

When his statement becomes public, Bremer complains that his remarks were "off the record." For its part, the Bush administration tries to claim that Bremer was lying, but is forced to backtrack almost immediately when it becomes apparent that Bremer did ask for more troops as far back as July 2003.

Later Tuesday: Dick Cheney initially appears to fight John Edwards to a near draw in the vice presidential debate, but before long attention shifts to Cheney's numerous and obvious lies during the debate. This is likely to be the consensus post-debate talking point.

Wednesday 10/6: Weapons inspector Charles Duelfer releases his final report. He says that Saddam Hussein destroyed all his WMD after 1991, had no WMD programs in place after that, and that his capacity to build WMD was actually deteriorating after 1998, not increasing.

Thursday 10/7: Polls show that Bush has lost nearly his entire lead. The race is now a dead heat.

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 10/7/04 at 11:41pm

and tomorrow there's another debate.

we need something to happen saturday. hire someone to poop in his hat or something. i don't know, I'm not a pundit.

[Plum]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 12:19am

Except you don't wear a hat at a debate. Shoot.

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 12:27am

that's the beauty of my plan! the debate is on friday, so he's covered as far as something bad happening on that day. but last I heard, there's nothing to ruin his Saturday. and what better to ruin a day than a perfectly timed B.M in someone's headwear?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 9:03am

And this a.m., 10/8, the job creation numbers are lower than expected, 96,000. I know they will be spun, but they aren't what the Admnin would've wanted going into tonight. 5.4 % unemployment remains unchanged.

Watch for Bush to grin and look like the lovable oaf tonight. Also, look for some planted person in the audience to go after Kerry with a vengeance.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 9:34am

Auggie: Job creation numbers are 'lower than expected'? Best laugh I've had all week. Was there actually an individual or group that thought these numbers would be different?

Throughout ALL administrations since FDR (including those during war times etc.) new jobs were created when counted from the beginning of the presidency and compared to those at the end of the presidency. NOT THIS ADMINISTRATION. And Cheney's defense in the VP debate on Tuesday was to say that this was unfair because the 'new' numbers showed some gains...so I am to believe that they will make up this difference from nearly four years in the remaining couple of months?

HAH...I say...HAH

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 10:13am

You're so right, SamIam. The micro-management of statistics is another fascinating strategy by Team Rove.

[Princess MimiChica]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:57am

"we need something to happen saturday. hire someone to poop in his hat or something."


WOW, way to act mature...now you're just acting desperate.

[Plum]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:59am

You think that was said in earnest?

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 11:59am

i believe it's called "humor" ...

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 12:05pm

wanna ruin his saturday? Get a laser pointer, sit on top of a bookcase in the oval office, and make him chase the laser around the carpet.

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 12:07pm

a foil ball on the end of a string works good, too...

[Plum]

Posted: 10/8/04 at 12:19pm

Or pretzels, if you want him to run the other way.