The Emperor Has No Argument

If you've ever watched George W. Bush try to wrestle the English language to the ground and make it cry uncle, you're familiar with his habit of crafting one straw man after another for him to boldly do battle with. (I guess when your own arguments are ridiculous and idiotic, the only way to make them look smarter is to make up something that looks even stupider by comparison.)

Thankfully, it's gotten so bad lately that even the reporters have had enough. Here's a new piece by the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - "Some look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude that the war is lost and not worth another dime or another day," President Bush said recently.

Another time he said, "Some say that if you're Muslim you can't be free."

"There are some really decent people," the president said earlier this year, "who believe that the federal government ought to be the decider of health care ... for all people."

Of course, hardly anyone in mainstream political debate has made such assertions.

When the president starts a sentence with "some say" or offers up what "some in Washington" believe, as he is doing more often these days, a rhetorical retort almost assuredly follows.

The device usually is code for Democrats or other White House opponents. In describing what they advocate, Bush often omits an important nuance or substitutes an extreme stance that bears little resemblance to their actual position.

He typically then says he "strongly disagrees" — conveniently knocking down a straw man of his own making.

Well, it's about time someone in the press pointed out that the Chimperor has no argument. The whole piece is worth a read, and full of other examples. I'm sure there are many more.

I can't count the number of times during the last campaign I saw him do this and waited for a reporter -- or even Kerry in the debates -- to simply respond, "Who says that? You just claimed people are making this argument. Who? Come on, if you're not making this up and deceiving us, surely you have someone specific in mind. You're a bold leader, so what are you afraid of? Call them out by name!"

You know, some people say this president is an embarrassment, an incompetent, and a man destined to sit alongside James Buchanan as the Worst President Ever. I strongly agree with that claim.