“John Boehner, the new Majority Leader talked with MTP and responded to a question about corruption in Iraq.
‘It may not benefit our generation, but for our kids and theirs, this maybe the greatest gift we give them.’
-via Crooks and Liars, with video from Boehner’s appearance on “Meet The Press” Sunday.
Here you have this rovian leader attempting to use our shared value of a concern about the legacy we are leaving our grandchildren, to sell a present day disaster. Progressives could use this frame to talk about the costs of this policy (financial, political and spiritual) to our future generations. Update [2006-2-6 8:34:56 by howieinseattle]: The Huffington Post now has a longer quote as well as a link to the full MTP transcript. You can see how Boehner gets his frame right up there in his first few lines, when he is asked about the “morass” in Iraq. You also see how he has a subtext going about “sacrifice” in there: It may look really bad now, but it’s a good thing, in the long run.
Cross-posted at www.seattlefordean.com and www.howieinseattle.com.
Another gift: A SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE SYSTEM!
(I’m having trouble sleeping–hate it when that happens.)
Boehner was a disgrace, and so was Russert (so what else is new). Boehner basically argued that the only reforms needed regarding the incestuous relationship between members of Congress and Lobbyists was fuller reporting of gifts and trips. And what mechanism did he suggest for policing those gifts and trips and deciding whether they crossed any ethical lines? Boehner rejected a special board in favor of the Ethics Committee which he praised as an effective oversight body. This is the same Ethics Committee that has not conducted a single ethics investigation since its former chairman and several members were purged by the Republican Leadership for daring to criticize Tom Delay. This is the same Ethics Committee that tried to change the rules so that Tom Delay could retain his Leadership role even if indicted (Boehner also proclaimed Delay innocent, and called his indictment a witch hunt). Boehner’s absurd suggestion that the Ethics Committee could police the House was a call for business as usual, and Russert responded by moving on to the next question.
Complaints department: we have a gift we’d like to return.
u r funny.
What, so that little war isn’t working out for you?
Well, here, we’ve got this other one–hot off the press–we’re calling it the I-ran war.
Uh. Actually, I was thinking I’d rather have my money back.
Oh, no, you can’t have your money back. Best we can do for you is an exchange.
I was kinda hoping for a new coffee maker.
Yeah boy great gift that leave our children and great granchildren utterly despised by Muslims and generally disliked by the rest of the world. And for what?
for his grandchildren than most people.
It could be that he has made a study of and become intrigued with the simpler lifestyle enjoyed by early man, and would like to see his grandchildren experience the healthful benefits of cave life.
Or perhaps he would spare them the burden of being born at all.
Well, now it all makes perfect sense!
Or maybe he’s a reptile or something.
Seems pretty cold blooded.
was going to fight in this war in Iraq as a gift to my grandchildren? I promise to send him cookies over there. What a fuckhead! If it’s such a noble cause and such a gift to our grandchildren then how come we have to shake the criminally charged out of the bushes to deliver this fine noble gift when all the “low hanging fruit” have been eaten up? I would think that American Heroes would be lined up a mile deep to serve over there to bring this noble gift home to our generations if it were indeed a noble gift for generations to come.