Another Purely Partisan Attack from Bush

Think Progress has uncover a new episode of gross hypocrisy emanating from the Bush Administration.

Exclusive: Republican Delegation Currently Visiting Syria, Spared From White House Attacks

You've really got to wonder why Bush wouldn't want Nancy Pelosi to go to Syria, but he doesn't care that Republicans are already there.

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Iraq War: Blogging 'progress'

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD

Every so often, it becomes clear just how little credit a country's government gives its population.

And then there's President Bush's Wednesday speech to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. El Presidente broached the subject of the war in Iraq, and how things are going quite well there, really. Straight from the transcript: "I want to share with you how two Iraqi bloggers -- they have bloggers in Baghdad, just like we've got here -- (laughter) -- 'Displaced families are returning home, marketplaces are seeing more activity ... We hope the governments of Baghdad and America do not lose their resolve.' " ...

... And -- even better yet! -- The New York Times reported Thursday that the two unnamed bloggers Bush quoted are brothers -- both dentists -- who met with the president in the Oval Office on Dec. 9, 2004. They do know that people can look things up on this crazy new thing called the Internet, right?

But Bush doesn't seem to have gotten the memo (from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad) before he gave his beefed up version of how "things are going quite well" in Iraq.
From Juan Cole:

The US embassy in Baghdad circulated a memo to all Americans working for the US government in the Green Zone. It ordered them to wear protective gear whenever they were outside in the Green Zone, including just moving from one building to another. Guerrillas have managed to lob a number of rockets into the area in recent days, and killed one US GI on Tuesday.

The Green Zone is therefore actually the Red Zone. I.e., it is no longer an area of good security contrasting to what is around it. Senator McCain was more wrong than can easily be imagined. Not only can American officials not just stroll through Baghdad districts unarmed and unprotected by armor, but they can't even move that way from one building to the next inside the Green Zone!