Says Who?

Mixed in with the remarkable reports that Iraqi officials want a timetable for US withdrawal along with the chilling statement that "resistance is a legitimate right for all peoples," there were some reports flying around that Bush had discussed blowing up Al-Jareeza headquarters. Of course, the White House had to come out and state that any suggestion that Bush had ever, ever said such a thing is just simply "outlandish."

Besides the White House, just who, exactly, thinks this is outlandish? Most of this country is now so used to Bush saying the stupidest shit, I mean, what's the big deal? In fact, some of the ever diminshing ranks of Bush's supporters think it a fine idea.

But these are the same people who would have said it "outlandish" that critics would claim the White House would launch an illegal war against the argument of the international community based on, and I am being generous here, shakey evidence; torture and abuse prisoners in the same prison that Hussein used for that purpose; set up secret prisons around the world -- some in former Soviet gulag camps -- and, in a war whose justification was jacked from WMD to freedom and democracy, dump untold amounts of white phosphorous and Mark 77 napalm-lite on civilian populations. Now that would have been "outlandish," at least before any of it actually happened.

And if none of that had happened, I might be less inclined to believe that Bush would say he'd like to bomb Al-Jazeera, but bombing the Arab news agency seems like small pickin's these days. The White House has long since stepped past the outlandish line.