White House Hopes Zarqawi Death Will Help Revive Bush Fortunes

[kurth]

White House Hopes Zarqawi Death Will Help Revive Bush Fortunes

June 9 (Bloomberg) -- The death of terrorist Abu Musab al- Zarqawi in Iraq offers a much-needed boost to President George W. Bush that White House aides hope will help spark a revival in his sinking political fortunes.

Zarqawi, 39, a leader of the three-year-old insurgency that has killed thousands of Iraqis, was found dead Wednesday after a U.S. air raid north of Baghdad. News of his killing came as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki completed staffing his cabinet, fulfilling a goal urged by the Bush administration.

White House officials were ebullient yesterday during a senior staff meeting where Zarqawi's death was discussed. One participant voiced optimism that a string of favorable developments -- the possible stabilization of Iraq, an initial easing of tensions with Iran, and public appreciation for the U.S. economy's strength -- will continue.

Bush was long overdue for a lift, said Stephen Hess, a presidential scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington. ``You have started to see some positive things happening for this president,'' he said. `...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=avbd4VamE8Zs&refer=top_world_news

[TomInTib]

1. Have they forgotten Uday, Qusay and their old man?

Look what wonders those results wrought.

[rusty charly]

2. "You have started to see some positive things ...

happening for this president"

where?

[Hugin]

3. I knew this was the case when Karen Hughes chimed in...

and "they" say we're being Political about this. :eyes:

[grytpype]

5. This is all going to be forgotten in a month.

Sadly, the war will grind on.

[Rose Siding]

4. Isn't it more likely....

that, after building him up to such extreme proportions, people will say, There Now Let's Go Home?

[ima_sinnic]

6. 1400 years of fundamentalist Islam will now be brought to heel,

all because of the amazingly skillful leadership of Geo. W. * in crushing this superhuman monster capable of destroying the entire planet, annihilating the sun, stars, and moon, and casting the entire universe into a gigantic black hole.

disclaimer: the original idea for this post came from a declaration on a-site-I-dare-not-name that their most glorious leader (aka *) would go down in history as having brought an end to fundamentalist Islam, following the example of Most Divine St. Ronnie in bringing an end to communism in the former USSR. The difference between a 70-year-old economic system and a 1400-year-old religion did not enter into the discussion.

[jobycom]

9. W can't even end 2000 years of fundamentalist Xianity, and they like him.

Not that I think that's a fair assessment of either religion.

I do seem to recall something about not worry about the mote in someone else's eye until you have removed the beam in your own... Okay, I doubt Bush would know what a mote or a plank is, but it seems like someone could explain it to him.

[CoffeeCat]

11. They really are delusional, aren't they?

Chances are, Zarkawi (or however you spell it), wasn't very effectual. He was
probably hiding out most of the time.

They act like they've severed the head from the octopus. Really, they've got
hundreds of thousands of octopods running around. They got a big one. However,
killing one isn't going to make a damn bit of difference.

This will only make the existing octopods even more active.

...Meanwhile, Captain Bush-Smith of the SS Titanic--continues to steer his ship
into the giant icebergs, as he proclaims, "Mission Accomplished."

[CoffeeCat]

7. They're hoping to spin this into something bigger...

Gee...quotes from the "Brookings Institute." This is a total puff piece.

Yes, it's important that the big, bad terrorist was killed. However, how
many times have we "turned a corner", "made progress" or accomplished
another milestone that meant SQUAT? Oh, about 20 times.

The White House is looking to keep the death in the media, while spinning
jubilation and success into this failed, lie-based, un-winnable fiasco.

If anything, this will galvanize the Iraqis who want us the hell out of
their country.

We'll all check back in a few weeks--when the violence will be churning
out of control.

The real question is...how many more times will America be willing to
drink the Kool-Aid and say, "Ok...this time things really will get better!"
only to be left feeling hoodwinked?

I guess we have to sit by the sidelines and wait to see how this plays out.

Frankly, I'm getting tired and disgusted with the people of this country
who are fooled by these pseudo milestones that mean nothing. Who are these
apes, who get swept up in this government marketeering? These people really
are dense if they buy into this media circus and joyful celebration.

I'm sick and tired of waiting for the nimrods of this nation to wake up--while
our country disintegrates.

[opihimoimoi]

8. Das whot dey said wen Saddamm was captured and tied up

Bushy went up 1.5 points and in 4 weeks lost 3.6 points, a 2.1 net loss

Using that as a guide...Bush is now at 32.3 and if this holds...in 4 weeks ...Bush will be at 30.2 or close.

[jobycom]

10. Appropriate choice of words.

[xxqqqzme]

12. wait, just a minute - zarqawi gets ratted out

by al qaeda operatives pissed that he is getting all the 'bad guy' press and chuckle nuts takes all the credit???? What about all the other times they took a pass on getting him?

[Ganja Ninja]

13. Didn't I hear that 6000 people have been brought into the ...

Baghdad morgue in the first 5 months of this year. Either that Zarqawi was a one man weapon of mass destruction or we're headed for more of the same.

[Benhurst]

14. He's already killed over 200,000 people. One more notch on

his belt won't make much difference in the long run.

[Tempest]

15. According to Zogby, they might as well forget about it

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1123