It Was A Shameful Moment For Us, And I'm Sorry

Image credit: MSNBC

No, that isn't what President Bush said about the Plame affair this morning. That's what he should have said. Instead, if you watch the video that's available at most of the links I'm referring to, you'll notice that he looked impatient and even a bit petulant as he was being asked about whether he felt any regrets about the matter, and then complained about what an ordeal it had been for his administration. He wouldn't even say Valerie Plame Wilson's name or acknowledge her role in protecting our country, or that his people had endangered her and the people who worked for her for petty political purposes. As Leslie wrote at No Quarter this morning Somebody?! That person!?. This would be an incredible spectacle, if we hadn't been watching this man for the last seven years.

On exhibition in these videos is a President who lives in a bubble. He's completely divorced from the consequences of what his administration, and quite possibly he, have done. Here's the lead paragraph from the MSNBC article:

President Bush on Thursday acknowledged publicly for the first time that someone in his administration likely leaked the name of a CIA operative, although he also said he hopes the controversy over his decision to spare prison for a former White House aide has "run its course."

"And now we're going to move on," Bush said in a White House news conference.

Bush admits administration leaked CIA name

Yep, we're movin' on to the next self-created disaster. Thanks for droppin' by, and don't forget to keep us in your prayers.

You have to wonder just how disconnected a man must be from reality to not even be able to acknowledge, to the slightest degree, the effects of this screwup. Valerie Wilson was working on the search for loose nuclear weapons and other forms of nuclear proliferation. She was doing a dangerous job that by its very nature required that she received no recognition. She was a non-official cover agent, which meant that the CIA spent considerable time and effort giving her and her co-workers an effective cover story. Thanks to the arrogant nitwits Bush has surrounded himself with, we're all less safe.

Yet Bush mentions no regret, no sorrow. It was just a big pain in the ass that made his people uncomfortable. The bastard didn't even mention her name.

Josh Marshall may have provided the best observation:

Needless to say, the president was involved [in betraying Valerie Wilson] from day one. He was always in favor of doing it. And he basically said so again today. Truly a shameful man.

Bush On Plame: Who Cares?

The disconnect from reality that made it easy for Al Qaeda to strike here nine months into his presidency, the insularity that makes him think that we should appreciate what all the cronies he's put in positions of power have done to us, and the lack of empathy that has allowed New Orleans to remain a mess two years after the flood waters receded - all of those traits were on display today.