Another proud moment for all Americans

The other night President Bush was on television saying something goofy about something, likely several degrees removed from reality. Rachel and I had both started making sarcastic comments when Carol told Rachel to stop disrespecting the President. I told her that maybe he no longer reserved such delicate handling. Carol replied that even if we didn't respect the man, we should still respect the office. Fair enough.

Yesterday, the man, the Decider, gave himself a new nickname.

We put in more troops to get to a position where we can be in some other place. The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear -- I'm the commander guy.

Leader of the free world. The 43rd President of the United States. A man in the same tiny fraternity that includes George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. The man who commands the largest economy, the largest cultural influence, the greatest arsenal and greatest army the world has ever seen.

The Commander Guy. Really.

This declaration confuses me quite a bit, actually, as I was under the impression that President Bush didn't realize that a civilian commanded the armed forces. Just a couple of days ago, after he vetoed the war spending bill, he said:

Instead, members of the House and the Senate passed a bill that substitutes the opinions of politicians for the judgment of our military commanders.

Last time I checked, Republican President George W. Bush was a politician. What's more, he's a politician who has repeatedly ignored the judgement of our military commanders, replacing any general who disagreed with him with someone who would toe the line.

I guess such cognitive dissonance is just one of the many superpowers of . . . The Commander Guy!

(It occurs to me that if you haven't seen Mike Judge's IDIOCRACY yet, now might be a good time. Before it literally comes true.)