a pair of lists on Bush, war

It's been a little while, once again. I seem to be in this cycle of post a few, then take two weeks off. Of course, it doesn't help that I was on the road nearly all of last week (Yeah Holidays!). This isn't really the post I wanted to begin with, but I can't resist sharing these two lists. The first comes from an e-mail I received from Sen. Barbara Boxer via her PAC For a Change (slightly different version here); the second was David Letterman's Top 10 List last night. Both have Truth, but only one is laughable - and then, not all of it.

Today [Nov. 30], President Bush delivered what was billed as a major address on Iraq. Instead, unfortunately, it was just more of the same "stay the course" rhetoric, moving us no closer to a resolution of the conflict.

We've all been waiting for many months for President Bush to come clean with the American people about the war in Iraq. But clearly, the President still fails to see and confront the truth:

1. President Bush refuses to acknowledge that the Iraq war has nothing to do with the 9/11 attack on our country by al Qaeda, and it has diverted us from our appropriate response to that attack which was to go into Afghanistan and hunt Osama bin Laden.

2. He refuses to acknowledge the fact that our long term presence in Iraq is fueling the very insurgency that he vows to end.

3. President Bush refuses to acknowledge that any mistakes were made and that this war was based on false pretenses.

4. He ignores the tremendous financial burden on our citizens, and he completely ignores the thousands of wounded that need to hear that they will not be forgotten and that they will receive the care they need.

5. President Bush even refuses to acknowledge that Iraqi government officials believe that we can withdraw within a two-year time frame, while continuing to demean those members of Congress who disagree with him.
...
With American confidence in his handling of the war in Iraq at an all-time low, when will President Bush get the message? It's up to us to keep standing up and speaking out until he does.

The staff at the Late Show must have received Boxer's message, too:

Top Ten New President Bush Strategies For Victory in Iraq

10. "Make an even larger 'Mission Accomplished' sign"
9. "Encourage Iraqis to settle their feud like Dave and Oprah"
8. "Put that go-getter Michael Brown in charge"
7. "Launch slogan, 'It's not Iraq, it's Weraq'" [pronounced "We Rock"]
6. "Just do whatever he did when he captured Osama"
5. "A little more vacation time at the ranch to clear his head"
4. "Pack on a quick 30 pounds and trade places with Jeb"
3. "Wait, you mean it ain't going well?"
2. "Boost morale by doing his hilarious 'Locked Door' gag"
1. "Place Saddam back in power and tell him, 'It's your problem now, dude'"

*emphasis mine - my personal favorite