Does the Bush Adminsitration have ADD?

Sorry for the crap posts as of late, but work has been (as Fonzie would say) nutso. In addition, there have been so many crazy things said and done as of late, that it is almost paralyzing to try to process it all, much less provide stupid commentary for three people who read this blog out of pity (but, dammit, CNB loves you for it). Anyhow, I smell a "Garbled Crap III" in the works.

For now, a quote that says more than it meant to:

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that an attack on Iran over its nuclear program is "not on the agenda at this point." (emphasis added).

The end of that sentence, finished in her head: "but don't think that we won't lay the smack down on those Iranians. You get one warning, Ayatollah Assahollah."

Did CNB miss the end of hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq that would allow the US to make statements that implicitly commit our troops to another freakin' country?

Maybe Condi is just giving one more example of how the Bush Aministration has ADD. It would make sense, you know. They never finish anything they start (absent claims to the contrary), and have all sorts of wild ideas of what to do next. Remember the last State of the Union with the manned mission to Mars? They do hang onto a few ideas now and again (read: amendment banning gay marriage), but whimsically switch from one thing to the next, and then back again. Now that the Iraqi elections are over, maybe Bush will go back to talking about steroid use in professional athletics. Then tomorrow it will be Social Security again. CNB might be wrong, but this seems to evidence a a classic pattern of impulsive behavior -- ADD.

As a practical matter, this lack of follow-through dovetails nicely with the 45-second collective memory of the U.S., because no one ever calls them out on stuff like this (beyond self-possessed bloggers). Then again, Desperate Housewives doesn't watch itself now, does it?

Maybe this is why teenagers don't know what the First Amendment is

Stronger countermeasures will be needed, including an unequivocal White House response to obstructionism, curbs on filibusters, and a clear delineation of what's permissible and what's out of bounds in dissent on Iraq.

--Fred Barnes, speaking for for the Editors of the Weekly Standard, February 2005 (emphasis added)

This reminds CNB of another classic quote (ironically coming from a guy who was then working for the man who cannot stop saying "They hate us for our freedom"):

. . .they're reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do. This is not a time for remarks like that; there never is.

--Ari Fleischer, then-White HousePress Secretary, September 26, 2001 (emphasis added)

Maybe it doesn't matter if teenagers understand (or care) what the First Amendment is for -- the folks in charge (and their media lapdogs) don't either.

Corrupting the Youth

A study just came out saying that a third of the teenagers in the US lack basic knowledge of the First Amendment, and feel it goes "too far." CNB reactions:

1. Nice job, Mr. Ashcroft. This time, the Administration actually can say "Mission Accomplished."
2. The vocally ignorant might not be our "best and brightest."
3. These are the same news agencies reporting twice a year that college students (insert pregnant pause) are binge drinking (insert shocked look).