A Dumbya Abroad

Just a day or so after Dumbya hailed Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper by calling out, "Yo, Harper!", the White House press kit distributed to reporters covering the G8 Summit in Japan was found to contain some embarrassing words about Italy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The Berlusconi bio, for example, called him one of the "most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for government corruption and vice." I guess you'd have to give them some credit for not adding, "... and exporting the Mafia to America."

An apology was issued forthwith by the White House -- for the botched press information, not for the incompetence of Dumbya and his Bushies.

(Image: Apologies to Alfred E. Neuman)

"Take Deep Breaths, Vladimir!"

Preznit Moe is frantically trying to calm everyone's nerves about his "missile defense plan," which would deploy missiles along the Polish and Czech borders, ostensibly as a deterrent to rogue (Iran) states threatening Western Europe. On Wednesday, he told reporters that the plan is "not something we should hyperventilate about," thus trivializing Russian concerns about the placement of a system that looks more like it's aimed at deterring Russia than Iran. President Putin has already called out this rationale as "ludicrous."

At the same time, Moe is being criticized for his curious timing in (rightly) criticizing Russia, on the eve of the G8 summit, for derailing its democratic reforms. Moe & Co. have been quiet for years about the disturbing trends in Russia, only speaking up about an abuse when it wasn't possible to stay quiet. But to raise the issue just when tensions with Russia are peaking over the proposed missile defense plan demonstrates once again the tin ear and myopic vision of what passes for diplomacy in Moe's Assministration. One can also point out, as we expect President Putin has, that Moe doesn't occupy the moral high ground when lecturing Russia, given Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, warrantless wiretapping and the suspension of habeus corpus. Well played, Preznit Moe! Nyuk, nyuk!