Initial thoughts on Bush's speech this morning

I had nice things to say about Bush's speech in New Orleans (see Analysis of Bush's speech), but I am going to rip him for the speech he gave this morning concerning the war on terror. Gee, his ratings are at record lows, there's Katrina and Rita, the Mike Brown imbroglio, all kinds of heat from the conservative base over the Miers nomination, the Plame investigation is coming to a close, the procurement officer in his administration has been indicted, The Bug Man has been indicted, etc., etc. That means it was time to talk tough about terrorism, try to scare the hell out of everyone, deflect attention away from all of that and show everyone he is a strong decisive leader. There was nothing new of any significance in this speech. It was the same ol' rhetoric we have heard over and over and over, only this time Bush was more emothional, defiant, and emphatic. Whoop-dee damn doo. This speech smacked of being a cheap political stunt from a politician in trouble.

I will be writing more about this speech, in particular Bush's description of bin Laden.