Bob Barr (Hypocrisy, Lack of Leadership) 06/2002

FACT: It was revealed that Bob Barr has filed suit against Bill Clinton, Larry Flynt and James Carville for - wait for it - "loss of reputation and emotional distress" during the impeachment debacle of 1998. Unbelievable but true. Barr is claiming "injury in his person and property," alleging that Clinton, Flynt and Carville conspired to "hinder [the plaintiff] in the lawful discharge of his duties." Now the poor Barr wants $30 million to soothe his hurt feelings. 

COMMENT: Now, if that isn't enough, Barr filed the suit almost immediately after pushing for legislation to end frivolous lawsuits and limit damages to $250K. Unbelievable, but typical.

George W. Bush (Lies, Lack of Leadership) 06/2002 

FACT: We all remember Bush's tasteless yet timely "trifecta" joke, when he said that only in times of war, as a result of a recession, or in times of national emergency would his administration run up deficits. Strangely, but not surprisingly, he's been lying about when he said it. You see, he would like you to believe that he made his deficits prediction long before his election, during his campaign and the administration has been constantly giving the impression that this was Bush's position all along. Lies! Lies! Lies! In reality, Bush promised (without condition) to avoid deficits, a convenient promise when running for office but wholly unnecessary and even burdensome once elected. Ha ha ha ha ha! Suckers. Wait till you see what he does to Social Security. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

George W. Bush (Lack of Leadership, Coward, Lies, Profiteering, 911) 05/2002

FACT: According to the GOP, the infamous Bush-9/11 exploitation photo they were hawking for cash demonstrated "the gritty determination of our new president." But in an interview last week for German television Bush revealed what was really going through his mind as he sat safe and sound on Air Force One. "I was concerned about things like, is my wife safe? You know, I was worried about that. I was worried about things such as my parents. I was worried about my [twin] girls....I mean, I was trying to get out of harm's way." 

George W. Bush (Lies, Despicable behavior, lack of Leadership, Stupidity) 

FACT: According to the UK Guardian, when a child in Florida asked Bush what he thought after the first plane crash, Bush responded: "There's one terrible pilot." And then added "It must have been a horrible accident." It's such a typical conservative reaction, to laugh at the incompetence of the pilot before lamely acknowledging the suffering of the victims as an irritated afterthought. Bush also claimed that he learned about the crash by watching it on TV. "The TV was obviously on", he said just before he started reading to a bunch of elementary school children, even though published reports indicate that he got the news by phone from Condoleeza Rice, his National Security Advisor. 

COMMENT: There is little doubt that the pivotal moment in George W. Bush's presidency, and probably the most important moment in his entire life, was when two airplanes collided with the World Trade Center on September 11. His response is not surprising but it is both saddening and maddening.

Paul O'Neill (Lack of Leadership, Honor and dignity) 

FACT: Senator Robert Byrd spent 15 minutes haranguing O'Neill over his new budget document. According to the Washington Post, "O'Neill, 66, paused about 20 seconds before answering, his eyes appearing to glisten. His voice cracked. He took deep breaths between sentences, repeatedly clenching his hands, seemingly trying to collect his thoughts and hold his temper. Afterwards, when O'Neill was asked if there were tears in his eyes, he replied, "That was fire." 

Republicans (Lacking leadership, 911) 

FACT: Senator Tom Daschle gets a letter laced with anthrax but it’s the House Republicans who abandon the capitol. The Democratic Senate (which is where the anthrax was discovered) decided to stand tall, stay and continue to do the work of the people; meanwhile Dennis Hastert and the Republican House chose to throw government out of the window and head for the hills. All this of course, while George Bush (from the relative safety of China) is unconvincingly attempting to reassure the country that it's safe for everyone to go about their business.