intelligence, rudeness, and rudeness

Robert Novak, his pendulous lips quivering with indignation over the sheer lack of gallantry of the Democrats, accuses Pelosi and Reid of being rude in rejecting de facto President Bush's absurd proposal that Democratic chairs join with Republic* minority leaders in some sort of council. In other words, Bush invites the Democrats to share power after Republicans in Congress have lost theirs. Um, excuse me, but refusing to fall for a known con-man's attempt to make you give up something you have gained fair and square isn't rudeness. It's called being smart. Why start trusting Bush now when there is absolutely no reason to believe he will stick to his word and will really work with you? Ask Ted Kennedy about how he feels having worked with Bush in the early days of his administration on education.

Novak is a bit shortsighted when it comes to rudeness. Maybe he forgets the vicious personal attacks and refusal to cooperate on policy that the Republic* Congress showed towards Democratic President Bill Clinton? And he doesn't note the latest public rudeness by Bush in his State of the Union, again using the mildly pejorative "Democrat" instead of "Democratic" as the adjectival form of that party's name.

And as for further examples of rudeness, perhaps we can remind Novak of de facto (vice) President Cheney's blunt suggestion to Senator Patrick Leahy that he go fuck himself. Cheney also has a habit of disagreeing with people in such a way as to make them seem like morons. For example, on Wolf Blitzer's show the other day, in response to Blitzer's question about blunders and failures in Iraq, Cheney said "Wolf, Wolf, I simply don't accept the premise of your question. I just think it's hogwash."

And Wolf, you are an idiot for asking such a question. Nice.

*Nope, "Republic" isn't a typo. That's the equivalent of referring to the "Democrat" Party.