George Bush Uses the Word "Irresponsible"...

...but clearly doesn't understand what the word means. In a recent speech, he termed irresponsible the "partisan critics who claim that we acted in Iraq because of oil or because of Israel or because we misled the American people," as well as "defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right."

On the other hand, many people might see political intimidation of and groupthink impressed upon the US. intelligence apparatus in order to justify a unjustifiable invasion and occupation as irresponsible.

Many may think that lying to the American people and the Congress -- and then later, after being caught in the lies, quoting back Congressmen repeating what Bush told them two years earlier as proof the lies were valid -- is irresponsible.

Some may feel that putting the security interests of a small foreign country, and populating the American national security political apparatus with people like Douglas Feith and others with public histories of uncritical support of and contractual relations with the Likud Party and/or the government of Israel is irresponsible.

Others may believe that paying contractors to pay reporters and editors to publish fairy tales about what is going on (or not going on) in Iraq under American occupation is irresponsible.

Still others may consider running up a trillion dollar war, and misunderestimating the invasion, occupation and incidental costs by orders of magnitude, well, irresponsible.

But not Mr. Bush. From his imperial confines, his sheltered cocoon of rightness, all criticism, really, is irresponsible, and that's that. After all, we are in a war, don't you know? An endless war, with Bush commanding the tricycle. What kind of military do you think Lt Bush is running here? In fact, I do see it from his perspective. In the endless war against the reality-based world, any truth, even in dribs and drabs, is rude and irresponsible.

George W. Bush doesn't read much, and he doesn't seem to reflect on the little he does understand about the world. He is known to appreciate Abraham Lincoln, that fellow power-obsessed executive from another era and another war. Old Abe once said, "Truth is generally the best vindication against slander."

Critics of Bushwar may indeed be rude and irresponsible, as well as wise and thoughtful. If Mr. Bush doesn't like what we say, he might do better than calling the rest of the country irresponsible. A good first step would be for President Bush to take personal responsibility for the mess in Iraq, and tell both the American people and the Iraqis the truth about why we came to Mesopotamia, and why we are staying.