Normalizing W: an awful case of "both parties are the same" in the NYT
From Digby's Hullabaoo blog:
"But normalizing W - and by extension, the hideous caricature of an American political party that is the modern GOP - appears to be inevitable. Let's not mince words here:
What Posner and Bazelon wrote below is as Orwellian a lie as anything coming from Trump's mouth:
'Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama flexed their executive muscles. Mr. Bush enhanced the presidents control over national security after the Sept. 11 attacks by opening Guantánamo, trying terrorism suspects before military tribunals, and authorizing warrantless wiretapping. Mr. Obama took unilateral aggressive actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reform immigration.
'They left the office stronger than when they arrived. Although their policies were controversial, both presidents were given deference because they made their judgments conscientiously and led the government professionally.'
Bush is now conscientious. The president who famously refused to pay attention to a memo that was entitled "bin Laden Determined to Attack US" in the month before 9/11.
Bush is now professional. The president who praised the incompetent Michael Brown during Katrina with ""Brownie, "you're doing a heckuva job.""
...
http://digbysblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/normalizing-w-by-tristero.html
And they try to liken all that arrogance, cutting of civil rights, support of torture to environmental protection and more humane treatment of immigrants. Notice which actions get the positive word of "enhanced", and which were "aggressive"!