"White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush 'found it [Albert Camus' 'The Stranger'] an interesting book and a quick read' and talked about it with aides. 'I don't want to go too deep into it, but we discussed the origins of existentialism,' said Snow."
-- John Dickerson, "Stranger and Stranger," Slate, Aug. 14, 2006.
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow claims he discussed Albert Camus and existentialism with George W. Bush?
Here's an imaginary transcript of that conversation:
SNOW: "Mr. President, did you have a chance to read that book by Camus yet?"
BUSH: "Uh, oh, yeah -- The Strangler, right?"
SNOW: "Close enough. What did you think of it?"
BUSH: "Wahl, that there Kha-Moo feller musta been pretty busy, whut with writin' books and inventin' camouflage and all."
SNOW: "Uh, I don't think he invent --"
BUSH: (BRAAAAATTTTT!!!) "Haw, haw, haw!"
SNOW: "Sweet Jesus, Mr. President! My eyes are tearing up!"
BUSH: "Haw, haw, haw!"
SNOW: "What do you think of the origins of the existentialist movement vis-a-vis Camus?"
BUSH: "Here's what I think!" (BRRRIIIIPPPP!) "Haw, haw, haw!"
SNOW: "Oh, my God -- get me a gas mask!"
BUSH: "Haw, haw -- exit-stencil-ism? This guy is some war-hatin' Frog, ain't he? I mean he's got one a them Frenchy names, don't he? I bet he wants tuh pull outta I-raq afore our mission's finished, don't he, like all them surrender monkeys over there want to?"
SNOW: "Well, actually, Mr. President, Camus' been dead for many years; he passed away long before the Iraq War started."
BUSH: "Oh, yeah? Think he smells like this by now?" (BRRRUUUPPPPTTT!) "Haw, haw, haw!"
SNOW: (Gasping for air.) "Ugh, argh -- open the window -- I can't breathe!"
BUSH: "Haw, haw, haw!"
SNOW: "Well, it's certainly -- cough, cough -- been nice discussing Camus and existentialism with you, Mr. President."
BUSH: "Sure, anytime, Tone. Say, lookit this -- I had Karl make me up a tape loop of that campfire scene from Blazin' Saddles. Hee, hee, just lissen tuh that!"
SNOW: "Well, that's very nice, sir. I'd better get downstairs and start today's press conference."
BUSH: "Hey, before yuh leave, grab that lighter off the table and come on over here. You ever played 'pull my finger,' Tone?"
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The True Cost of Iraq
According to John McLaughlin on PBS' The McLaughlin Group, the total cost to the American taxpayer of our occupation in Iraq, including care for wounded service personnel and other items not listed in the Bush Administration's budget, is $7.6 billion per month.
Just think, for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could completely rebuild the Gulf Coast and New Orleans and fix the levees; for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could provide first-class medical and rehabilitation care to all of our vets; for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could upgrade all of our anti-terrorist security systems, making them state-of-the-art instead of catch as catch can; for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could provide adequate funding for our public schools; for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could provide health care to Americans who are uninsured; for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could make sure our military families don't have to collect food stamps to get by and provide them with adequate housing; for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could improve our decaying highways and bridges; for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could underwrite the pension benefits of retirees who have been cheated by their former employers; for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could finance a program that would provide employment with decent wages for those whose jobs have been outsourced; for one month of what we're spending in Iraq, we could invest in technological and medical innovations that would create jobs here in the U.S and cure disease, and the list goes on.
For what we've spent so far on Bush's disaster in Iraq, we could have gone a long way towards bolstering Social Security and keeping our country out of the catastrophic debt Bush has incurred.
Sure, profitable private corporations like Halliburton and the military-industrial contractors wouldn't be getting filthy rich, but that's the way the cookie crumbles in a democracy where the government is run for the benefit of the people.
Which, according to our Constitution, is what we're supposed to be.
