Politics

Rep. Emanuel on Bush on Baseball and ?Mission Accomplished?: ?He?s 0 for 2?

By Jesse Lee

Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel spoke on the House floor on the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln under a banner reading “Mission Accomplished.”

Full remarks:

Rep. Emanuel: ?Madam Speaker, in 1993, when professional-baseball owners were deciding how to rehabilitate the reputation of baseball, after the player?s strike, they debated whether to enact a wild-card rule to allow a second-place team into the playoffs. Only one owner at the time voted against this: Texas Rangers general partner George Bush.

?When the rule passed 27-1, at the time the President said, ?I made my arguments and went down in flames?History will prove me right.? [Associated Press, 9/9/93]

?Since then, nearly a third of World Series champions have been wild-card teams, including the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.

?The rule helped saved baseball as history has shown.

?And just like his baseball predictions, President Bush sings a very similar tune about Iraq, he says, ?History will prove whether I’m right. I think I’ll be right?? [Whitehouse.gov, March 29, 2006]

?Really?

?Five years today since his speech on ?Mission Accomplished,? and let?s take stock.

?More than 4,000 lives have been lost.

?Tens of thousands of American men and women have been injured.

?We?ve spent over $475 billion in taxpayer dollars, with the price tag continually going up.

?History will be the judge of whether once again George Bush?s record and America?s reputation will go down in flames.

?At this rate he?s going to be 0 for 2.?

Full post as published by The Gavel on May 01, 2008 (boomark / email).