Looking Backward

by digby

Nicole Wallace, professional Bush apologist was on Blitzer today and was asked about this piece where she says that she can’t figure out why Obama “apologized” to the Europeans instead of lecturing everyone about America being the greatest country the world has ever known. Chris Kofinis explained that he had to go over to Europe and do what he called the “clean up Bush’s mess” tour just to get us back into the world of nations.

This was her impatient response:

“I would just say that the Democratic obsession with looking backward is the inexplicable thing to me. I cannot understand why liberals and Democrats are so obsessed with looking back and blaming the one man who despite whatever else you say, you can agree with David Axelrod, who said George Bush is the example of grace, and the example of a statesman at this hour. George Bush has set the bar.”

Poor thing. Kofinis pointed out that he wasn’t talking about what Bush has done in the last three months but rather what he did during his eight years as president. She wasn’t appeased.

Bush has set the bar for failure, that’s for sure. That he is keeping quiet at the moment is more likely a function of the fact that he actually doesn’t give a damn about any of this. He did his thing and now he’s out. I don’t believe he is being introspective or statesmanlike or anything else. Cheney is the one fighting for a successful legacy because it’s his legacy.

And Republican whining about the “Democratic obsession with looking back” is just laughable coming from people who have fetishized personal responsibility and law and order. No wonder they raise kids like George W. Bush. I don’t know how they live with all this dissonance in their heads, but they seem to have an endless capacity for it.