Oar Yew Orta Yer Mahnd? 'Ar Ain' No Hellifans Nowheres Near Hyar!

On ThinkProgress this morning was this announcement:

The White House is sending a two-page memo to Cabinet members “and other high-ranking officials” with official talking points meant to bolster President Bush’s legacy. The memo, obtained by the L.A. Times, is called “Speech Topper on the Bush Record” and looks at Bush’s presidency through distinctly rose-colored glasses:

Titled “Speech Topper on the Bush Record,” the talking points state that Bush “kept the American people safe” after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, lifted the economy after 2001 through tax cuts, curbed AIDS in Africa and maintained “the honor and the dignity of his office.”

The document presents the Bush record as an unalloyed success.

It mentions none of the episodes that detractors say have marred his presidency: the collapse of the housing market and major financial services companies, the flawed intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war, the federal response to Hurricane Katrina or the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

In a section on the economy, speakers are invited to say that Bush cut taxes after 2001, setting the stage for years of job growth.

As for the current economic crisis, the memo says that Bush "responded with bold measures to prevent an economic meltdown."

The document is otherwise silent on the recession, which claimed 533,000 jobs in November, the highest number in 34 years.

The sins of omission notwithstanding, the whole mendacious, slimy trick claiming the Busheviks "kept the country safe" since 9/11 misses two key points. The first is the obvious one: the Bushies were in-charge hen the IX/XI attacks were successfully conducted whi, even if they were correct in their subsequent claims, makes 'em one-for-two at best.

The second point is illustrated by this Middle-School 'joke':

A man sees another man standing on a street-corner, waving a huge photo of a ferocious-looking mouse, and making loud, squeaking noises through a speaker. Asked what he's doing, the fellow suspends his squeaking for a moment and proclaims he's "keeping the war-elephants at bay." The observer patiently notes that there probably aren't any war elephants anywhere on the entire continent, whereupon the demonstrative fella replies: "Yeah! Ya SEE! It's working!"

There's no such thing as an 'out-side' joke...