Then he'll change water into wine, walk on water, and wash the feet of the poor. OK, well, not that last part...

Thanks to Glenn Greenwald for showing us that there are still people in this country who have this messianic view of George W. Bush, no matter how many times he screws up.

But this is no stereotypical backwoods bumpkin, this is the Boston Herald city editor, Jules Crittenden:

George Bush will address us tonight, and show us the way forward. The general outline has been floated: Up to 20,000 more troops, ready to move in by the end of the month. Hammer time for Baghdad and Anbar, already underway with 80 insurgents killed on Haifa Street since Saturday.

[snip]

U.S. Rep Martin Meehan, D-Mass., has his own resolution. I knew Marty 16 years ago in Lowell, long before he was a congressman. He was a political animal, but I liked him, found him principled, and as this war progressed, respected his earnest and measured positions eve when I didn't agree with them. That respect is at an end with his cheap, copycat ploy, a House resolution calling on the president of the United States, in time of war, to ask the permission of Congress before he deploys any more troops into battle.

Tonight, our president is expected, once again, to defy the logic of polls and popularity, and dole out the bitter medicine. What must be done. What should have been done a long time ago. I remain confident in our future and the future of Iraq, because for now, we have a president who will do this.

Uh, Julesey? Just a few things: First of all, the Authorization for the Use of Military Force against Iraq was predicated on:

1. Iraq's noncompliance with the conditions of the 1991 cease fire, including interference with weapons inspectors
   
2. Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, and programs to develop such weapons, posed a "threat to the national security of the United States and international peace and security in the Persian Gulf region"
   
3. Iraq's "brutal repression of its civilian population"
   
4. Iraq's "capability and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other nations and its own people"
   
5. Iraq's hostility towards the United States as demonstrated by the 1993 assassination attempt of former President George H. W. Bush, and firing on coalition aircraft enforcing the no-fly zones following the 1991 Gulf War
   
6. Members of al-Qaida were "known to be in Iraq"
   
7. Iraq's "continu[ing] to aid and harbor other international terrorist organizations," including anti-United States terrorist organizations
   
8. Fear that Iraq would provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against the United States
   
9. The efforts by the Congress and the President to fight the 9/11 terrorists and those who aided or harbored them
   
10. The authorization by the Constitution and the Congress for the President to fight anti-United States terrorism
    

Second of all, if your Fearless Leader is to be worshipped because he's going to send 20,000 more troops into Iraq, then why isn't he sending the 32,000 that Jack Keane said he needs? Could it be, perhaps, that HE JUST DOESN'T HAVE THEM?

As for the Authorization for Use of Force, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 were based on the assumption of a country led by Saddam Hussein, so those no longer apply. Items 6 and 7 could be a consideration, but that's only because Bush's war has created such a power vacuum that it has allowed terrorists INTO Iraq. That leaves #9, except that it remains to be seen whether this war has been effective in fighting anti-United States terrorism.

Of course, as Glenn notes, Crittenden comes from the same bloodline as Danielle Crittenden, who is married to "Axis of Evil" penner David Frum, and who is known for decrying the sluttification of the American Woman, as Amanda points out here. So his wingnut bloodline is pretty impeccable.

How many American corpses is it going to take before these people realize that they are worshipping a false messiah?