"The Surge" as Bush's deus ex machina?

In ancient Greek and Roman dramas, the clever playwrights sometimes "painted themselves (or at least their audience) into corners" with plot lines that seemed to have no clear resolution in sight...


Alas, enter the deus ex machina to save the day! Homer's The Odyssey is one classic example... the protagonist, drawing on unseen forces (or calling upon "the gods") to somehow pull a victory out of a hat and triumphantly save the day- presto > from zero to hero!

Another more contemporary example (somewhat loosely based on Homer according to some critics), is the Coen brothers film "O Brother, Where art Thou"



In which three country bumpkin con-men set out on a wild chase to find hidden treasure (and maybe even try and prove their innocence and redeem themselves)... It looks almost certain they are going to get caught, and end up right back on the chain gang making big rocks into small rocks... but lo and behold, enter their deliverer... metaphorically represented by the elderly blind man on the railroad push cart, to lead them to the promised land > a modern day deus ex machina (or god in the machine)!

Meanwhile, George Bush the younger, is realizing that he is a lame duck president, and wants desperately to do something- ANYTHING to try and salvage his reputation, plummeting approval numbers and quagmire of a war in Iraq. So his handlers dig deep into their playbook, searching hoping for some sort of "hail mary pass," a deus ex machina, if you will, to try and win the game in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter and victory from the jaws of defeat, and re-write Bush's developing legacy as one of the most incompetent foolishly stubborn, and ineffective presidents in American history. Bush, Cheney and Rove ain't the Soggy Bottom Boys, though... (or are they??)

So what do they come up with in their tactical brilliance (drumroll please)... "The Surge"... first it was "shock and awe" (in a war totally waged on lies- remember the WMD tall tale?)... now our illustrious president claims that sending tens of thousands MORE troops into harm's way, and throwing them into the middle of a raging civil war of rival factions, that were largely created by this ill-advised war, and somehow, MORE OF THE SAME, is going to win the day?!?

By the way, did anyone else find it more than a little unsettling to see the smug glee and hubris with which Mr. Bush seemed to exhibit when speaking about the war in Iraq on the recent 60 Minutes interview?

I want to be very clear that I strongly support our brave troops and their families, and pray for their success and safe return...

I do NOT support, however, this administration's gross mismanagement of and dishonesty about their motives for this conflict... Mr. Bush must be held accountable, otherwise can you say "national nightmare, part II"?

Here's hoping and praying for peace, and greater accountability from our leaders.