Reeling from a cavalcade of scandals and policy disasters, President Bush and his water carriers among the Republican faithful offered up another healthy dose of eye-popping lies, hilarious hypocrisy, verbal psychosis and other rhetorical disasters in recent days. Carnage in Iraq, a disgraced Attorney General at home and myriad other woes produced another flood of GOP gaffes, proving perhaps that when your back is against the wall, your foot ends up in your mouth:
Iraq Debate
"I bought five rugs for five bucks."
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), on his claims of improving safety in Baghdad, April 1, 2007.
"There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods, today."
John McCain, March 26, 2007.
"They were just making fun of us and paid this visit just for their own interests. Do they think that when they come and speak few Arabic words in a very bad manner it will make us love them?"
Jaafar Moussa Thamir, Iraqi merchant at market visited by Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, April 3, 2007.
"The debate here on the Hill and the issues that have been raised have been helpful."
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, on Iraq funding debate in Congress, March 30, 2007.
"The administration doesn't like me to say civil war, but I'm afraid that's the way it is."
Colin Powell, March 26, 2007.
"We are fighting for the freedom of our children more than any war we have ever been in."
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), March 19, 2007.
Gonzales and U.S. Attorneys Scandal
"I think the testimony obviously ought to be sworn testimony."
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), on the need for sworn testimony by Clinton White House aides, June 16, 1996.
"With regard to White House officials, it'll be up to the president to decide, frankly, whether and when and under what circumstances members of his own administration testify."
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), on need for sworn testimony by Bush White House aides, April 1, 2007.
"I don't recall being involved in deliberations involving the question of whether or not a U.S. attorney should or should not be asked to resign."
Alberto Gonzales, March 30, 2007.
"I don't think the attorney general's statement that he was not involved in any discussions of U.S. attorney removals was accurate."
Kyle Sampson, Alberto Gonzales' former chief-of-staff, March 29, 2007.
"I wish the Department hadn't gone down this road at all."
Kyle Sampson, Alberto Gonzales' former chief-of-staff, March 29, 2007.
"I'm not going to resign. I'm going to stay focused on protecting our kids."
Alberto Gonzales, March 22, 2007.
The Culture War
"We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not the language of living in a ghetto."
Newt Gingrich, March 31, 2007.
"Well, that did not refer to Spanish [...] frankly, ghetto, historically had referred as a Jewish reference originally. I did not mention Hispanics."
Newt Gingrich, April 2, 2007.
What the...?
"The Democrats' honeymoon is fixing to end. It's going to explode like an IED."
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), April 1, 2007.
"Put your big-girl panties on."
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, to Dana Perino on filling in for Tony Snow, March 27, 2007.
"Liberals have finally joined the ranks of scoundrels like Hitler."
Tom Delay, March 26, 2007.
"It's possible to be a conservative without appearing to be an idiot."
Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), during Gore hearings on global warming, March 22, 2007.
For more inadvertent conservative wit and wisdom, visit the archives here.