Stewart: 'Those Who Do Not Study The Past ...'

Feel like we've been here before?

John Stewart, host of the Daily Show on Comedy Central, points out some tragically funny similarities between Pres. Bush's speech Thursday night regarding the troubled economy and a speech he gave preceding the war in Iraq in 2003.

Of course, through the magic editing, Stewart gets to make it look like the speech was written from a presidential book of Mad Libs, which is hardly the case. Most any two speeches regarding preemptive actions of such scope are bound to contain common elements. The irony here, however, is that there's no "Us vs. Them" this time. Regardless of whether Bush is right or wrong, the USA has no one to blame but the USA for whatever happens.

Here's a few quotes from the piece:

STEWART: What points do we want to hit … Should we be scared?"

BUSH ON ECONOMY 2008: Our entire economy is in danger ...

BUSH ON IRAQ 2003: The Danger is clear ...

[SNIP ...]

BUSH ON ECONOMY 2008: Not passing a bill now would cost these Americans much more later ...

BUSH ON IRAQ 2003: We are now acting because the risks of inaction would be far greater ...

[SNIP ...]

BUSH ON ECONOMY 2008: Millions of Americans could lose their jobs ...

BUSH ON IRAQ 2003: The terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions ...

[SNIP ...]

STEWART: So you would like us to grant you incredible unprecedented powers with very little oversight, something that could literally change the course of the country's history. I assume we have some time to think this over ...

BUSH ON ECONOMY 2008: Without immediate action by Congress, America could slip into a financial panic ...

BUSH ON IRAQ 2003: Before the day of horror can come, before it is to late to act ...

[SNIP ...]

STEWART: It really is true what they say. Those who do not study the past, get an exciting opportunity to repeat it.

Thanks to The Huffington Post for highlighting this one.


— TJ Sullivan in LA