Autumn on the Porch and the Braziers to Bush's and Libby's Feet
The entire gang arrived just about the same time, and fortunately Schuyler had cocktails ready. Since we'd heard so much about them, tonight he made Cosmopolitans for us, using Grey Goose vodka and Cointreau.
The reason for the prompt arrival was, of course, that everybody wanted to talk about the Libby indictment, not, it turns out, just because of the dishonesty involved, but oddly, also because of the cost to the country in dollars and cents.
Bush Finds It Easy to Spend Other People's Money
Bush has always been spending other people's money, and being the spoiled rich kid with no sense of direction, he never had to learn accountability. When he left Texas, the state was near bankruptcy, and now it's become obvious that left to his own devices, he'd bankrupt the country. Morally, he just did. Alex told us that a Washington Post-ABC news survey conducted Friday and Saturday reported that by a 3 to 1 ratio, 46 percent to 15 percent, Americans say the level of honesty and ethics in the government has declined rather than risen under Bush. Chomp on those figures Ann Coulter: Bush has sunk lower than Clinton ever did in the polls.
Bob approached the scandal from another point of view however: unlike people such as us, farmers and ranchers who have to keep one eye perpetually on the bottom line, this guy just spends and spends, and costs us and costs us. At this point, Liz looked confused and asked Bob what he meant. Turns out, no breaking news here, that Bob, like the rest of us, has always been opposed to Bush's flitting around the country, on his 60 cities in 60 days fairy tale, and while the "Scooter" Libby affair was playing out, Bob had put pencil to paper and gotten all worked up, as well he, and we, should, over how profligate this nasty little guy is and how he goes through our national treasure.
Bob did some investigating, and got some information from the Government Accounting Office. Seems that the base cost for flying Air Force One comes in at about $60,000.00 an hour. But, their report continued, Bush doesn't fly in a vacuum, no ma'am, when this guy flits around, a lot of other stuff flits around, like: a C-17 Globemaster III, much larger than Air Force One, to transport Bush's two Cadillac limousines and two or three sport utility vehicles, next, a CH-46 helicopter stands at the ready, and local police departments have to waste money on their own helicopters hovering around.
Here, Max interjected that he too had read somewhere that wasn't the end of the story. There's the cost of maybe 100 support personnel, including advance team planners and Secret Service Agents. So, Max and Bob informed a hushed group of friends, a short trip by Bush can easily cost upwards of $200,000.00 and using that as a base figure, which is being generous of We The People, figure his 60-city frivolous flitting around to destroy Social Security as we know it, probably cost a minimum of $12,000,000.00
That's what Bob meant by Bush's finding it easy to spend other people's money; our money.
Bush Promised to Bring Honesty and Integrity to the White House
Liz, almost in shock and definitely angry, said that was criminal. From day one, she thought, Bush should have known his plan was doomed and he should not have spent that kind of money on it. But there was more she said. The White House, and certainly that creep Dick Cheney, knew all along about Scooter Libby's involvement in the Valerie Plame affair, and knows the involvement of Karl Rove, so to let Patrick Fitzgerald labor for 22 months at a cost of over 1 million dollars, was also criminal. Liz said, and quite seriously, that if the Queen of England can be forced to pay income taxes, Bush should pay, out of his pocket, for his little frivolous flitting around on Air Force One for no useful purpose but to satisfy one of his many whims (like his little invasion of Iraq), and that Scooter should pay for the cost of this expensive inquest for deliberately misleading Mr. Fitzgerald and for wasting We The People's money.
Liz, always our feisty but beloved one, said that if Bush didn't quite have the $12,000,000.00 to refund to the country, he could get it from his nasty mamma, and Libby certainly can, and should, refund the country what it cost to force the truth out that could have come out from day one and not cost the country one penney.
To wind up her point, Liz, also our Quote Queen, told us what Thomas Jefferson had written long ago about another nefarious person: "A cold-blooded, calculating, unprincipled usurper, without a virtue; no statesman, knowing nothing of commerce, political economy, or civil government, and supplying ignorance by bold presumption."
Seems to fit this guy pretty well, doesn't it? Yep, a usurper, who's spent what little "political capital" he thinks he had, and never did bring either honesty or integrity to the White House.
Grilling With Good Friends
Max, ever the one to delight in cooking on the grills, pretty much planned our dinner, and with Charlotte to help him, just asked us to sit back and relax. Well, relax as much as you can when you wish you could wring the president's neck and his checkbook.
The first dish Max and Charlotte served as after we all took our place at the dinner tables, were some exquisite Tapas-style Grilled Shrimp with Anchovies and Serrano Ham. Max, knowing that some people find anchovies very strong in flavor, always soaks them in milk before preparing them, and that makes them milder. After Fino Sherry, one of the best wines you can have with tapas is a good sparkling wine, and tonight Max and Charlotte introduced us to a new cava, or sparkling wine from Spain, a Paul Cheneau Brut Cava, which has a nice light-to-medium body.
Charlotte next served us small bowls of Corn Chowder with Pancetta and Sea Scallops, a hearty soup made with many different vegetables and skimmed of any fat. Served with a González Byass Fino Sherry, the soup kept us both in the New World, because of the corn, and Spain, because of the delicious sherry.
Max got some of the teenagers to help him carry dishes from the grills on the porch to the small and the large dining rooms. It was great of them to do this because Max had 40 people to feed tonight! The first course they brought in from the grills was Grilled and Mesquite Smoked Cabrilla Grouper, served with grilled fingerling potatoes and a medley of grilled mushrooms and garlic. Still in the mood for Spanish sparkling wine, we tried an Albet I Noya Brut Cava Reserva, a light-bodied wine with ginger and apple flavors which, magically, went very well with the perfectly grilled grouper.
After very small servings of Charlotte's coconut granita, Max and his helpers brought in his Pancetta-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin, grilled to tender-as-butter perfection. Buttery grilled Elephant garlic served on simple, white rice, was perfect. For both the fish and the meat dishes, Max had served us delicious Rye bread he bakes in the outdoor Italian-style stone oven. Since tonight we wanted to try different Spanish wines, Max paired the tenderloin with a full-bodied, intense, dry Pedro Ximénez Alvear Amontillado Montilla-Moriles Carlos VII.
Charlotte, also an amazing baker/chef made us individual Caramelized Lemon Tartlets, and on an adventurous note, and a generous note, since the wine is expensive, paired the tartlets with a wine she and Max brought from their wine cellar, an Alvear Pedro Ximénez Montilla-Moriles Solera, a syrupy, treacly wine Max and Charlotte wanted to try as a dessert wine. Well, folks, it was a success. I guess it pays to be adventurous. Except not with your nation's treasury.
Summary:
Bush has cost this country so much. We've lost the respect of the entire world. We, as a country, have lost our dignity and moral compass. Bush is also spending our national treasure as if he owned it. Sorry Bush, you don't.
