Dubya, AKA Various Deranged Personages
Out of touch with reality, much like King Ludwig, Queen Victoria after the loss of her beloved Albert and Catherine the Great in her myriad splendid palaces. Well, goodness, said Liz, two women and one man, not bad for a very disturbed criminally megalomaniac paranoid who only listens to the other criminally megalomaniac paranoid minions who surround him. Wise or sad advice, this guy doesn't know the difference, and bears the eternal mental mind set of the guy, who when told in front of school children that the country was under assault, looked at the country with the eyes of a doe facing the headlights of a Mack truck bearing straight towards her: helpless and unable to move. Only problem is, those eyes are the only eyes that see what little they do see. They certainly don't see what the world sees, and sadly, they don't see what the country sees.
Poor George, He's No Empress of India
Or anything, even if he does love dressing up in fancy-pantsy costumes. Certainly didn't turn out to be the suzerain of Iraq, did he? Events, Liz remarked, of the last week have proven without a doubt that rather than the builder of Iraq poor George has been the nemesis of Iraq, its absolute destroyer. The bombing of the Mosque, the grotesque enlargement of the Afghan prison at Basram and its continued comparison to Guantánamo, the continuing saga of his orders to torture "prisoners" at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo, the fiasco of Katrina, his friendship with Abramoff, his granting port administration privileges to the country of Dubai, his very public playing silent lackey to Cheney's shooting/drinking incident. Anyway, Liz quipped, from being nothing at college, nothing in the "national guard," nothing except Wrong in his first term, he's WWrong in his second little term. Wow. Empress of India sounds pretty good in comparison to WWWrong in a second term.
Heck, at least poor mad King Ludwig actually built his castles; Dubya can't build a new Afghainistan, a new Iraq, and only managed to build a dumpy little ranch house in Crawford where Al Qaeda can whup him upside the head pretty darn easy.
Dazed and clueless, Bush also ignores the Pottery Barn rule that former Secretary of State Colin Powell tried his best to teach him: you break it you own it, and he's pretty much broken Iraq and the entire Middle East.
Well, all I can tell you is that while Liz was telling us these things we were busy listening to her and sipping Schuyler's amazing Ten Grand, a drink he found that uses Tanqueray No. Ten Gin. Delicious and necessary when the subject is our own little twisted suzerain wanna be. You know, the one who was going to make La Rice, Condosleazza, Czarina of al Iraq? Build the world's largest U.S. embassy in Iraq? Yeah, that suzerain.
Dinner Gong: Ambrosia Awaits
Communaly prepared, dinner tonight sounds wonderful but was easy to prepare since so many of us took part. Carmen and Terry made little Shrimp Tamales as an amuse bouche, or appetizer, to get things started. They served us little glasses, copitas, of Sauza Conmemorativo, a golden, aged tequila to accompany our tamales.
For our soup course, Max and Charlotte made Galician Potato and Garlic Soup. On a chilly night, this soup was perfect. It was flawless, paired with the bone-dry Bodegas Dios Baco Fino Sherry they paired with the soup. The seafood course tonight was prepared by Beatrix and Jeremy. We were amazed by the Roasted Oysters Rockefeller, plated with braised asparagus and roasted elephant garlic. They brought some bottles of Chateau Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine to complement the oysters, and all we can say is Oh yes!
Max and Charlotte prepared Roasted Rack of Lamb with cumin and mustard seeds. On the side, they served us roasted fingerling potatoes and some exquisitely braised zucchini blossoms. Paired with a Rhône red wine, Chapoutier Hermitage la Sizeranne, we were transported to that place where all gourmands go when they're happy. If this wine turns out to be too expensive, Charlotte highly recommends you try a good California red Zinfandel instead.
Sagidah teamed up with Carmen to make us some amazing Mango Tartlets with Mandarin Glaze, which they served with a nice Asti Spumanti, the fruity, slightly sweet sparkling wine.
Winding Down
Well, we had a busy day. Drought in many areas have made hay difficult to get, so many of us spent the day on the phone making arrangements to bring hay in from other areas. We were anxious to rejoin the teenagers in the great room to reassure those with their own horses that hay would soon be available.
Just as were putting on sweaters, getting ready to leave, Liz told us what Molière had once written, applicable, perhaps, to someone we talk a lot about? "It is stupidity second to none, to busy oneself with the correction of the world." Notice, Liz said, he wrote 'correction' not improvement or wise counsel.
Summary
There's this guy in the White House, beholden to his über-brain, Dick Cheney, who struts around on the world stage, injuring relations, hurting countries, and endangering lives everywhere. Like madmen everywhere, he believes himself to be this great emperor, refusing to admit that he knows nothing of what true governance involves. Governing requires that the governor be sane; a deranged person surrounded by yes 'ums sycophants won't cut it; the world's too tough.
