14 January 2009

What Did We Learn?

“What did we learn, Palmer?” Asks the senior CIA official of his subordinate.
“I don’t know sir.”
“I don’t f-ing know either.”
“I guess we learned not to do it again.”
“Yes sir.”
“F- if I know what we did.”
“Yes sir. It’s hard to say.”
Closing lines of Burn After Reading

George Bush and Dick Cheney are granting interviews. From what I can tell, they did nothing wrong - there is nothing that they would have changed.

Which essentially means that they didn't learn anything. They knew what to do going in and the experience (whether it be Iraq or Afghanistan or financial crisis or economic slump or ...) did not change their minds at all.

Given that things did not turn out so well, we can only conclude one thing: if it wasn't their minds that needed changing, it was the world. Oh wait. They already made that clear. You either change the feedback or the feedback changes you.

Look for Dick Cheney to be driving around in retirement in a motor home with a bumper sticker that reads, "I'd rather change the world than change my mind."

Amazing.

5 comments:

Gypsy at Heart said...

I know, it is mindboggling. In some ways, I envy such certainty. It must insulate both Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush from all the fears and concerns that plague the rest of the world. How wonderful for them.

Anonymous said...

i always marvel at stupid people. it must be so relaxing not to think.

Anonymous said...

Wow. I marvel at arrogant people. How easy it must have been to be POTUS. I'm sure he never worried one bit. Yeah. That's the ticket.
I'm sure Clinton never did, either. Hmmph. Yeah. It's good to be smug. :P

Anonymous said...

Hey, Ron! I just watched 'Burn After Reading' a few nights ago. What a film! Now THAT'S probably a realistic view of our gov't, huh??
When the guy described the situation as a clusterf*ck?
Bwahahaha!
Indeed.

Love those Cohen brothers.

Allen said...

On my worst day at work, hell, add up all the worst days I ever had and I figure it can't even BEGIN to compare to what I think it must be like to be POTUS for 1 day. How does one contend with the realization in every waking moment there's a good percentage of people throughout the world, not just the U.S., who think you're the lousiest leader that ever existed? Even Dubya in his farewell address conceded he could've done some things better. Thank God Mr. Cheney didn't have to give a farewell address. I'm pretty sure he has no retrospective soul so it's good we weren't subjected to his pontification.

Just like the saying, "The worst day fishing is still better than the best day at work", I'm thinking for POTUS it would be "The worst day before becoming POTUS is still better than the best day as POTUS."