P.M. CARPENTER
January 28, 2002
Mr.Carpenter is a writer and doctoral candidate in American history at the University of Illinois and a columnist for HNN.
Richard Nixon is beginning to look pretty good. Presidential payoffs to bad guys, enemy lists, misuse of government agencies, even obstruction of justice are taking on the pleasant emergence of wistful nostalgia--a real stroll in the park--compared to the sweeping and open violations of public trust being committed by George W. Bush & Company. One longs for the likes of that brooding president sitting hunched over a tape recorder in the dark of night, snuffing and resnuffing the few puffs of a smoking gun, as opposed to the happy-go-lucky personality who has done more lasting harm in one year than Dick Nixon in six. At least our 37th president specialized in committing outright political crimes, which by their very clandestine nature were necessarily limited in scope. George W., on the other hand, traffics in legal political vice, which, given the rightward turn in this country since the late 1970s, can be practiced on a widespread scale openly and even boastfully. And legal or not, "vice" is the only way to describe the wholesale political indecency pushed by this White House. Behind virtually every move--whether on the budget, an economic stimulus package, the environment, defense spending, you name it--lies the fundamental motive of padding the pockets of its own socioeconomic class. To hell with others and to hell with the future. There either ain't no tomorrow, or if it does come, at least those at the top won't be burdened by today's consequences.
A jaw-dropping $4 trillion of your money in the form of federal budget surpluses has gone up in smoke, or rather, 41 percent of it into the pockets of W.'s friends. Before ramming through its tax cut last year, the administration was all a-giggle about surpluses now and as far as the eye could see. In fact, projected surpluses were, if anything, too small according to administration officials. "There are convincing reasons to assume that higher revenues are more likely than lower revenues and a larger, not smaller, surplus lies ahead," said the White House. Furthermore, it said we'd have a happy $231 billion surplus this year instead of the $106 billion deficit we're now running and the $80 billion bill we'll be handed next year. And just to remind you, it said that fully aware of the recession then in progress.
Odds are a reasonably intelligent orangutan with a pocket calculator could have come up with something closer to today's figures than the White House's had he been hired by the administration a year ago. And it's for damn sure the ape of Borneo would have been more ethical in releasing his findings. Unless W. spends each day absolutely and thus excusably stoned on goof weed, he knowingly lied. That much is clear. But of far more gravity, his lie will cost you and your plucky descendents hundreds of billions of dollars. Nixon's lie only cost you the price of a few prosecutors.
Of course Bush is getting away with it by doing a number on Abe Lincoln's analytical skills: it is indeed possible to fool most of the people most of the time. Or at minimum, you can fool them long enough to get what you want as a plutocratic puppet, then retire to your nice new house on your Texas spread. Abe would be mortified to witness the level of political humbuggery possible today through mass communications, slimy spinsters and slick media advisors--all of which have been about the only things propping W. up.
Yet on deeper reflection one shouldn't dismiss the contributions made by our hard-hitting media, as illustrated by NBC's corporate puff-piece last week on the Bush administration, inanely titled the "Real" West Wing. Rather than airing anything real, the thing appeared to be a remarkable example of the Heisenberg Principle in play; that is, one cannot observe an object without necessitating a change in its behavior. For instance, it was no surprise to see that everyone there had a jam-packed schedule, but this oddly included George. No time for football and pretzels with a camera crew hanging about. So there he was on the phone with good-buddy Tony Blair, letting us know beforehand of his "customary habit" to call. Next Brokaw allowed the vice president to explain politely that what went on in White House policy meetings was, in effect, none of the public's damned business. Good enough. Cut to commercial. I made it through maybe 10 minutes before realizing all the programmed niceness was causing my dinner to back up on me. Sheer survival instinct spurred me to turn it off.
Nevertheless that's what the administration is selling and that's what the public is buying. In the place of even the semblance of sound fiscal management we get artificial pleasantries and stiff upper-lips through which a barely concealed grin beams out, "And we're getting away with this?" Yes, in the face of this White House wrecking crew, Dick Nixon and his indictable offenses are beginning to look pretty good.
BILL PRESS
August 29, 2001
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In his January 29 State of the Union speech, identifying Iran, Iraq and North Korea as the U.S. military's next targets in the war against terrorism, President Bush said : "States like these and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world."
"Axis of evil." You must admit, it's a good line. But it's not original. Bush stole it out of the last book he read : "Foreign Policy for Dummies."
Not for the first time, Bush was trying to wrap himself in the mantle of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who linked Germany, Italy and Japan as the enemy Axis during World War II. But Bush's misuse of the "A" word had just the opposite effect. It didn't identify him with FDR. It showed what a rank amateur in foreign policy he still is.
For starters, there was a real connection between Germany, Italy and Japan. They were active partners in the war against the Allies. There is no connection between Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Iran and Iraq are sworn enemies. And North Korea has close ties with nobody. In fact, the only possible reason Bush added North Korea to the list — instead of, say, Syria or Yemen or Somalia — was to show he isn't just going after Muslim countries.
Bush's comic attempt to link Iran, Iraq and North Korea makes no sense. Their only connection is : Bush doesn't like them. But are they even our enemies?
Over the last couple of years, Iran and North Korea have taken serious steps toward improving relations with the United States. At the prodding of the Clinton administration, North Korea agreed to stop the production of nuclear weapons, suspended nuclear testing and promised to undertake historic talks about unification with South Korea. And what thanks does North Korea get from President Bush? A kick in the groin.
Same with Iran. Mohammad Khatami, Iran's new, moderate president -- who has openly espoused restoration of normal relations with the United States -- was one of the first Muslim leaders to condemn the September 11 attacks and the brand of Islam that inspired them. "Terrorism is doomed," he told the world, "and the international community should stem it and take effective measures in a bid to eradicate it."
And, in the months after September 11, few countries offered as much support. Iran supported the U.S. and the Northern Alliance's efforts to overthrow the Taliban. It joined international talks, led by the U.S., to shape a new government. It agreed to rescue and return American fliers downed on Iranian soil. It even allowed American relief food to be unloaded in an Iranian port on the Persian Gulf. And for this, our message is: "Thank you very much. You're evil."
Iraq, of course, is a different story. No thaw in relations there. But no threat to the U.S., either. And that's the point. As dangerous as Saddam Hussein may be, Iraq poses no security threat to the United States or its neighbors today. True, Iraq refuses to readmit UN weapons inspectors. But Bush never mentioned resumption of inspections until after September 11. Their absence is hardly sufficient reason, now, for declaring war on Iraq.
One other connection missing in Bush's newfangled foreign policy : any connection to what the war on terror is, supposedly, all about. Let's not forget that the war on terror began in response to the attacks of 9/11. It was aimed at capturing Osama bin Laden, destroying his al Qaeda network and punishing those countries that support or harbor them.
If those are still the goals of our war on terror -- and when did they change? -- Iran, Iraq and North Korea don't even qualify. They have given no financial support to bin Laden. They harbor no nests of al Qaeda members. They don't subscribe to bin Laden's extremist form of Islam. They are not model governments, but that doesn't mean we have any justification to invade them.
Following the September 11 attacks, the word among our European allies was : "Americans used to believe the world belonged to them; now, they know they belong to the world."
Unfortunately, George Bush has already unlearned that important lesson. He thinks the world belongs to him -- and he has the right to declare war, anytime, on anybody he wants. All he has to do is call them evil.
December 28, 2001
From : Rochesterjim@aol.com
Subject : Bush Has 90% Approval Rating For What?
I give up.
What is the reason his approval ratings shot up suddenly to 90%?
Jim in Rochester, MI
KELLY KRAMER
March 26, 2002
Well it's been over a year now since Bush took over the White House. And with Republicans now suddenly willing to talk about presidential approval ratings, lets take a look at what the Bush administration has done this past year.
A few observations :
US Energy Policy
A secret, only revealed to Dick Cheney and his billionaire oil friends.
FBI records of any investigations
A secret not only to you the average voter, but also a secret from any official you elect (I guess Bush gets to see them because he wasn't elected by you, he came in second)
Bush's Texas driver records
Secret, scrubbed his record and gave him Texas DL number 00000005.
Bush drug use
A secret, he doesn't answer
personal questions (or public one's either as you will see)
All records from the 12 years of Reagan and Bush presidencies
This is a BIG secret says Junior, orders all records sealed, anything to be released only at his sole personal discretion.
Why did US intelligence fail Sept 11?
A secret, Bush wants no investigations into the biggest failure ever.
What are US homeland security plans?
Semi-secret, for a $1,000 donation to Republican party they will tell you some of it.
Activities of Homeland Security director Tom Ridge
A secret, Bush refuses to let him testify before Congress (heck, how could they charge a
thousand dollars a pop if he gave it away for free in a televised hearing?)
What did Bush do for 6 years as Governor of TX?
A secret, Bush carted off all public records and sealed them in his daddy's Presidential library.
Does the Bush regime torture their prisoners of war?
A secret, Bush says 'up yours' to Geneva Convention and refuses their inspectors.
Does the US still only produce defensive nuclear weapons or are we trying to become a
'first strike' nuclear threat to Russia and the world?
A secret
, Bush cancels 30 year nuclear treaty with Russia, refuses any inspectors.
What are the details of US international treaties?
A secret, Bush requests and gets sole personal authority to make public and/or secret deals without review by any of your elected officials.
What are our plans to go to war, and with whom will our sons and daughters die fighting and why?
A secret, not only from you, all your elected officials (Thomas Jefferson and the
Constitution be damned) but also, Bush war plans are a secret from the Pentagon too!
How do we know Bin Laden was behind the 911 attacks?
A secret, just because George says so.
What are future policy plans of Bush regime?
Semi-secret, for a $15,000 donation to Tom Delays office you can get a meeting with a 'top level White House official.' (Delay currently being sued by conservative Judicial Watch)
What went on in the airplanes Sept 11?
A secret, Bush refuses to release any cockpit tapes, even to the families of the crew and passengers who died.
What evidence do we have to prove someone is a terrorist?
A secret, Bush wants all trials done in secrecy, including secret hangings (dead men tell
no tales).
What is the extra $10 billion just added to the Bush defense budget for?
A secret, Bush wants the extra taxpayer money with no assignment, to do with as he pleases, in secret of course.
How does Bush plan on cutting taxes, huge increases in defense spending and still not raid Social Security and bankrupt the US treasury?
A secret, strangely Bush doesn't want to talk about this at all any more, ever since the election was over.
When and where did this secret Bush shadow government come from? You know, the one none of your elected officials even knew about.
Answer : secret, secret, secret!
What did Bush mean by restoring honor and integrity to the White House?
Obviously its A SECRET!
I guess the answer is in the Bush secret government in that cave in some mountain in Virginia. Besides the Bush administration of the United States, what kind of government would hide in caves in a mo.
MATT SPETALNICK
April 9, 2002
Members of an Israeli tank brigade waging an offensive in the West Bank found a unique way to show how they felt about the U.S. president -- they adopted a stray dog and named it "George W. Bush".
"He's a cowboy," one soldier said as the brown pit-bull terrier prowled an Israeli hilltop encampment overlooking the city of Nablus.
"He barks a lot," said a second.
"But he's useless," another chimed in.
Bush's ever more strident demands for an end to Israel's 12-day-old military campaign in Palestinian areas has struck a sour note among army commanders and their troops -- a reflection of growing resentment among the Israeli public as a whole.
"If the U.S. had this problem of terrorism, they wouldn't ask for permission. They would finish the job like they did in Afghanistan," said Commander Oran Ben Goya, head of Israeli forces in the eastern part of Nablus, the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the past few days.
Opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Israelis support the operation, which the army has depicted as an effort to crush a "terror infrastructure" behind a recent spate of suicide attacks in a Palestinian uprising against occupation.
Many Israelis believe Bush has turned against the Israeli campaign because he wants to mollify Arab states to shore up his global anti-terror alliance ahead of possible military action against Iraq.
Since the Jewish state can ill afford to alienate its chief ally and provider of $3 billion (1.9 billion pounds) in annual aid, most commentators believe a pull-out will be well under way by the time U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrives at the end of the week.
RUNNING OUT OF TIME
Israeli commanders expressed deep frustration that they were running out of time to complete their mission.
"I don't think we will be able to do all we wanted to do," Ben Goya said. "That means we may have to come back again."
Israeli forces have fought fierce battles, house by house and alley by alley, in Nablus' s ancient casbah market area and in a refugee camp in the nearby city of Jenin. Both have been subjected to heavy bombardment by tanks and helicopter gunships.
Army officers say soldiers stationed at Elon Moreh, a Jewish settlement overlooking Nablus, peer down with high-powered telescopes on neighbouring refugee camps and see Palestinian gunmen roaming freely.
But officers say they have yet to strike key militant strongholds in the camps and are increasingly doubtful they will be allowed to undertake such operations before they are ordered to end their offensive.
The army's mood was further darkened on Tuesday by the killing of 13 Israeli soldiers in an ambush in a refugee camp in Jenin, the worst single blow to the Middle East's best-equipped armed forces in 18 months of conflict.
Ben Goya said that while the Israelis hold the advantage of advanced weaponry, Palestinian fighters are more familiar with the terrain and have employed an array of deadly booby-traps and trip wires that have forced soldiers to tread carefully.
CAUGHT OFF GUARD
The Israeli offensive was launched after 27 people were killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber who blew himself up in an Israeli seaside hotel during a Passover holiday celebration.
International protests against the military operations that ensued have shocked Israelis, who see the campaign as a legitimate drive to root out terror.
The army says it has killed at least 200 Palestinians, many of them wanted militants, though Palestinian officials say civilians have borne the brunt of the onslaught.
Israelis, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, seem to have been caught off guard by the Texas-raised president's uncompromising demands for a withdrawal from all Palestinian-ruled cities and towns.
"The Texans, as any American knows, are a breed of their own," political commentator Hemi Shalev wrote in the Israeli daily Maariv. "Sharon apparently did not take into account President George Bush's short Texan fuse when he decided to ignore him for many days."
