Blogs by Todd Cheney
George Bush No Hero
9/18/2004 12:43:38 PM
With the election coming up, I just thought I'd riff on my attitudes towards the current incumbent.
There are many things that people don't realize about their president. It's easy to listen to the propaganda, the 'war' on terrorism, the 'we got Saddam,' the 'it's not as bad as it looks if you listen to us' rhetoric. But I'm going to take some of these points and break them down for you. I'm sure that most of you will agree that I raise some valid issues.
1. Bush's reaction after September 11.
This might be hard for you, but just imagine for a second that you are the president of the U.S. and your country was just attacked by terrorists who killed 3,000 or so people. Now, (remember, you are the president, not GW) wouldn't you rise to the occasion, call for retaliation, be strong for the country? Of course you would, any sane person who is enough of a patriot to be elected president would have done the same. Al Gore would have done the same. Heck, maybe he would have even started his own 'war on terror' initiative. (But you're the president, so remember, you would've done the same.) Keeping all this in mind, GW did nothing anyone else wouldn't have done (if they were president that is) after Sept. 11. (But of course, a different person would have put his or her individual spin on it; the message of courage and hope would have been the same. I guarantee it.)
I'd further like to point out that my above comments are purely a matter of logic, and have nothing to do at all with the victims or the attacks. Recognizing a conclusion that follows from logic is not unpatriotic, it is in point of fact, more patriotic than blind obedience to Republican propaganda. The GOP has twisted the memories of the Sept. 11 victims for political gains, and if you believe in the sewage they're frothing about now, you are also guilty of the same.
2. The war in Iraq.
Clearly this is a misguided attempt at 'world policing.' You must remember that countries like Israel have been dealing with terrorism basically since their conception. For them, contending daily with terrorists is nothing new. Now, the U.S. was affected by terrorists in a major way. But really George, can you justify $200 billion dollars spent, many more lives lost, and the colossal loss of face in the 'world community?' Let's break it down to the facts.
A. Since the war in Iraq started, we have not been able to pacify the insurgents.
This is indisputable. If democracy for Iraq is so great, then why isn't it catching on like it should? Sure, the rebels are probably a small part of the population, but they seem to be in majority control of viewpoints (at least, this is the impression I get). If democracy is so great, then the locals should rise up and put down the rebels. Instead, they appear to be letting the insurgents have their way.
Given that the war in Iraq was unprovoked, seemingly out of the blue, (or at George Bush's whim) it's not surprising that the Iraqis would believe us to be invaders. Most of them must have known that Iraq posed no direct threat to the U.S. at the time. (If Saddam was planning to attack the U.S., he would have had to tell his people in order to raise a force large enough to be a threat. It would have been very hard to hide his intentions from the world community if he'd had any significant plans to attack. As for his terrorist connections, it hasn't been proved that he had legitimate plans there either. Or at least, no one is telling the American public. He didn't have a plan as far as I know. But I guess hindsight is 20/20.)
B. The Constitution of the U.S. clearly says that "Congress shall have the power to declare war."
When did that happen? If this is a war as everyone says it is, then I don't remember when Congress declared it was. Surely after spending so much money, and racking up over 1,000 casulaties so far, people would have realized that this is a war, and that it is not over with.
After the U.S. invaded Iraq (no, invaded is not too strong of a word. It's apparent that they had no weapons of mass destruction, which proves either that the U.S. leaders lied knowingly, or were duped. Either is a negative situation, and the American president should answer for it), it was okay to think of the 'war' as a military action, one that would be over in less than 90 days (see the War Powers Act for the president's former restrictions here). But it has not been over, has not been declared by Congress, and has no signs of improving.
Because Congress never declared this war, it is neither a war, nor is it Constitutional. It is nothing less than a power grab and a vain attempt by GW to 'avenge' the image of his father. Anyone who looks at this from a non-American point of view should be able to see this more clearly. They can't be accused of being 'un-patriotic' if they don't follow the Republican agenda and do a bunch of head nodding and chanting, all of which is ludicrous and irrelevant to the actual situations.
3. The Bush tax cuts did not help the economy.
It's very simple to do a broad tax cut that squanders the economic surplus in a useless way and then later claim it helped your economy. While I don't know whose idea this was, it's clear that it was a bad one. On the suface, it appears intelligent and potentially successful, but, (here's that logic thing again, something I guess GW doesn't have a lot of) it was not a good idea.
Yes, people got money back from their taxes. But at the same time, we were losing jobs. Now I ask you, if the economy is in poor shape, and you as a business owner have to cut jobs, will getting a tax break move you towards hiring more people or towards keeping the money in hopes of 'riding out the storm?' I don't know about you, but many savvy business owners would choose the latter option. (Remember, the economy is bad, and it looks like it's getting worse. It's more prudent to hang on to your money and cut other people's jobs just so your business can survive, isn't it? Besides, no one can force you to spend the money to make more jobs that will in turn help the economy. If Bush had created new government, which he would never do because he is GOP, then new jobs would have been created directly. The Bush tax cuts were the most ineffectual economic play ever conceived.)
So you see, the Bush tax cuts were another mistake. This administration has too many mistakes, and not enough successes. They don't mount obstacles, they create obstacles to mount, mount those obstacles, and ignore the real ones. (Case in point, Saddam Hussein. He was a perceived threat, but not enough of one, just a hurdle created by the U.S., who later claimed they did a great thing. Or, again, they were duped.)
4. Bush has never seen combat.
Nor (it seems) has he ever faced a shot fired in anger. Indeed, I wonder if there were ever a time that GW has risked his life for ANYONE, let alone in serving his country (no matter how misguided that service may have later turned out to be). I believe this is the most fundamental difference between Bush and Kerry.
Putting supposedly false or misleading memos aside, the facts remain that George W. Bush never went to Vietnam, never saw combat, never went through his full training, and never received a medal or presidential unit award. John Kerry did all of these.
Now, if you are one of Republican bent, you are saying to yourself, "But John Kerry gave his medals back later, that was un-patriotic!" Again, I must repeat that you are not listening to logic. You see, logic told the people of this nation (after several years that was) that the 'police action' in Vietnam was wrong. Even today we are dealing with the consequences of the fruitless years spent there. I call to mind the fact that it started small. We replaced the French there (who'd had no luck), and at first casualties were not high (this changed later). But isn't that nearly what's happening in Iraq? After all, the war in Vietnam didn't happen overnight, it was a gradual buildup.
As for the fact that Kerry gave his medals back, it was the most patriotic thing to do at the time. This sounds illogical, but it is not. Eventually, the war in Vietnam was ended by the president, and all troops were pulled out. The U.S. initiatives were defeated there. An inferior force triumphed over the might of the American military not because they had bigger guns, but because they were fighting for their homeland and what they believed was right: their right to sovereignty, to decide for themselves.
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John Kerry recognized what we were doing in Vietnam was wrong, and acted accordingly. When will GW wizen up to what's happening in Iraq? When will he realize he ordered an unjustified invasion and that it has led to one of the the worst foreign policy blunders in American history? If all the coalition jumps ship, how will it look if the U.S. stays? You can't pick a path, follow it blindly, ignore all curves and twists, and expect not to fall off a cliff. Christ, Bush, roll with the punches once in a while. But I guess he'll never get it. Good, because it's time for a change in American foreign policy, and that change is John Kerry.
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Kerry might have given his medals back, but at least he had them. Because of Kerry's war experience and his good decision to protest the wrong, unfair Vietnam war after he returned a decorated hero, I believe that Kerry is the best choice for president at this particular time. It's not because I believe in 'the party' or because I believe Kerry's rhetoric over Bush's, it's because I tried to look at the situation in a dispassionate, logical manner. That's more than I can say for most of the Americans I know.
My prediction: Bush will lose this election in a landslide.
TC
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