Thursday May 13, 2004 at 1:36 PM
Bush's Lack of Faith
Appearing in Politics
- “We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
- John F. Kennedy
Here’s the deal: you should be pissed. You should be pissed because the failure that is unfolding in Iraq is not only making the world less safe, or costing the lives of American service people, or ending the lives of countless Iraqi civilians, or costing billions and billions of your tax dollars — you should be pissed because the Administration of President Bush insulted your intelligence, your committment, and ultimately, the wisdom of our democracy.
When the Administration sold this war to the American people, having failed to sell it to the United Nations or the rest of the world, they sold it as a necessary step in the “War on Terror”. Portraying Saddam Hussein as a megalomaniacal leader singularly determined to harm the United States, they convinced the majority of Americans that this “gathering threat” justified the preemptive invasion of a sovereign nation. The fact that Hussein didn’t actually posses the weapons or capability to inflict such harm now proves that Hussein had either taken the art of deception to a level heretofore unknown in history, or that President George Bush was lying. History will likely show that it was a bit of both.
Whatever the rational the Administration wants to trot out — links to Al Queda, weapons of mass destruction, violation of UN resolutions, or Hussein was interfering with “God’s gift” to the Iraqi people — the truth of the matter is that President George Bush lacked the necessary faith and confidence to level with the American people about what was at stake and what success would require. The ridiculous sentiments that our troops would be greeted as liberators, that Iraq would pay for it’s own reconstruction, or that Hussein was the only thing keeping Iraq from magically transforming into a beacon of democracy, were nothing more than lies and distortions intended to mislead the American public and military into believing the mission could be accomplished without sacrifice, bloodshed, torture, rape, and worldwide resentment.
But we all know that now and while that certainly leaves us with plenty of things to be pissed about, here’s one more: we should be pissed not simply because they lied to us, or that their arrogance has led our nation into the most dangerous quagmire of modern history — no, we should be pissed because they didn’t have confidence in our ability to understand the situation and make an informed, intelligent choice. They treated us like a child and now they’ve saddled us with the responsibilities of an adult.
Look, the Middle East is important to America. Everybody gets that. And the Middle East is an unstable and volatile place. We get that too. Is it such a leap to expect us to understand the importance of fostering free and open societies in that region of the world? Do they really think we’re so ignorant and unsophisticated that we can’t connect those dots and collectively decide that something has to be done about it? Do they have so little confidence in us that they can’t trust us to evaluate the available evidence and probable outcomes in order to arrive at an intelligent and thoughtful conclusion? Do they not trust the wisdom of the very democracy they’re so desperately trying to export to the rest of the world?
Clearly the Administration’s failures in Iraq stand as symbols of unprecedented naivity, arrogance, and apathy. Unfortunately, they also stand for something more, something more troubling and something more insulting. They stand for President George Bush’s lack of faith in the American people as well as his lack of confidence in our democracy.
I wonder how much longer it will be before our democracy loses faith in him?
Comments
Dear Robert Baxley,
Let me try to explain again America's situation. We are at a time in history that we have never been before. Therefore, all your accustomed thinking (like you are for sure the sun will rise tomorrow according to the laws of mother nature) about what happens next in America must be suspect.
No one has ever stolen America before. What happens if Bush the younger tells Congress to go home because they are not needed anymore? He has the power, he has the military, and he has a voting percentage that has already allowed him to start a war on obvious lies. Turn the guns on Congress, the other Americans, and say "MARTIAL LAW, shut up and do nothing but what the President says until this war is over!"
Well, geez, then you would know who to blame. But, then Bush the younger never returns the voting power to you, duh!
I don't predict this will happen myself. However, if Bush the younger is elected again then at the end of that term if he has not gotten the vote to extend his term a third time --- then it will happen.
Now, again here is the bad news. If Bush the younger loses the upcoming election by a narrow margin, then he or another Bush can get elected at a future time. Their overall plans span over 50 years, so they do plan on having out of office time as long a they can keep the public fooled. But sooner or later their long term plans change to KINGDOM. No more elections.
Kerry has just signaled this to the public. Mr. Kerry said, "This may be the last chance we get...". Mr. Kerry was serious and did not tell the whole story. If we do have the upcoming election, then we can not expect another unless and only if the power changes hands to the other party. And Mr. Kerry did not tell you that he is also worried that this election may not happen, i.e. the stolen election was the last and the mid-term election going to all Republican control was the nail in the coffin of democracy.
Mr. Baxley, the problem with America is not just Bush the younger. No, not by any means The people are just as big of a problem. Just as responsible. And Bush the younger does not have to lie to these macho, wantabee, born-again neocon fundalmentalist nuts. They will back his grand plans to wield power in the world.
Get ready if Kerry is not elected to be told at gunpoint how to be.
And if not, get ready for 8,12,16, or 20 years down the road a couple of Bush people get to be President, and we continue losing liberty to favorable laws for the fundlamentalist to dominate --- what is the differenc in gunpoint.
The difference is that if Americans think that they still have democracy, then they will remain the highest work output per person system invented in history. Bah Humbug, they can get close enough by giving the public the glory of holding a finger up in the air and yelling we are number one, because the people don't use the damn vote in the first place. Is that not so?
Posted by: LonghairSteve on Thu May 13, 04
Steve...definitely some interesting points you're making, many of which, I have unfortunately thought of myself. Whether it's purely hope or just naivity, I do still believe that the Supreme Court wields some power and influence here. I do wonder however, if the court were to find against the Administration on an important point, say the outcome of the next election, would Bush yield to their decision.
I don't think it's altogether clear that he would.
In addition, I fear you're also right on the question of martial law and a suspension of the election. However, I believe the likely catalyst is a terrorist attack rather than a political defeat. It's frightening to imagine how our population and government would react given another incident on the scale of Sept. 11th.
Finally however, on a more optimistic note, I do think the American people are beginning to wake up to what is happening and I still hold some hope that as the Bush and right-wing agendas come into clearer view, the majority will strike them down.
At least I hope so.
Posted by: Bob Baxley on Thu May 13, 04