26 posts tagged “bush”

Can Bush get any lower than this weeks effort?

What a bloody tragedy that the best effort Bush can muster after 911 is this Soviet style show trial now taking place in Guantanamo Bay. One would have thought that the Bush Administration would have moved heaven and earth to bring the culprits to trial before the whole World in a court that had as much credibility as possible. Sadly, the enemies of the US can sit back an enjoy the farcical performance of the suspects and the Prosecutors in a kangaroo court that looks ridiculous even to some Americans.

US Voters should demand better from their politicians. 911 created a lot of good will towards America but the performance of the Administration since then has washed away a lot of the sympathy and done a good deal more damage to boot. Of course Bush has no regard for the rest of the World and not enough wit to recognise when he is making life less safe for his fellow Americans.

There is no win here for the military either. They have to support the process and rush through a result so George can have another parade and a heroes farewell from those not thinking things through. Hopefully, in time, Americans will regard this as a fitting bookend to Bush's time in office. A low water mark on an under performing President who let his country down.

I wait to see if McCain decides to enthusiastically support Bush's weak effort or call it for what it is. Can't imagine him burning George but he bloody well ought to. If not for the Country then at least the 911 victims.

After many years of helping America run Bush's War in Iraq, today we start withdrawing our troops from that troubled area. And not before time as far as I am concerned.

Some time back a US General admitted he could only vouch for about a third of the troops he had trained. In plain speak that meant he didn't know where the allegiances of the other two thirds lay. With all the different factions about he was really training all sides of the Civil War.

That marks Australia as guilty too seeing we were there for the exact same reason.

One incredible comment made on this mornings radio by a military man was even more frightening. He said the locals were sad to see us move out and the US take over because the Aussies don't react then evaluate the situation. In plain speak this means they don't shoot first and ask questions later.

My assessment of this comment is he thinks we were protecting the Iraqis from the Americans.

How the spin can bite these folk back is amazing. The trouble is how many folk get killed before the bad decision is reversed.

5 years after “Mission Accomplished” I still marvel at how Americans feel it is their “Right” to interfere in the politics of other countries. And not just Iraq. A number of smaller countries have been subjected to their interference. It seems that if a politician can drum up a case of National Security, they automatically get the majority of their citizens on side.

How is this possible?

I can’t tell if they think it’s un-American to challenge their leaders or if they are simply too lazy to think through the logic. In Australia’s case it’s an easy call. We’re lazy. Generally folk can’t be bothered to think about the problem unless something like the Haneef case comes up where lawyers stir up the collective consciousness. Once we feel a politician has stepped over the line it’s very easy to get folk fired up but you need someone to capture the imagination of the Public to get the ball rolling. If it presents as bully boy tactics then you are home and hosed.

That doesn’t seem to be a selling point in the States. It seems the main objection of US folk to Bush’s War is the death toll of their own kids rather than any ethical view or sense of fair play. Fair enough that they are getting annoyed about the waste of their kids lives but I would like to see them question why they get involved in other countries affairs in the first place. Otherwise we will be going through all this devastation again in another country for another special interest group under a different President.

Once upon a time we could expect the US Media to do the thinking for their citizens but I don’t think they are filling that role any more, or at least they have been very slow to challenge the thinking in the Administration. It reminds me of the disgusting enthusiasm we saw when Maggie Thatcher decided to improve her poll standings by attacking the Argentineans in the Falklands. Some of the old blokes with the comment of “Give em a taste of the bayonet” were quite disgraceful.

The shallow British Press were just as bad. Some of their headlines were shockers. They even went as far as to give highly racist coverage of tennis matches played by Guillermo Vilas. I couldn’t believe such a thing from the allegedly sophisticated English commentators. The only saving grace here was this was an unusual event for the Brits. Although they are not without their sins in interfering in other peoples politics, they don’t seem to get involved quite so often these days.

But the US is a different ball game all together. It seems like they go out of their way to find a country they feel they can rearrange. Regardless of the fact they don’t seem to be able to get it all their own way or even close to what they want. US fuel prices would seem to indicate that going to Iraq to keep fuel affordable has been a total disaster.

I think that highlights a problem with the fuel theory. It looks more plausible that this is a little earner for Brown and Root. Despite his claims of concern for US troops, I think Dick Cheney is more than happy with the whole shooting match. Somehow I don’t see Tricky Dicky crying himself to sleep as he counts his ill gotten gains.

The coming election should be an indicator of how American thinking is going. If they sign up for more of the same with McCain then we have a long way to go before US Voters decide to demand more of their politicians. If they vote Democrat you won’t be able to tell if they demand more or have just got sick of Republicans killing their kids.

What the world really needs is for US Voters to simply ask WHY and demand a sensible answer. Counterproductive missions like The War on Terror don’t pass the sensible test.