Welcome to Bush Fantasy Land: The Sequel

[eehee]

A clipping from yesterdays paper, by Haroon Siddiqui.

It has been said that george W. bush is in denial of reality, in iraq, and elsewhere. But what of america itself? More particularly, what of the majority of americans who re-elected him?

They had the right to their democratic choice, still, what sort of nation rewards a leader who misled it into war, spawned worldwide anger, eroded America's moral authority, turned the iraqi occupation intoa a showcase for american ineptitude, and increased terrorism?

The same that also:
Accepts the deaths of 100,000 iraqis as unavoidable road kill by a rampaging giant avenging its 3,000 dead on 9/11, even though iraq had nothing to do with that terrorist atrocity.

Dismisses the missing weapons of mass destruction, the raison d'etre for the war, as irrelevant.

Tolerates breaches of the rule of law at home while preaching democracy abroad.

Of course, nearly half the american elctorate is as upset as the rest of the world, if not more so, and has fallen into shell-shocked silence since nov. 2. Bush promised to reach out to them. But, as usual, his words and deeds never did connect.

Donald Rumsfield stays on. Colin Powell goes out. Condoleeza Rice gets a promotion. So does Alberto Gonzales, the white house consigliere who justified torture. All will dance to the drumbeat of Dick cheney's next war, perhaps on Iran.

Tax cuts are to continue, worseneing the record defecit (already at 5% of the GDP)

Social security is to be privatized, in the name of fixing it.

Medicare is to stay private, leaving 45 million citizens uncovered.

Democracy, too, is being handed over to corporate interests and lobbies.

Bankrolling much of this week's 40 million presidential inaugural, as also last summer's 200 million republican and democratic conventions and the 1 billion election in between, they will get a return on investment through government contracts and licences, along with the policy changes they are bound to dictate.

As the trumpets herald the president's second term, 81 prisoners held in Afghanistan for three years are freed as a gesture of "reconciliation" on today's islamic festival of Eid - a bush twist on the old autocratic custom of arbitrary arrest and equally arbitrary release at christmas and on the king's birthday.

Afgans and Iraqis are yet to get clean drinking water, steady electricity, or medicine. Most cannot venture outside without risking their lives.

Those Iraqis who make it to the polling booths on Jan 30. will vote for candidates they have never seen or heard from.

Malnutrition among Iraqi children has doubled under the occupation. The risk of death for Iraqis is 58 times higher, according to the same johns Hopkins university study that said it's count of 100,000 dead is "a conservative estimate."

Equally revealing are america's bilateral relationships.

Bush is at loggerheads with most democracies but closest to autocracies. In the muslim world, he is chummy with petro-monarchs but distant from the leaders of emerging democracies Turkey, malaysia and Indonesia.

To neighbours Mexico and Canada, he poses a unique problem. To protect trade, their leaders must do what their publics don't want them to. Paul martin must sign on to the missile defence shield, tilt toward israel and censure liberals who echo their constituents.

Surveying the scenes of these military and political disasters, bush sees only the need for better public relations and more spin. "We've got to continue to do a better job of explaining what america is all about."

[BigZeke]

Stick to worrying about your own countries problems.

[eehee]

It is our problem...it's mentioned near the end.

[Hartski]

Originally Posted by eehee

The risk of death for Iraqis is 58 times higher, according to the same johns Hopkins university study that said it's count of 100,000 dead is "a conservative estimate."

Yeah, they have a higher risk of dying FROM PEOPLE BLOWING THEMSELVES AND THEIR CARS UP IN CROWDED AREAS
How many of those "100,000 dead" are from their own people? I'd guess quite a few.

[BigZeke]

Originally Posted by eehee

The same that also:
Accepts the deaths of 100,000 iraqis as unavoidable road kill by a rampaging giant avenging its 3,000 dead on 9/11, even though iraq had nothing to do with that terrorist atrocity.

Where were you and your newspaper clippings when Bill Clinton's sanctions were killing thousands of Iraqi children?

[BigZeke]

Originally Posted by eehee

It is our problem...it's mentioned near the end.

Oh, like Kerry would have been better? He would have been worse. Closing the border to crappy Canadian Beef (of which Mad Cow has been found AGAIN), increase the tarrifs on Soft Wood, redo NAFTA.

[Hartski]

Originally Posted by BigZeke

Where were you and your newspaper clippings when Bill Clinton's sanctions were killing thousands of Iraqi children?

He was in Jr. High.

[eehee]

Originally Posted by Hartski

He was in Jr. High.

We don't have junior high in canada. pwned. And whining about what clinton did/kerry would have done doesn't excuse what bush is doing.

[Hartski]

I wouldn't exactly call that pwned. Do you only have elementary and high schools in Canada?

[Dave22reborn]

One guy gives a false report on how there "may" be up to 100,000 dead in Iraq, and everyone buy's it.

I mean, one week it was 10,000 dead, and then 100,000??

And that news article is nothing more than sensationalism at it's best.

"Condoleeza Rice gets a promotion" and you have a problem with that?? You make it sound like the US is calling for her resignation, trust me the people do not hate her.

[morgansd12]

Originally Posted by eehee

A clipping from yesterdays paper, by Haroon Siddiqui.

It h

THIS ARTICLE COMPLETELY MISSED THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE WAR.

[eehee]

Originally Posted by morgansd12

THIS ARTICLE COMPLETELY MISSED THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE WAR.

which was...?

[morgansd12]

Originally Posted by eehee

which was...?

Which has been stated and restated enough that if you missed it you are either deliberately ignoring it or are incapable of comprehending it.

www.whitehouse.gov

Read the transcripts of the State of the Union Address before the war.