John Seery (at The Huffington Post) thinks George Bush has lost the war on terrorism:
“Let’s face it: Osama bin Laden, holed up in his cave somewhere, must be laughing at us. He’s calling the shots, and he really doesn’t have to lift a finger. Why? George Bush is doing his bidding. His administration has suspended many civil liberties and deftly defied the U.S. Constitution. Junked the Geneva Convention. Tortured prisoners. Oversaw criminal acts at Abu Ghraib. Ignored due process at Guantanamo. Engaged in domestic spying without court supervision. Flushed billions down the toilet in Iraq. Weakened our military readiness. Set much of the world against us. The Middle East is now ablaze in terrorism. At home, we live constantly in “elevated fear” levels (whether color coded or not). Our internal politics have become poisonously divided, not united. Osama bin Laden is playing George Bush like a cheap fiddle.”
For some reason, Seery’s post reminded me of George Orwell’s 1984 (Amazon notes):
“Oceania is eternally at war with one of two other vast entities, Eurasia and Eastasia. At any moment, depending upon current alignments, all existing records show either that Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia, or that it has always been at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia. Winston Smith knows this, because his work at the Ministry of Truth involves the constant “correction” of such records. “‘Who controls the past,’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'”
Update: Ashcroft Finds Private-Sector Niche – “Former U.S. attorney general John D. Ashcroft, whose tenure saw the creation of a burgeoning homeland security industry, has emerged as the highest-ranking former Bush administration official to lobby for and invest in companies in that field.” [MSNBC]
“Fifty years of plunder, that’s the legacy which I and everyone born after me has inherited.”
Huh? Say again, Ghostrider. Ever hear of the Marshall Plan? We built back the economies and infrastructure of our two enemies, Germany and Japan, while our OWN infrastructure continues to GET OLDER TODAY.
Germany and Japan have two of the most vibrant, dynamic economies on earth THANKS TO US! Historically speaking, most countries haven’t GIVEN A DAMN about their defeated enemies.
With Russia, we managed to demonstrate to them the fact that they couldn’t compete with us by outspending them, thereby bankrupting the Soviet Union and FREEING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. All without firing a shot at them.
Even during the Cold War, we sold grain at VASTLY DISCOUNTED rates to Russia, our ENEMY! 50 years of plunder? I’m not saying EVERYTHING we did was right, but again I ask, 50 years of plunder? There isn’t ANYTHING good in that time?
I knew we were all in trouble way back in November 2000. I didn’t need any terrorist to tell me, either, just one alcoholic buffoon and his puppet strings. One more frontman in the ongoing Victory tour that gave us license to be assholes to the world after WW2.
Fifty years of plunder, that’s the legacy which I and everyone born after me has inherited. The pantheon of half a century’s great American leaders have been complicit, let it ride, because we have gotten used to being the most important mouths to feed in the world.
And, now the world is getting wise to the fact that whatever America used to be, it’s a lot more like Oceania now. Wouldn’t you attack such an offensive thing? Of course, Clay, there is no question that there is a war out there, but what really scares me is not a threat of crazy-assed Arabs with poison-gas hair gel, but not knowing whether we are the good guys or the bad guys.
Clay is right. Elephants can be anywhere…even under the bed.
Don’t forget, sometimes Elephants fly coach from their homeland and end up hijacking the plane and kill 3000 people! And sometimes Elephants buy satellite phones in COLUMBIA, MISSOURI! Soemtimes elephants are closer than you think!
Guy standing on the corner honking a little toy horn.
“What are you doing? asks a by-stander.
“This keeps the elephants away,” replied the man with the horn.
“But, we’re in Chicago… there are no elephants within 5,000 miles of here.”
“See? It’s working!”
I didn’t even notice that I forgot my name. My mistake, I apologize!!! I think it’s pretty weak to comment incognitio, too!
My only point is that this country has not been hit for almost 5 years!!!!! No one on Earth would have predicted that back in the days immediately following 9/11.
The President said he would do anything he could to prevent any more attacks on our soil. And for 5 years, he’s kept that promise!
That’s pretty good for ANY politician, Republican OR Democrat!
Do I think another terrorist attack on American soil is likely. Sure. I might even say inevitable. But you miss the point of my post.
Mr. Serry thinks the Bush administration is playing on and exploiting our fears and I agree.
And I have to say I have something of a problem with people that aren’t willing to give their name when they post a comment?
If I had asked you on September 12, 2001 (a day after 9/11) “Do you think at the VERY LEAST ONE MORE terrorist attack would be sucessful on American soil by August of 2006?”, what would you have said?