On Jan 6, 10:43 am, MJ <[email protected]> wrote: > January 6, 2011A Little History Before the KowtowingWhy Tea Partiers Should > Despise George W. BushBy JAMES BOVARD
> The more arrogant and righteous Bush became about spreading democracy, the > more the American republic became a parody of the vision of the Founding > Fathers, who did not intend to permit presidents to “hock” American rights > for foreign conquests.The desirability of dictatorshipPresident Bush > commented shortly before 9/11, “A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot > easier; there’s no question about it.” He used the same phrase to tout > dictatorships as paragons of efficiency a month before taking office. He > always seemed oblivious to why dictatorships drag nations to ruin. > Bush declared in 2002, “I’m the commander see, I don’t need to explain…. > That’s the interesting thing about being president…. I don’t feel like I owe > anybody an explanation.” And his prerogative extended at least in his own > mind to giving marching orders to hundreds of millions of Americans. In an > October 29, 2003, speech, he declared, “A president must set great goals > worthy of a great nation. We’re a great nation. Therefore, a president must > set big goals.” But most Americans were not seeking someone to impose goals > upon them. > More Americans recited the Pledge of Allegiance after Bush was elected but > fewer Americans seemed concerned about government’s trampling their rights. > More Americans had U.S. flag decals on their autos but fewer Americans > supported the right of people to publicly oppose government policies. At > least after 9/11, more Americans revered the president but fewer Americans > seemed to recall the Founding Fathers’ warnings about the corrupting nature > of political power. > Perhaps Bush’s most important legacy is his embrace of torture. In a June > 2010 speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he declared, “Yeah, we water-boarded > Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. I’d do it again to save lives.” There is no > independent evidence that Bush-era torture saved any American lives. > The fact that a former president can stand up in public and admit that he > ordered torture is a sea change for the American republic. (While he was > president, Bush consistently denied that the U.S. government engaged in > torture.) Torture is not a “bleeding heart” issue; instead, it is merely a > question of whether a president will have absolute power. In reality, the > Bush administration’s torture policies were simply the most vivid example of > its belief that the president was entitled to do as he pleases. Assistant > Attorney General Steven Bradbury declared in 2006, “Under the law of war, the > president is always right.” > If Tea Party activists are truly devoted to freedom, they must recognize the > crimes and abuses of both Republicans and Democrats, liberals and > conservatives. A little history could do wonders to enlighten the > partisanship and curb the kowtowing.James Bovardis a policy advisor forThe > Future of Freedom Foundationand is the author ofAttention Deficit > Democracy,The Bush Betrayal,Terrorism and Tyranny, and other > books.http://www.counterpunch.org/bovard01062010.html --- I think this bears repeating again, and again, and again. We all know how Republicans don't get it through their thick Neanderthal skulls unless it's banged in at least a thousand times. All I remember of Bush Jr. was; war, Iraq, terrorism, Afghanistan, 9-11, weapons of mass destruction, Iraq secret nuclear program, war-on- terrorism, attacks, war, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq...rinse, repeat a thousand times. Oh I did hear a couple times where he said the nations financial fundamentals were strong. Uh, yeah, sure. Remember what YOUR President said about being President; he doesn't have to explain anything to you... and low and behold, that's why republicans are so ignorant. But now they whine why Obama isn't explaining things to them enough... ??? That's why they're called The Stupid Party folks. -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
