Tag Archives: George W. Bush
An R next to a politician’s name might as well be a scarlet letter in 2006. Voters have tired of Republican President George W. Bush for his ignorance of reality in Iraq and abuses of power at home. And Americans have soured on Republican custodians of Congress for lining their pockets with lobbyists’ bribes and concealing the depredations of individual congressmen. Because of these failings of national Republicans, the incumbent Republican Senator for Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, must win re-election … Continue reading
President George W. Bush’s penchant for cronyism has achieved infamy by now. Apparently, he thought a friend with no judicial experience and simplistic legal reasoning, Harriet Miers, a dandy choice for the Supreme Court. The highest court in the land isn’t for brilliant thinkers, after all, but long-time pals. Also, of course, the President believed a failed horse breeder with no disaster response ability, Michael Brown, a fine selection to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency. New Orleanders know what … Continue reading
How did the members of President George W. Bush’s foreign policy team rise to power? What events shaped their policy viewpoints and political worldviews? James Mann, in The Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush’s War Cabinet, seeks to answer those questions. He describes the careers of the six top “Vulcans”—officials who worked in the foreign policy apparatuses of past Republican presidents and returned under the latest Bush: Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Richard Armitage, Paul Wolfowitz, Dick Cheney, and … Continue reading
Even a month ago, I was content to let the electoral system punish President George W. Bush for his incompetence in prosecuting the war in Iraq. Let him deal with more Democrats than he bargained for after the 2006 midterm elections, I thought. That would sufficiently punish him for his failures; anything more would set a dangerous precedent discouraging future presidents from launching big endeavors that might not work. Oh, what a difference a few weeks have made! Now, I … Continue reading
After nominating John Roberts, an intelligent Harvard Law School graduate who even the Democrats had to admit was well-qualified, to whom does President George W. Bush turn for his next Supreme Court nomination? His present White House counsel and former personal lawyer Harriet E. Miers. And what is her philosophy as a judge? She doesn’t have one, because she’s never been a judge before. This nomination defies logic. Shouldn’t a woman who sits on the highest court of the land, … Continue reading
I’ve resisted assigning blame for the Hurricane Katrina disaster because I don’t believe kneejerk and partisan responses, especially after a tragedy, are appropriate. I question the humanity of imbeciles who, within a day of Katrina’s assault, used the devastation and death to make political points against President George W. Bush and the United States. Basic decency says we help the victims of a cataclysm and pay respects to the dead before thinking of how to blame our political opponents. Two … Continue reading
In my other screed from today, I asked whether the immense demands Americans place on their government might have slowed the response to Hurricane Katrina. Now, I must ask another question: Do we set up the American government to fail in our eyes? In the modern era, we expect the federal government to solve all our problems. Americans perceive their government officials not as maintainers of law and order, but as wizards who can ameliorate every difficulty. One of the … Continue reading
WASHINGTON, DC (JV) – In a landmark vote, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill today that would create a Christian church regulated by the federal government, with a clergy composed of presidential appointees. “This is a great day in the histroy of America,” President George Bush said after the bill’s passage. “For the first time in millennia, Americans will be able to worship the creator of their choices, without having to tolerate the Islamic and the atheistic heathen.” … Continue reading
