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| Topic: The Handy Reference Guide to Bush Disasters, Incompetencies, | |
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The Handy Reference Guide to Bush Disasters, Incompetencies, and Lies
by Guy Reel The other day, as I was musing aloud about notion that George Bush is the worst president in U.S. history, an acquaintance interrupted, “What’s been so bad?” I stammered for a moment, unable to get my mind around such a large question. It was sort of like trying to summarize the mysteries of the universe: The topic is so big one doesn’t know where to start. So I decided to compile a handy reference guide to the failed policies, worst decisions, irrational practices and outrageous lies of the Bush administration.In compiling this list, I made the rule that it cannot be an inventory of policy differences between liberals and conservatives; it must differentiate between rational and irrational policies, between truth and lies, between successes and failures. In other words, this should not be a partisan list but an attempt to chronicle the failures, catastrophes and ruinous policies that are apparent to impartial observers. Contributions are welcomed. 1. Lies about an optional war. Some may argue that Bush wasn’t lying about the weapons of mass destruction — that he, and many others, believed they were there. The problem is, he, and most everyone in his administration, misrepresented (lied) about the nature of the intelligence that (they claimed) led us into war. Within the intelligence community — yes, Bush’s own intelligence community — there was much, much more disagreement about the nature and threat of these weapons (and even whether they existed) than what Bush-Cheney-Rice-Rumsfeld claimed. Also in the category of outrageous lies, it is now clear that Bush, during the run-up to the war, was routinely lying when he said he had made no decision about going to war, that he was trying to exhaust all diplomatic options. Memos and staffers have since made it clear that Iraq was a target for war even before 9/11. 2. The optional war itself. It was clear that an invasion of Iraq was not tied to 9/11 and that it would not do anything to deter terrorism and that, in fact, it would make terrorism worse. Bush and his followers might believe otherwise, but I would argue that this is empirically true. The vote for the war authorization was pushed right before a midterm election, and Bush was demanding its passage, clearly making war a political issues. That alone is outrageous conduct for a president. But I would be happy to eliminate this one from the list, if enough readers think I should. 3. The fiasco in handling the optional war that was started from lies. Even John McCain, military strategists and such right-wingers as Pat Buchanan acknowledge this one. Because of arrogance, ignorance and just plain stupidity, the war was mismanaged from the start. It led to countless unnecessary deaths, a disastrous loss of prestige and diplomatic clout for America, and, predictably, it became an al-Qaeda training and recruitment tool. 4. Tax cuts that overwhelmingly favor the rich in a time of war. It is possible, as far as policy goes, to argue for tax cuts, even in the face of crushing deficits. It may be possible to argue, in a supply-sider’s dream, that it is appropriate for the rich to garner most of the benefits for the tax cuts. But it is nearly impossible, unless one lacks sufficient powers of reasoning, to argue that we should enact tax cuts that disproportionately favor the wealthy, when war demands sacrifices and sufficient revenue to be waged successfully. 5. Trillions in new debt, and annual deficits in the half-trillion-dollar range. This may be paired with the item above. Bush and the Republicans have not only failed to pay for the tax cuts they so eagerly handed out to rich supporters who then gave them campaign contributions, they also put forth billions in new spending, making Democrats look like chumps when it comes to pork-barreling. Oh, and by the way, they also enacted the biggest entitlement program in history since Social Security, the pharmaceutical drug bill, that provided billions to drug companies while restricting drug price competition. Also, the Bush administration lied to members of his own party about the cost of the 2003 Medicare bill, just so they could be tricked into voting for it. 6. The weakening of the dollar. Again, this may be paired with the items above. Many experts have speculated that the dollar’s reign as the world currency may end fairly soon, and its displacement can be directly tied to Reagan-Bush-Bush policies favoring vast debt, massive gaps in wealth between the rich and middle class, a weakening of the manufacturing economy, and changing the U.S. from the largest creditor nation in history to the largest debtor nation in history. I won’t give Bill Clinton a pass on this one, since the manufacturing sector decline continued under his watch and, some might argue, accelerated as a result of NAFTA. But it is clear that idea that taxes are heresy under Republicans — even at the expense of the nation and at the collapse of the dollar — has taken on its Biblical status under George W. Bush. 7. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Here was a president so disengaged that American citizens were left stranded, and people died, during his inaction. Yet, in his words, “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job.” 8. The suspension of habeas corpus. This has taken several forms under George Bush — by executive decision, through legal opinion by the likes of hack John Yoo and by the establishment of prisons to hold prisoners without charge or trial. But one moment Americans should never forget is the passage of the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Congress must share the blame on this, but without Bush’s “leadership,” it never would have passed. The law cast aside the Constitution and the principle of habeas corpus, which protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment. The Congress also gave the president absolute power to designate enemy combatants, and to set his own definitions for torture. 9. “Enhanced interrogation”/torture/extraordinary rendition. Bush said he knew and approved of the harsh tactics that led to such outrages as Abu Ghraib. Bush says the U.S. doesn’t torture because it doesn’t torture. Whatever you call it, it amounts to an illegal usurping of executive authority. John McCain was against it before he was for it. Some Americans may believe terrorists deserve torture in some cases, and I won’t disagree; however, it is clear that, under George W. Bush, America tortured some innocent people, and in some cases it transported prisoners to other countries so they could be tortured there. 10. Halliburton/Blackwater. These companies are by symbols for the privatization of war. Military contractors, often having no accountability to anyone, have stolen billions, wasted more billions, and kidnapped, raped and murdered in the name of the United States. 11. Guantanamo. While military prisons are routine in wartime, the problem with Gitmo is that it has been set up to hold terrorists as well as the innocent. And because of the end of habeas corpus, there is no way for the innocent to be set loose. In addition, it has undoubtedly created terrorists out of innocent people; even setting loose the innocent has become a grave risk, thanks to George W. Bush. But Guantanamo is not the only place where the innocent are held. Just last month, the U.S. released AP photographer Bilal Hussein after holding him in Iraq for two years without trial. 12. Presidential signing statements. Bush has made unprecedented use of these extra-legal statements in which he declares all or part of a law unconstitutional because (he says) it encroaches on executive authority. Therefore, he’ll sign the bill but ignore the parts he disagrees with. These statements have been used on a limited basis by other presidents in particular situations. But George Bush has claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws. Among them, reported the Boston Globe, are “military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ‘whistle-blower’ protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research. Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush’s assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting the balance between the branches of government.” 13. The Healthy Forests Initiative — would allow more logging and development in our national parks. 14. The Clear Skies Initiative — would weaken many parts of the Clean Air Act to allow more pollutants in many areas. Aside from what these laws do is the Orwellian Newspeak — giving names to policies or laws that are, at best, misleading. (Read: Patriot Act.) 15. Mining safety. Bush cut funding for mining safety and stacked the Mine Safety and Health Administration with industry executives, who fought against better regulations to protect lives and limbs. In 2006, forty-seven coal miners died on the job, the most in any full year since 1995, when forty-seven also were killed. Thirty-three were killed last year. Not all the deaths can be blamed on Bush and his industry-friendly appointees, but most assuredly, some can. 16. The U.S. attorney scandals. In this case, seven U.S. attorneys — Republicans — were fired in 2006. The reasons for the dismissals remain unclear, but allegations were that they were made for partisan political purposes. Anyone who doubts that partisanship (see Monica Goodling) was a factor — which, by the way, undermines the justice system of the United States — has not been paying attention to the way George Bush operates. Investigations into the matter have been impeded, but it is without question that the scandal has eroded morale in the Justice Department. 17. Stop loss. This U.S. military policy amounts to a back-door draft. While legal, it erodes morale, weakens the military and subjects soldiers to repeated danger and the possibility of physical and mental problems. Apparently, a weaker military is a policy of this administration, since it has overextended personnel and refused to provide adequate body armor to troops. In addition, Bush favored cutting funding for Veterans’ Administration, denying crucial medical care to the troops that he sent to war. 18. Alienation of U.S. allies. 19. Cutting of food stamps. This could be an ideological difference, so many might argue it’s not fair game in a list of Bush disasters. However, one aspect of the Bush prescription drug plan related to this issue can’t be viewed as ideological: as reported by Salon, “More bad news about that prescription drug plan: Seniors who use it may lose their food stamps.” 20. “So?” **** Cheneys’ response to a question noting that the vast majority of Americans believe Iraq was a mistake and want the troops to come home. 21. FISA/illegal wiretapping. Bush still claims that violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is okay because he’s fighting the terrorists. But there’s nothing in the law that prevented wiretapping; it allowed temporary wiretapping until warrants could be issued. That didn’t matter to Bush; he’d rather violate the law when possible. 22. 9/11. Bush and his administration ignored repeated warnings that a major terrorist act was pending on U.S. soil. Richard Clarke said he tried for months to have Bush and Condaleeza Rice make terrorism a priority, but they ignored him. Whether you believe Clarke or not, the fact is that there was a memo about bin Laden being determined to strike in the U.S., and Bush went on vacation to Crawford, Texas, shortly before the Twin Towers fell. 23. Global warming. Bush now admits it’s a problem, although Bush officials trashed science by redacting independent governmentally commissioned studies on the issue. But even though he says it’s a problem he has no proposals to do anything about it in the near term. 24. Health care. More children (9 million) are without health insurance today than when Bush took office. The nation is facing catastrophic health care costs for the next century; Bush has ignored the problem. 25. Energy policy. The records of **** Cheney’s task force on energy are secret, so we don’t know how much of the nation’s energy policy was dictated by energy companies. But it is certain that it was a great deal; Bush’s pattern in this area is the same as in others; i.e., put oil and gas officials in charge of energy policy; put pharmaceutical companies in charge of drug policy; let health industry lobbyists write health policy legislation. Gas prices have soared and record profits are now routine business for the oil companies; people think their taxes are lower under Bush, but they are paying more for gas, food and other basic necessities - and they are also paying more state and local taxes because of federal budget cuts. 26. Immigration. For Bush or against him on this issue, it can hardly be argued that he has put forth a successful policy. 27. The Pentagon information apparatus designed to praise George Bush’s war by touting military officers — paid by private contractors — as objective observers. This was a deliberate attempt to lie to the American people through a compliant and incompetent mass media. 28. Plants in press conferences. Jeff Gannon, a right-wing gay escort, was given press credentials and allowed to lob softball questions at Bush during White House news conferences. 29. A weaker America — we are weaker militarily, economically and on the world stage than the day George Bush took office. Some Republicans seem to fear Democrats because they say the Democrats want to destroy America. But it is hard to imagine a series of policies that have done more to hurt America than those forced upon us over the last seven years. Three-fourths of Americans know the country is on the wrong track, yet half of them support “more wrong track,” as Bill Maher put it. This is because the Republicans are very good at distracting large numbers of people from the disasters that this administration has fostered. One method they use is that they claim that criticisms of policy, particularly war policy, amount to criticisms of America. I want to make it clear that this tactic won’t work here. The above criticisms are not criticisms of America; they are criticisms of George W. Bush. It is because I love this country that this list was compiled. It was George Bush, not America, who brought us to this place. 30. A divided America. After 9/11 Bush had that rare opportunity to unite the nation, and the world, to defeat terrorism. Instead of using this goodwill - instead of bringing us all together to fight a common enemy — he squandered it. A generation has been lost to Bush’s petty petulance and his unilateral, misguided use of executive power. One would think that most conservatives, and most Republicans, would worry about expanded executive power. But many of them haven’t. One wonders how they will feel about it when a Democrat takes office. Guy Reel is an assistant professor of mass communication at Winthrop University. He may be reached at reelg@winthrop.edu. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/13/8923/ |
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oopps wrong bush
i was hoping to get some tips to give to the guys sorry |
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oopps wrong bush i was hoping to get some tips to give to the guys sorry 
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I like how ignorant people are on certain things. For example your #7. The mayor of new orleans told the govt. they didnt need help after katrina. Don't listen to me or anyone else who lives in Louisiana who stated this several times. What do we know.
As for tax cuts, duh they favor the rich. Who do you think pays the most in taxes? All you have to do is look at a tax table to see what a higher % of their income they pay. 22. Clinton also ignored the threats about 9/11.. hmm someone told clinton that terrorist were planning to fly a plane into the twin towers. Like that would ever happen. I don't feel like reading the whole list and other stuff can probably be as easily debunked as this stuff, but I am too lazy. |
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oh my........
are we thinking that it is the presidents JOB to take care of EVERY THING. to blame ONE person for such a list that was that long??? Shouldnt we or other people be held some what accountable for some of that??? how much responsability should a president actually have anyhow?? |
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oh my........ are we thinking that it is the presidents JOB to take care of EVERY THING. to blame ONE person for such a list that was that long??? Shouldnt we or other people be held some what accountable for some of that??? how much responsability should a president actually have anyhow?? TY so much. I have been saying that for who knows how long. People just like to blame things on others and thats how it is. Is it right? No, but they do it anyway. |
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according to what i have read, most of what was listed and blamed on Bush was only because the legislature denied him the power to do what was right. just like new oil drilling to try to drive the price of oil down. Bush wants to drill more in the gulf but congress and the senate keeps saying no.
as it stands now, we are paying way too much for foreign oil so the shieks can build their palaces when we have plenty here to drill for. enough to last 30 years or more until we can develop a different type of affordable power. people need to get off Bush for all the problems in the world and give a good look at what the congress has done to destroy the country. i think he has done a better job than any democrat that has been in office since Kennedy. |
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oh i like these responses...
im planting some flowers right here for ya!! 
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I like how ignorant people are on certain things. For example your #7. The mayor of new orleans told the govt. they didnt need help after katrina. Don't listen to me or anyone else who lives in Louisiana who stated this several times. What do we know. As for tax cuts, duh they favor the rich. Who do you think pays the most in taxes? All you have to do is look at a tax table to see what a higher % of their income they pay. 22. Clinton also ignored the threats about 9/11.. hmm someone told clinton that terrorist were planning to fly a plane into the twin towers. Like that would ever happen. I don't feel like reading the whole list and other stuff can probably be as easily debunked as this stuff, but I am too lazy. 
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The Handy Reference Guide to Bush Disasters, Incompetencies, and Lies (Part II)
little over a month ago, I wrote “The Handy Reference Guide to Bush Disasters, Incompetencies, and Lies” and asked readers to add to the list, which was an attempt to be a relatively non-partisan chronicling of some of the worst abuses of Bush and his incompetent cronies. The responses came in droves. Thus, we will add more items to the original list, but the original rule of non-partisanship must be kept in force. I did not want this to be a highlighting of mere policy differences between liberals and conservatives. Instead, the list should be a sincere attempt to show obvious failures, lies and disasters that have been clearly detrimental to the world, to America or to American interests. So, picking up after the end of the first list: 31. No Child Left Behind. By far and away, most of the responses cited my failure to include this in the original list. (In fact, some emails were simply blank but had “NCLB” in the subject line.) I had considered including the No Child Left Behind Act in the original list, but thought it might be too partisan; after examining the issue further, though, I found that my fears of partisanship on this issue were misguided. The law has faced bi-partisan criticism from teachers and parents, administrators and educational theorists, conservatives and liberals. A reliance on standardized tests and the resultant punishment of schools for not meeting certain benchmarks has lost an entire generation of students by condemning them to learning things that are virtually useless. Schools have lost valuable class time in not only core subjects - as teachers skip English, math or science class time to drill students on standardized tests - but also on more “electives,” such as art, music and physical education. Sen. Edward Kennedy was famously behind Bush on NCLB, but it became obvious even to him that Bush never intended to adequately fund the mandates, making them almost impossible to achieve. The result - many children have been left behind. 32. While we’re on education, let’s include some of the other misguided administration policies that readers citied - support for teaching intelligent design alongside evolution and abstinence-only programs that actually promoted anal and oral sex while doing nothing to discourage “ordinary” sex. 33. The direct administration cover-up of its complicity in torture and abuse of innocent people at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. Included in the original list was the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld sanctioning of torture, illegal wiretapping and extraordinary rendition. But a new series by McClatchy (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/detainees/story/38775.html) has detailed the jaw-dropping venality, criminality, arrogance and corruption of Bush and his team, who made up new legal doctrines in violation of U.S. and international law specifically for the purpose of not being held accountable for war crimes. Now, those on the other side of the fence repeatedly justify torture or mistreatment of detainees because, they say, they are our enemies or are prisoners of war. The problem with that argument is, for many of those apprehended there was no evidence they were enemy combatants; they were simply designated as such and held without charges. In one case, McClatchy reported, one detainee, an employee of the Afghan interior ministry, repeatedly asked his guards to simply call the Afghan officials to verify his story that he was actually a government official and friend of the U.S. But he was never allowed to present any evidence of his innocence. The McClatchy reporter made a couple of phone calls and verified the man’s story. He was held for four years. This was not an isolated incident; McClatchy reported on hundreds who were held but later released, having never been charged. Many of those were tortured or abused; many are still being held, having been framed or jailed because of bribes or the settling of old scores. Let anyone doubt Bush’s complicity in torture, just listen to his own words. He said he knew of, and approved of, discussions to approve harsh interrogation techniques for prisoners; he doesn’t call it torture, but by U.S. and international standards, the techniques were, indeed, torture. According to some of his own military officers and international attorney Philippe Sands (author of the devastating book “Torture Team,”), this may mean that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and others could legitimately be prosecuted for war crimes. 34. Abuse of the Constitution and contempt for U.S. law. (See above.) No one wants terrorists to be set free. Sadly, in the minds of Cheney/Bush/Rumsfeld, and their millions of followers, there is no conception of the notion of providing fair hearings for these people and then punishing them, severely, when necessary. For these people, providing even a hearing for someone held without charges or evidence is “surrender” or a “pre-9/11 mindset.” In actuality, of course, it has been these neocons who have endorsed the terrorists, by surrendering freedoms which make America what it was before they took office. It is the right wing who has weakened the Constitution. It is the right wing who would as rather see American values of justice and checks and balances destroyed before the release of one detainee, guilty or innocent. And this is supposedly from a group that believes in limited government. If you think this is all an exaggeration, listen to what they say. 35. The divorce of the vice presidency from the Executive Branch. This is actually a Cheney argument; in 2007 he exempted his office from the presidential order that establishes government-wide procedures for safeguarding classified national security information because he said it wasn’t part of the executive branch. Imagine this: suppose a rogue vice president might use such a privilege for abuse of his powers of office… oh, wait, that’s what Cheney did, as well. 36. The Bush administration violated federal law in 2006 when it restricted states’ ability to provide health insurance to children of middle-income families. That ruling from the Government Accountability Office came after I wrote the column. The GAO said that Bush could not legally prevent states from expanding health insurance for children, but legality of his actions isn’t much of a consideration for Bush. 37. Several readers said to include privatization of government and/or cronyism in appointments on the list; I did so, but perhaps not strongly enough. Bush has abused his office and the trust of voters by placing partisan hacks in positions of regulatory authority over such agencies as the Energy Department, FDA, Interior, FCC and EPA. The result is a government giveaway to private interests and a massive loss of protection for average consumers. Some may find this point partisan, but, given that three-fourths of the country disapproves of Bush’s performance, it seems like a mainstream opinion. To be sure, Democrats are not free of corruption, but this isn’t how the best of them govern - they see government as an attempt to prevent corporate as well as governmental abuses, not primarily as a tool for lining the pockets of supporters at taxpayers’ expense. As for privatization, I did mention the privatization of war, but other disasters of this kind certainly are worth mentioning; one is the privatization of services at Walter Reed Veterans’ Hospital. The Army Times reported that cost-cutting because of privatization led to staff cuts and loss of critical care for wounded veterans. The desire to reduce or gut veterans’ care stems from the beginning of Bush’s terms but gained steam with the Iraq War. And Bush has repeatedly demonstrated his contempt for the troops. As noted in The New York Times last month, “President Bush opposes a new G.I. Bill of Rights. He worries that if the traditional path to college for service members since World War II is improved and expanded for the post-9/11 generation, too many people will take it.” The ability of those words to outrage us has diminished only because we have lost our awe at the utter incompetence and morally corrupt behavior that have marked George Bush’s presidency.38. Bush’s obliviousness to the suffering he has caused. Bush danced a jig while waiting for John McCain. He looked like a frat boy giving chest bumps to airmen at an Air Force graduation ceremony. He commented repeatedly, throughout wartime, about what a great time he was having. He made jokes about not being able to find weapons of mass destruction, while people were dying, doing precisely that. He said the world should stop at nothing to stop the terrorists and in the same breath told reporters, “Now watch this drive,” as he hit a golf ball. He claimed to give up golf because of the losses in Iraq but even that was a lie. He apparently has no ability to reflect upon himself, his conduct, or his presidency; who could argue that that is a good qualification for a president? 39. The freedom of Osama bin Laden. While Bush, Rudy Guiliani and other blowhards complain that giving terrorists “new rights” will endanger Americans, they overlook the point that they have given terrorist bin Laden the greatest right of all - his personal freedom. Instead of capturing bin Laden, Bush forced us into a war that stunted the hunt for bin Laden and allowed him to walk free all these years. Imagine if a Democrat had let him go free this long… can you imagine the howls of anger and bitterness from the right? The hypocrisy is really quite astonishing. 40. The total poisoning of politics. While dirty politics is not exclusive to any political party, Bush, Cheney and Karl Rove politicized a war and the fight against U.S. enemies. This has turned ordinary political bickering into a fight for the soul of the country and the future of the world - not a necessity when Bush had most of the world behind him following 9/11. Bush, unlike other lame duck presidents before him, doesn’t even have the class to stay out of the current presidential election - speaking absurdities about appeasement to the Israeli Knesset (by the way, Israel was negotiating with Hamas at the time and has brokered a cease fire, which may or may not hold) and now calling for off-shore oil dwelling in a coordinated hack job with John McCain. 41. The Valerie Plame/CIA leak case. I had not included this case because of the conservatives’ unequivocal defense of Rove and Scooter Libby. While I believed that it was tantamount to treason to out a CIA officer’s identity simply to discredit a man who had questioned the need for war, I was willing to admit a partisanship on the issue. But as former press secretary Scott McClellan pointed out in his recently released book, what the White House did in this case amounted to a criminal cover-up through orchestrated lies. Even those who back Bush don’t really argue with anything McClellan says; they just say that he’s “not the Scotty” they knew. 42. And, in breaking news… another to add to the list - the illegal elimination of outstanding job applicants at the Justice Department because they had either used “liberal” code words, worked for “liberal” causes, or just seemed vaguely liberal based on where they went to school or with whom they associated. Such an ideological litmus test should be an outrage to all Americans, and perhaps most to those who favor a limited, blind government. The list is still nowhere near complete. But after thinking about the upcoming presidential election, one has to wonder if the old “liberal” label will work against Barack Obama. In fact, pick any attack against Obama - say, the notion that he would wantonly bomb Pakistan - and you will find a worse policy on the same issue that Bush has already adopted. In 2006, Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf, said Bush administration threatened to bomb Pakistan “back to the stone age” if it didn’t cooperate in the war on terror. Yet one hears the hysterical wailings of those on the right complaining that Obama is “naïve” because he threatened to bomb bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan. This is why the old “liberal” labels may not work in 2008. The answer is simple: “We tried it your other way; look what happened.” The fact is, almost nobody could do a worse job than the bunch that is already in there. Guy Reel is an assistant professor of mass communication at Winthrop University. He can be reached at reelg@winthrop.edu. These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/29/9969/ _________________ In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upward mobile ~Hunter S thompson~ |
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I like how ignorant people are on certain things. For example your #7. The mayor of new orleans told the govt. they didnt need help after katrina. Don't listen to me or anyone else who lives in Louisiana who stated this several times. What do we know. As for tax cuts, duh they favor the rich. Who do you think pays the most in taxes? All you have to do is look at a tax table to see what a higher % of their income they pay. 22. Clinton also ignored the threats about 9/11.. hmm someone told clinton that terrorist were planning to fly a plane into the twin towers. Like that would ever happen. I don't feel like reading the whole list and other stuff can probably be as easily debunked as this stuff, but I am too lazy. AGREED! I have my disagreements with Bush but he is nothing like what some are making him out to be. He has kept this nation safe & I seem to remember MANY libs saying they were GLAD that Gore was not the prez. Libs know all too well that DEMS will not defend this country. That's just one thing.... |
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I like how ignorant people are on certain things. For example your #7. The mayor of new orleans told the govt. they didnt need help after katrina. Don't listen to me or anyone else who lives in Louisiana who stated this several times. What do we know. As for tax cuts, duh they favor the rich. Who do you think pays the most in taxes? All you have to do is look at a tax table to see what a higher % of their income they pay. 22. Clinton also ignored the threats about 9/11.. hmm someone told clinton that terrorist were planning to fly a plane into the twin towers. Like that would ever happen. I don't feel like reading the whole list and other stuff can probably be as easily debunked as this stuff, but I am too lazy. Of course you do. By the time tv crews were there it was a different story. I don't have a quote, because he never said it on television, but it is a well no fact in Louisiana that right after the storm he got a call from the govt and he turned down aid. My town as well as Cameron got hit by Rita. Rita was the more powerful storm yet most people heard nothing about it. Cameron lost 90% of all its buildings, but was this ever really on the news? No, because we had a lot lower death toll because we were not retarded and didn't stay home during the storm like the people in NO. I blame them more than their Mayor. |
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Edited by
Lindyy
on
Mon 06/30/08 09:51 AM
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oh i like these responses... im planting some flowers right here for ya!! Brooke, I want one of these flowers! Lindyy |
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oh my........ are we thinking that it is the presidents JOB to take care of EVERY THING. to blame ONE person for such a list that was that long??? Shouldnt we or other people be held some what accountable for some of that??? how much responsability should a president actually have anyhow?? My son, who is not political like I am, and I were talking about all of this over the weekend. His statement right off was "I do not care who the president is, it is CONGRESS that really runs everything. The president cannot do anything unless congress passes it." We did talk about the presidential veto power, but President Bush has only used this power a few times. Jaime stated loud and clear the truth! Now, if an everyday, common lay person such as my son knows this, what is up with some of these 'posters' (that claim to be so intellectual and knowledgeable) in these forums that try to blame President Bush for everything and anything? Lindyy 
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oh my........ are we thinking that it is the presidents JOB to take care of EVERY THING. to blame ONE person for such a list that was that long??? Shouldnt we or other people be held some what accountable for some of that??? how much responsability should a president actually have anyhow?? My son, who is not political like I am, and I were talking about all of this over the weekend. His statement right off was "I do not care who the president is, it is CONGRESS that really runs everything. The president cannot do anything unless congress passes it." We did talk about the presidential veto power, but President Bush has only used this power a few times. Jaime stated loud and clear the truth! Now, if an everyday, common lay person such as my son knows this, what is up with some of these 'posters' (that claim to be so intellectual and knowledgeable) in these forums that try to blame President Bush for everything and anything? Lindyy |
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The Handy Reference Guide to Bush Disasters, Incompetencies, and Lies by Guy Reel The other day, as I was musing aloud about notion that George Bush is the worst president in U.S. history, an acquaintance interrupted, “What’s been so bad?” I stammered for a moment, unable to get my mind around such a large question. It was sort of like trying to summarize the mysteries of the universe: The topic is so big one doesn’t know where to start. So I decided to compile a handy reference guide to the failed policies, worst decisions, irrational practices and outrageous lies of the Bush administration.In compiling this list, I made the rule that it cannot be an inventory of policy differences between liberals and conservatives; it must differentiate between rational and irrational policies, between truth and lies, between successes and failures. In other words, this should not be a partisan list but an attempt to chronicle the failures, catastrophes and ruinous policies that are apparent to impartial observers. Contributions are welcomed. 1. Lies about an optional war. Some may argue that Bush wasn’t lying about the weapons of mass destruction — that he, and many others, believed they were there. The problem is, he, and most everyone in his administration, misrepresented (lied) about the nature of the intelligence that (they claimed) led us into war. Within the intelligence community — yes, Bush’s own intelligence community — there was much, much more disagreement about the nature and threat of these weapons (and even whether they existed) than what Bush-Cheney-Rice-Rumsfeld claimed. Also in the category of outrageous lies, it is now clear that Bush, during the run-up to the war, was routinely lying when he said he had made no decision about going to war, that he was trying to exhaust all diplomatic options. Memos and staffers have since made it clear that Iraq was a target for war even before 9/11. 2. The optional war itself. It was clear that an invasion of Iraq was not tied to 9/11 and that it would not do anything to deter terrorism and that, in fact, it would make terrorism worse. Bush and his followers might believe otherwise, but I would argue that this is empirically true. The vote for the war authorization was pushed right before a midterm election, and Bush was demanding its passage, clearly making war a political issues. That alone is outrageous conduct for a president. But I would be happy to eliminate this one from the list, if enough readers think I should. 3. The fiasco in handling the optional war that was started from lies. Even John McCain, military strategists and such right-wingers as Pat Buchanan acknowledge this one. Because of arrogance, ignorance and just plain stupidity, the war was mismanaged from the start. It led to countless unnecessary deaths, a disastrous loss of prestige and diplomatic clout for America, and, predictably, it became an al-Qaeda training and recruitment tool. 4. Tax cuts that overwhelmingly favor the rich in a time of war. It is possible, as far as policy goes, to argue for tax cuts, even in the face of crushing deficits. It may be possible to argue, in a supply-sider’s dream, that it is appropriate for the rich to garner most of the benefits for the tax cuts. But it is nearly impossible, unless one lacks sufficient powers of reasoning, to argue that we should enact tax cuts that disproportionately favor the wealthy, when war demands sacrifices and sufficient revenue to be waged successfully. 5. Trillions in new debt, and annual deficits in the half-trillion-dollar range. This may be paired with the item above. Bush and the Republicans have not only failed to pay for the tax cuts they so eagerly handed out to rich supporters who then gave them campaign contributions, they also put forth billions in new spending, making Democrats look like chumps when it comes to pork-barreling. Oh, and by the way, they also enacted the biggest entitlement program in history since Social Security, the pharmaceutical drug bill, that provided billions to drug companies while restricting drug price competition. Also, the Bush administration lied to members of his own party about the cost of the 2003 Medicare bill, just so they could be tricked into voting for it. 6. The weakening of the dollar. Again, this may be paired with the items above. Many experts have speculated that the dollar’s reign as the world currency may end fairly soon, and its displacement can be directly tied to Reagan-Bush-Bush policies favoring vast debt, massive gaps in wealth between the rich and middle class, a weakening of the manufacturing economy, and changing the U.S. from the largest creditor nation in history to the largest debtor nation in history. I won’t give Bill Clinton a pass on this one, since the manufacturing sector decline continued under his watch and, some might argue, accelerated as a result of NAFTA. But it is clear that idea that taxes are heresy under Republicans — even at the expense of the nation and at the collapse of the dollar — has taken on its Biblical status under George W. Bush. 7. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Here was a president so disengaged that American citizens were left stranded, and people died, during his inaction. Yet, in his words, “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job.” 8. The suspension of habeas corpus. This has taken several forms under George Bush — by executive decision, through legal opinion by the likes of hack John Yoo and by the establishment of prisons to hold prisoners without charge or trial. But one moment Americans should never forget is the passage of the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Congress must share the blame on this, but without Bush’s “leadership,” it never would have passed. The law cast aside the Constitution and the principle of habeas corpus, which protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment. The Congress also gave the president absolute power to designate enemy combatants, and to set his own definitions for torture. 9. “Enhanced interrogation”/torture/extraordinary rendition. Bush said he knew and approved of the harsh tactics that led to such outrages as Abu Ghraib. Bush says the U.S. doesn’t torture because it doesn’t torture. Whatever you call it, it amounts to an illegal usurping of executive authority. John McCain was against it before he was for it. Some Americans may believe terrorists deserve torture in some cases, and I won’t disagree; however, it is clear that, under George W. Bush, America tortured some innocent people, and in some cases it transported prisoners to other countries so they could be tortured there. 10. Halliburton/Blackwater. These companies are by symbols for the privatization of war. Military contractors, often having no accountability to anyone, have stolen billions, wasted more billions, and kidnapped, raped and murdered in the name of the United States. 11. Guantanamo. While military prisons are routine in wartime, the problem with Gitmo is that it has been set up to hold terrorists as well as the innocent. And because of the end of habeas corpus, there is no way for the innocent to be set loose. In addition, it has undoubtedly created terrorists out of innocent people; even setting loose the innocent has become a grave risk, thanks to George W. Bush. But Guantanamo is not the only place where the innocent are held. Just last month, the U.S. released AP photographer Bilal Hussein after holding him in Iraq for two years without trial. 12. Presidential signing statements. Bush has made unprecedented use of these extra-legal statements in which he declares all or part of a law unconstitutional because (he says) it encroaches on executive authority. Therefore, he’ll sign the bill but ignore the parts he disagrees with. These statements have been used on a limited basis by other presidents in particular situations. But George Bush has claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws. Among them, reported the Boston Globe, are “military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ‘whistle-blower’ protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research. Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush’s assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting the balance between the branches of government.” 13. The Healthy Forests Initiative — would allow more logging and development in our national parks. 14. The Clear Skies Initiative — would weaken many parts of the Clean Air Act to allow more pollutants in many areas. Aside from what these laws do is the Orwellian Newspeak — giving names to policies or laws that are, at best, misleading. (Read: Patriot Act.) 15. Mining safety. Bush cut funding for mining safety and stacked the Mine Safety and Health Administration with industry executives, who fought against better regulations to protect lives and limbs. In 2006, forty-seven coal miners died on the job, the most in any full year since 1995, when forty-seven also were killed. Thirty-three were killed last year. Not all the deaths can be blamed on Bush and his industry-friendly appointees, but most assuredly, some can. 16. The U.S. attorney scandals. In this case, seven U.S. attorneys — Republicans — were fired in 2006. The reasons for the dismissals remain unclear, but allegations were that they were made for partisan political purposes. Anyone who doubts that partisanship (see Monica Goodling) was a factor — which, by the way, undermines the justice system of the United States — has not been paying attention to the way George Bush operates. Investigations into the matter have been impeded, but it is without question that the scandal has eroded morale in the Justice Department. 17. Stop loss. This U.S. military policy amounts to a back-door draft. While legal, it erodes morale, weakens the military and subjects soldiers to repeated danger and the possibility of physical and mental problems. Apparently, a weaker military is a policy of this administration, since it has overextended personnel and refused to provide adequate body armor to troops. In addition, Bush favored cutting funding for Veterans’ Administration, denying crucial medical care to the troops that he sent to war. 18. Alienation of U.S. allies. 19. Cutting of food stamps. This could be an ideological difference, so many might argue it’s not fair game in a list of Bush disasters. However, one aspect of the Bush prescription drug plan related to this issue can’t be viewed as ideological: as reported by Salon, “More bad news about that prescription drug plan: Seniors who use it may lose their food stamps.” 20. “So?” **** Cheneys’ response to a question noting that the vast majority of Americans believe Iraq was a mistake and want the troops to come home. 21. FISA/illegal wiretapping. Bush still claims that violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is okay because he’s fighting the terrorists. But there’s nothing in the law that prevented wiretapping; it allowed temporary wiretapping until warrants could be issued. That didn’t matter to Bush; he’d rather violate the law when possible. 22. 9/11. Bush and his administration ignored repeated warnings that a major terrorist act was pending on U.S. soil. Richard Clarke said he tried for months to have Bush and Condaleeza Rice make terrorism a priority, but they ignored him. Whether you believe Clarke or not, the fact is that there was a memo about bin Laden being determined to strike in the U.S., and Bush went on vacation to Crawford, Texas, shortly before the Twin Towers fell. 23. Global warming. Bush now admits it’s a problem, although Bush officials trashed science by redacting independent governmentally commissioned studies on the issue. But even though he says it’s a problem he has no proposals to do anything about it in the near term. 24. Health care. More children (9 million) are without health insurance today than when Bush took office. The nation is facing catastrophic health care costs for the next century; Bush has ignored the problem. 25. Energy policy. The records of **** Cheney’s task force on energy are secret, so we don’t know how much of the nation’s energy policy was dictated by energy companies. But it is certain that it was a great deal; Bush’s pattern in this area is the same as in others; i.e., put oil and gas officials in charge of energy policy; put pharmaceutical companies in charge of drug policy; let health industry lobbyists write health policy legislation. Gas prices have soared and record profits are now routine business for the oil companies; people think their taxes are lower under Bush, but they are paying more for gas, food and other basic necessities - and they are also paying more state and local taxes because of federal budget cuts. 26. Immigration. For Bush or against him on this issue, it can hardly be argued that he has put forth a successful policy. 27. The Pentagon information apparatus designed to praise George Bush’s war by touting military officers — paid by private contractors — as objective observers. This was a deliberate attempt to lie to the American people through a compliant and incompetent mass media. 28. Plants in press conferences. Jeff Gannon, a right-wing gay escort, was given press credentials and allowed to lob softball questions at Bush during White House news conferences. 29. A weaker America — we are weaker militarily, economically and on the world stage than the day George Bush took office. Some Republicans seem to fear Democrats because they say the Democrats want to destroy America. But it is hard to imagine a series of policies that have done more to hurt America than those forced upon us over the last seven years. Three-fourths of Americans know the country is on the wrong track, yet half of them support “more wrong track,” as Bill Maher put it. This is because the Republicans are very good at distracting large numbers of people from the disasters that this administration has fostered. One method they use is that they claim that criticisms of policy, particularly war policy, amount to criticisms of America. I want to make it clear that this tactic won’t work here. The above criticisms are not criticisms of America; they are criticisms of George W. Bush. It is because I love this country that this list was compiled. It was George Bush, not America, who brought us to this place. 30. A divided America. After 9/11 Bush had that rare opportunity to unite the nation, and the world, to defeat terrorism. Instead of using this goodwill - instead of bringing us all together to fight a common enemy — he squandered it. A generation has been lost to Bush’s petty petulance and his unilateral, misguided use of executive power. One would think that most conservatives, and most Republicans, would worry about expanded executive power. But many of them haven’t. One wonders how they will feel about it when a Democrat takes office. Guy Reel is an assistant professor of mass communication at Winthrop University. He may be reached at reelg@winthrop.edu. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/13/8923/ To name only a FEW!!! Good job Madman! This list is very accurate!! 
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Thanks but its just a cut and paste Ididnt have all week or month to make my own
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Thanks but its just a cut and paste Ididnt have all week or month to make my own Stiil you brought it to JSH!!
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oh my........ are we thinking that it is the presidents JOB to take care of EVERY THING. to blame ONE person for such a list that was that long??? Shouldnt we or other people be held some what accountable for some of that??? how much responsability should a president actually have anyhow?? My son, who is not political like I am, and I were talking about all of this over the weekend. His statement right off was "I do not care who the president is, it is CONGRESS that really runs everything. The president cannot do anything unless congress passes it." We did talk about the presidential veto power, but President Bush has only used this power a few times. Jaime stated loud and clear the truth! Now, if an everyday, common lay person such as my son knows this, what is up with some of these 'posters' (that claim to be so intellectual and knowledgeable) in these forums that try to blame President Bush for everything and anything? Lindyy Tonight I am serving baloney on wheat toast with pickles. Lindyy 
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Edited by
Fanta46
on
Mon 06/30/08 06:37 PM
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oh my........ are we thinking that it is the presidents JOB to take care of EVERY THING. to blame ONE person for such a list that was that long??? Shouldnt we or other people be held some what accountable for some of that??? how much responsability should a president actually have anyhow?? My son, who is not political like I am, and I were talking about all of this over the weekend. His statement right off was "I do not care who the president is, it is CONGRESS that really runs everything. The president cannot do anything unless congress passes it." We did talk about the presidential veto power, but President Bush has only used this power a few times. Jaime stated loud and clear the truth! Now, if an everyday, common lay person such as my son knows this, what is up with some of these 'posters' (that claim to be so intellectual and knowledgeable) in these forums that try to blame President Bush for everything and anything? Lindyy Tonight I am serving baloney on wheat toast with pickles. Lindyy Yeah, you are!! The latest numbers on voter dissatisfaction suggest that Obama may enjoy more than one bounce. The new poll finds that only 14 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with the direction of the country. Overall, voters see Obama as the preferred agent of "change" by a margin of 51 percent to 27 percent. Younger voters, in particular, are more likely to see Obama that way: those 18 to 39 favor the Illinois senator by 66 percent to 27 percent. Obama's current lead also reflects the large party-identification advantage the Democrats now enjoy—55 percent of all voters call themselves Democrats or say they lean toward the party while just 36 percent call themselves Republicans or lean that way. http://www.newsweek.com/id/142465 Whoo whooo!! Obama ahead Nationally by 15% and its still growing!! |
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