OR: Bush is not one of you
Another day brings still another set of reports from across the political spectrum, including FOX news this morning on the deteriorating situation in Iraq. More deaths (American servicemen numbering now into the thousands, the Iraqi death toll reported to be over 30,000) and reports of beheadings and hostages taken. A Canadian Report last night (CBC) said that less than 15% of Iraq is under control of either the Americans or the Iraqi interim government and that fighting was too widespread to report even half of the incidents occuring on a day to day basis. Republican senators this week remarked that the situation in Iraq is not as portrayed by the White House and Iyad Allawi in his visit on Thursday used almost the same exact language in his speech as the President signifying to many that the same speechwriter wrote it.
The United States itself is in the grips of a falling stock market, rising inflation and a lower dollar abroad. Unemployment and downgraded employment (workers who used to have good jobs with good benefits now with lower paid jobs with no benefits) means over 5,000,000 workers have lost or been downgraded in the last 4 years, the first time this has happened since Herbert Hoover. Healthcare is becoming a financial disaster as the United States, which spends 1 out of every 7 dollars on it but still cannot find a way to cover between 30,000,000 and 50,000,000 people each year. The governmental deficit, now at 7 Trillion dollars will rise to $10 trillion in the next 4 years meaning that 1 out of every 3 tax dollars collected will go to paying it.
Does this sound like a White House of Republicans? Recently, Joe Scarborough (a right-leaning talk show host and former congressman from Florida) wrote an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal in which he talked about "admiring" Bill Clinton for making the tough choices in 1993 to try and balance the budget. He then talks about the spending by the current administration which is "something for everyone" politics designed to get Bush reelected without regards to the cost to the future. He cannot understand why the White House wants to extend tax cuts in a time of war and continue spending at almost an unparalleled pace.
Pete Peterson, Commerce Secretary under Nixon has written a book called Running on Empty in which he talks about the emergency in the deficit budgeting crisis that threatens to overwhelm the american economy. While being critical of both parties, he too takes aim at the current administration's almost endless deep pockets when it comes to giving away the government's money.
What we seem to have is a White House that is trying to do "nation-building" in Iraq and Afghanistan at no apparent advantage to the U.S. disregarding what Republican foreign policy always says is a no-win situation. The situation worsens every day and at a cost of $5 to $10 billion PER MONTH with no end in sight according the recently released CIA report that yesterday the President said was "just a guess" and he described as good, bad, or better (the report said civil war at worst or a "tenuous peace" at best).
What we seem to have is a White House with no fiscal responsibility and no priority to get any responsibility. A White House that disregards all reports that don't fit it's rosey picture that the U.S. and Iraq are "getting better and safer" all the time.
Now, I know that democrats reject President Bush as a leader because he is right wing and doesn't share their priorities and values. I respect that we live in a great country that encourages every person to live as they want within the law.
But, how do you Republicans look on a day to day basis and see what is going on and say "He's our man"? Can't you see how this administration lied to YOU? Can't you see how it was not so much the democrats who were duped into thinking that what we are now doing in Iraq is not a messy mess getting messier, but rather the Republicans? Can't you see how it was you who continue to support your own downfall by allowing this insanity in the budget, the war, the lack of honesty in how the Bush administration works?
Bush is not one of you.