|
No doubt about it, the State of
the Union was Bush’s lamest performance to date. He may have lunged to the
dais like a prizefighter, soaking in the adulation of the Republican
faithful, but when the bell rang he made a few wheezing sounds before
nose-diving to the canvas.
Off his game,
was he?
The soliloquy
was familiar enough: Bush promising to take the broad-ax to popular domestic
programs so that more revenue could be loosened up for high-tech weaponry
and exorbitant tax cuts. But the delivery was as flat as Texas road kill. It
had none of the gusto of his earlier speeches, just the monotone whimpering
of a political understudy reciting his lines to the teleprompter.
Bleak, very
bleak.
His droopy
performance made no difference to the euphoric Congress. They were quick to
their feet at every opportunity; bellowing their approval for Bush’s grand
plan.
“I welcome the
bipartisan enthusiasm for spending discipline. I will send you a budget that
holds the growth of discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief
permanent, and stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009.”
What complete
twaddle. Maybe he’s planning to turn water into wine as well, or part the
Red Sea.
“The principle
here is clear… Taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely or not at all.”
Imagine this
nonsense coming from a president who increased overall government spending
by 25% while cutting revenues to an
unsustainable level. But, as we all know, facts have no bearing on the
disciples on George the Baptist. Their etherealized world-view emerges from
a solid devotion to Bible, moral values and mumbo-jumbo.
“We must free
small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job creators
from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted and our economy is held back by
irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims, and I urge
Congress to pass legal reforms this year.”
“Frivolous
asbestos claims!?” Ah, yes, those pesky, trivial cancer claims. Whatever
made us believe that a citizen could sue for damages for something as
trifling as premature death? Thankfully, Mr. Bush’s keen sense of moral
rectitude has put us back on the path of righteousness. We should be ever so
grateful.
As expected,
the peerless leader articulated a wish list of freebies for big business and
“thin gruel” for the rabble. For every bone tossed to corporate America,
there was a belt-tightening program for the masses. And, then, this
bombshell:
“Four years of
debate is enough! I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America
more secure and less dependent on foreign energy.”
What lunacy?
Less dependent?! Didn’t we just spend $300 billion invading Iraq? What was
that all about?
The irony was
lost on the doting Congress who rose in a tsunami of praise; their hoots and
hollers resounding through the rotunda. The cameras scanned the exuberant
audience, honing in on the bulbous, florid visages of overfed vulgarians
cheering away at their political frat party. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe
that there’s an unbroken chain of succession from Jefferson and Adams to
this dismal cast of pedestrians.
Bush’s speech
took a turn for the worse when he started into his 30-minute oratory on
Social Security. It was a fatal mistake.
“The system,
however, on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy, and so we must
join together to strengthen and save Social Security.”
This
conspicuous deception was followed by a lengthy, mind-numbing diatribe
that left even the most ardent Bush loyalist wincing in agony. The
Commander-in-Chief morphed into a shabby
pitchman for Wall Street; hawking
stock plans to his captive audience like a traveling medicine man. It
was grim; much like watching a comedian flailing and fading in front of a
packed house. It went on forever.
Despite the
reverential atmosphere, there was a fair amount of jeering when the
straight-faced Bush unleashed this corker: “The United States has no right,
no desire and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else;”
a remark that left many either laughing or gasping for air.
For some
reason, Bush’s speechwriters invariably insert a few meaningless tidbits
about the desperate situation in the Middle East. The reasoning seems to be
that if we discuss it openly then the public will forget that the US is
underwriting the carnage with boatloads of money and weaponry.
“To promote
this democracy, I will ask Congress for $350 million to support Palestinian
political, economic, and security reforms. The goal of two democratic
states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace is within reach
-- and America will help them achieve that goal.”
The
Deceiver-in-Chief is in way over his head on the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. He’s already reneged on his former promise of a Palestinian
homeland in 2005, and has subsequently (unilaterally) overturned UN Security
Council Resolution 242 by approving of Sharon’s settlements in the West
Bank. Now, he adds to the insult by offering $350 million to rebuild the PA
security infrastructure that Sharon has been destroying for the last 4
years. The proposal is nothing more than a slap in the face to the many
innocent people who needlessly suffered or died while Bush did nothing.
Interestingly,
Bush exhorted both Saudi Arabia and Egypt to “show the way toward democracy
in the Middle East.” It would serve him right if they took him up on that.
Consider the damage Saudi Arabia could inflict on American markets if the
people had greater control over the pricing of their greatest resource?
Think what havoc Egypt might cause to Israel if a representative Islamic
government replaced Mubarak? Bush’s spurious comments are purely theatrical
and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Bush assumed
his warrior demeanor to tackle the
Iran crisis. Undoubtedly, many people across the globe were looking for
a clue to grasp the direction of the administration.
“Today, Iran
remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror, pursuing nuclear
weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve. We
are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it
must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium reprocessing
and end its support for terror. And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As
you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you.”
Most of Bush’s
commentary is flagrantly false. The IAEA (after lengthy investigations) has
found no evidence of a nuclear weapons program. Iran has no plutonium and it
has stopped its uranium enrichment program even though it is legally
permitted to pursue it under the provisions of the NPT (Nuclear
Proliferation Treaty) He also conceals that the US has deployed covert
operatives onto sovereign Iranian territory, and has authorized illegal
intrusions into Iranian airspace; a clear provocation of hostilities.
Bush’s lies
will be carefully analyzed by friend and foe alike. It’s likely that they
will notice the resemblance they bear to the fabrications produced prior to
the war in Iraq. This should alert the world that they should stop the
pointless effort to disprove that Iran has a nuclear weapons program and,
instead, get on with the more pressing task of providing conventional
weaponry for Iran’s defense in the event of an American attack.
Bush offered
nothing new about the Iraqi nightmare except to reiterate the resolve of
American elites to continue the colonial project ad infinitum: “We will not
set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq…We are in Iraq to achieve a
result” etc, etc, etc.
The four permanent military bases and the $1.5 billion US embassy (the
largest in the world; large enough to facilitate the entire Middle East if
you catch my meaning) attest to the fact that American servicemen will be
dying in Babylon for the foreseeable future. Bush’s presidency is now
inextricably yoked to the policies of aggression and subjugation. He has
already cemented a legacy of torture and war crimes. Whatever glimmer of
hope that people derive from his public ruminations to Congress is of little
consequence. The real State of the Union is one of desperation; a nation
increasingly alienated from its allies, from its principles and from its
moral underpinnings. If the man at the top was anything more than vacuous
poseur, he would have told us just that.
Mike Whitney
lives in Washington state, and can be reached at:
fergiewhitney@msn.com.
Related Articles
*
The Real State
of the Union by Marty Jezer
* For
Social Security, Stability or Volatility? by Seth Sandronsky
* Don't Get
Duped Out of Your Social Security by Holly Sklar
* What’s
Driving the Attack on Pensions? by Lee Sustar
* War
and Tax Cuts by Holly Sklar and Chuck Collins
Other Articles by Mike Whitney
*
Iraq’s
Election Fiasco
* Boarding Up
the “Window of Opportunity”
* KGB
Chieftain Finds Home at Homeland Security
* Bush’s Grand
Plan: Incite Civil War
* Pink Slips
at CBS
HOME
|
|