Everytime I hear George W. Bush say the words “bringing Democracy to the world” I am awestruck that he and his cohorts don’t just out and out puke. Unfortunately with the State of the Union and other policy speeches of late, the retching opportunties have been too replete. Perhaps George is bypassing opportunities at humor ala 30 Rock and And Saturday Night Live. You know – the sketches where the actors have pipes practically sticking out and gushing…
Now you may be saying this is no way to treat a President but I would counter this is no way to treat Democracy:
1) George W. with his Rovian politics of fear and smear has now become the Machiavellian example cited around the “democratic” world to gain temporary advantage in electioneering;
2)George W. with his Imperial Presidency that not just flaunts Constitutional checks and balances but oversteps the line from “Waterboarding is not Torture” through Guatanamo Bay to lets wiretap US citizens without Judicial approval. And this is only skimming the surface of the chaos that George W. has created.
3)George W. has created turmoil not just in the Justice and State Departments but across the government Departments where there is a constant battle to keep the Civil Service non-partisan. That neutrality has been gutted by forcing scientists in many agencies to their policy statement vetted by WhiteHouse Staff (think CIA, OSHA, FDA, etc, etc). Meanwhile career positions in State, Treasury and Justice (the latter revealed by the partisan dismissal of 10 Federal District Attorneys that alrmed even many Republican Senators) are subject to the most extravagant demands that personnel “serve at the pleasure of the President”;
4)George W. has scuttled any attempts at campaign financing reform as supported by his own Republican Presidential nominee, Senator John McCain. So now “one man one vote” withers under $2 Billion dollars++ worth of Presidential campaign financial “gifts” from people and organizations determined to get more than their fair share of political attention and consideration;
5)George W. has engaged in duplicitous partisanship that may be the inspiration for others around the World from Africa to The old Eatern European block to take comfort – if the American President does it, why not us?
So there you have 5 reasons out of at least 25 ( a fifth no less)in which George W. has shaken to the core the very Democracy he see himself as bringing to the world as a Crusader without Moral legs to stand on. It makes you want to ….