Incompetence, Lies & Screwing Over Those That Oppose Tyranny
Over the last few days we have heard that AG "Gonzo" Gonzales, while serving as a top aid to President Bush, had to race to the hospital bed of then AG John Ashcroft to attempt an end run around the Acting Attorney General's refusal to sign off on the NSA spying programs. It appears, from these recent reports, that Ashcroft and his Deputy Attorney General had the gumption to read the Constitution and point out the numerous flaws in the NSA domestic spying game Bush, Meiers and Gonzales had in mind.
But the most interesting part is that Gonzo had the audacity to appear before Congress and state, for the record, that there was no dissent as to the legality of the NSA spying programs. Well, we can now understand why Gonzo has appeared before Congress on numerous occasions without the benefit of being sworn in before testifying: Gonzo wanted to avoid charges of perjury. But Gonzo still violated the law. Presenting false evidence and statements before Congress, even without the benefit of being sworn in, is still a crime in this nation. It is cause for his removal from office through impeachment, as well as cause for his resignation. We can only hope that Bush, Cheney and Gonzales have the political savvy to recognize that Gonzo is done as the AG and has no credibility for remaining in office. Everyone now knows that he is a liar and an incompetent liar at that. We can only hope that he will never hold a high office or practice law again.
But this most recent revelation--on the part of Gonzales and on the part of the White House--only illustrates the utter contempt these folks have for our laws, our form of government, our basic values and our people. It further illustrates how incompetent these folks are, not only at running our government in an ethical and responsible manner, but at keeping their own flaws, secret operations and outright lies from surfacing. One has to wonder how they can claim the secrecy and extension of powers surrounding our national security issues if they can't even keep their own political secrets.
I was born in the tail end of the Eisenhower administration and have lived to see Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush (Sr.), Clinton and Bush (Dubya) occupy the the Oval Office.
Kennedy had his women on the side and supposedly had connections to the mob and Hollywood through his relative, Peter Lawford and the Rat Pack. The entire Marilyn Monroe thing is still a legend in both Washington and Hollywood (which is why we had Anna Nocole and have Gwen Stefani as media icons). But Kennedy knew how to stand on principle now and then, and managed most of our governmental affairs with a sense of righteousness, ethics and leadership, despite his flaws. My own opinion is that he was killed because of his principles in government and his refusal to compromise on the larger issues.
Johnson screwed up the entire approach to handling the Vietnam War. His "good old boy" approach to matters and his behind the scenes muscling on Capitol Hill did not cover up the fact that he had violated his word, our laws, the safety of our troops and our principles. Johnson did a lot of good through his Great Society campaign, including the reforms regarding spending and administration of welfare and education. He also had the decency to recognize that he was the wrong man for the office and announced his intention not to seek re-election. LBJ knew how to read the handwriting on the walls.
Nixon, however, was one of the most power-hungry bastards we ever had in office up to his day. He was a nasty politician that believed in smear campaigns going all the way back to the McCarthy Era and the "red scare" tactics of the 1950s. His reputation for throwing temper tantrums and voicing his disdain for the media was well established in his now infamous "Checkers Speech" (c.a. 1952) where he danced around the issues of campaign finance and election improprieties... an issue that would later reveal itself is the Watergate Scandal and Nixon's resignation in disgrace. Despite being a crooked politician that did not adhere to our laws, Nixon proved himself to be genuinely likable, but significantly incompetent and flawed as a human being and as a leader. Before he died he managed to re-invent himself as a humane leader and political figure. But the reality of history tells us that he was prone to ignoring the Constitution in not only regards to campaign and election laws, but in using government resources to spy on innocent Americans. It is because Nixon was incompetent at hiding these secret spying measures--much of which had been practiced back to the later days of FDR--that we ended up with the the Church Committee, Privacy Act of 1974, FISA, FOIA, and several other laws that were supposed to restrict the way in which the US government could use its intelligence gathering powers (not authority--POWERS).
Jerry Ford was a likable man with a sense of doing right, but in a backwards manner. He was a Washington insider that was essentially kept on the outside of the real deals. His major faux pas while in office was undermining our laws by pardoning Nixon before he was even charged with a crime. Ford claimed that he felt it necessary to heal the nation from the rift created by Watergate. But if this pardon had never been issued we might have learned more about how deep the disregard of our Constitution went into our government and our Congress might have passed more stringent laws regarding our privacy... many of which might have impacted the current gang of fascist thugs occupying the White House and the Executive Branch. I honestly believe letting Nixon off the hook damaged our ability to prevent run-away administrations like the current Bush gang. But Ford wasn't the worst president we've ever had, and most of his accomplishments were quiet, achieved without a lot of fanfare. He was however an economic boob. His Whip Inflation Now (WIN) campaign was a "feel good do nothing" approach to dealing with the rising prices of gas, manufacturing, imports and the loss of American jobs as a result of corporate mismanagement and globalization. Then again, it was during the Nixon days that the first oil embargo and manipulation of our economy by OPEC (led by the Saudis, of course) occurred and threw our lives into turmoil. (I once again advocate that the uninformed read Steven Emerson's "The American House of Saud" to understand how we are still tied to these manipulative bastards from the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia.) The roots of the invasion of Iraq are found in 1973.
Carter has proven a better leader out of office than when he was president. He has demonstrated courage and leadership as a peace envoy, going places where US officials could not venture and taking steps that politically ambitious folks dared not to approach. But while in office Jimmy Carter did not play the game of insider politics very well. He caused a lot of ruckus between factions in Congress and was opposed by the GOP leadership every chance they got. Many of his more humane approaches to government, leadership, domestic policies and international affairs were undermined by the GOP. This was confirmed when the Iranian-held hostages were released, very conveniently and auspiciously, on the day of Reagan's inauguration. At the time many pundits and analysts pointed to the fear of political and military reprisals against Iran under Reagan's "cowboy" approach as the reason the hostages were released. These same pundits and analysts pointed to Carter's impotence in international affairs as the basis for hostages being taken in the first place. But history is a better judge than were the pundits and analysts, proving that Reagan and company had laid a foundation for a covert relationship with Iranian "revolutionaries" that would eventually lead to an outright disregard of our laws and Constitution by Reagan and his administration. Carter was not the most effective president we've ever had, but he was at least one of the most respectable persons that held the office in the 20th century. Unfortunately, the legacy we are left with after Carter is that a moral, humane person cannot be an effective president of our nation... a legacy I reject as being a falsehood promoted by the greed and corruption that remains the mainstay of activity in Washington DC.
Reagan, on the other hand, was a Teflon buffoon. He could say anything, propose anything, no matter how outrageous, and get a nod from the press and the general public. He was dubbed the "Great Communicator," but was actually the "Great Senility." He was noted for falling asleep during meetings, asking questions that were way off topic, contradicting himself on many occasions, and for allowing Nancy to run things when she had no authority or business being involved. He led us to invade Grenada, launch attacks on Qaddafi and Libya, and brought us back to the Cold War with a passion. He was held in check by a few well-placed leaders, but was also surrounded by other buffoons like Casper Weinberger. His administration, and the subsequent Bush administration, became the breeding grounds for fascists that came to power (or are now in power), including, Cheney, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Rove, Alito, Thomas, Chertoff, Card, Rice, O'Neill, Snow, Gates, Chao, Wolfowitz, Bolton, Mueller and so many others that were part of the Reagan and Bush (Sr) administrations. Interestingly enough, many of these folks, as well as advisers employed by Dubya, were involved or have ties to the Nixon White House. But the deals with Iran that allowed the release of our embassy personnel held hostage by the theocratic fascists of the Khomeini regime eventually led to the unlawful and unconstitutional activities of the Iran-Contra Affairs which involved the US government in illegal sales and transfer of weapons, drugs and money to shady characters, leaders and nations throughout the world. Reagan's approach to economics (supply-side economics, trickle-down economics, "Reaganomics") was nothing less than a surrender of our economy to corporatism, globalism and fascism that undermines the freedoms and rights of individuals, municipalities, states and regions in favor of large profiteering corporations, power-brokers, politicians and hides behind the rhetoric and apparent benevolence of tax-cutting policies. It is an oddly ironic consequence that Reagonomics has only benefited the extremely wealthy, powerful or connected while undermining the Middle Class and relegating the poor to a status of underclass in our society.
George H. W. Bush is best summed up in the words of several friends from Spain whom I met while attending graduate school at St. Louis University: "Why did the people of the United States elect the former head of your secret police (CIA) to be president?" My Spanish friends could not understand this succession at all. In their view, the usefulness of the CIA was without question, but allowing a "secret policeman" to become a national leader was just plain stupid. Given that these folks lived under the rule of Franco, I think they knew what they were talking about. But this Bush was not only involved in the Iran-Contra Affairs, but was so negligent in terms of serving the most needy among us. During his second inauguration celebration there were literally thousands of homeless people out in the cold and hungry just feet away from where he was hosting dinners that cost $1500 to $4000 a plate. His administration's performance in terms of helping the poor is horrific, with deliberate efforts toward undermining the McKinney Act provisions for using surplus federal property for the homeless, deliberate efforts to undermine education funding for inner cities, and a deliberate effort to spread USDA money to agro-businesses rather than family-run farms. This Bush managed to bypass any real criticism for his neglect of our needs by calling for more volunteerism (all the while cutting the tax burden on the top 10% of the wealthiest among us) under the "Thousand Points of Light" approach. This Bush continued the Reaganomics of his predecessor and kowtowed to Big Business even more than Reagan. Like so many others with fascist and elitist tendencies within the GOP, this Bush had ties to the Nixon White House and, indirectly, the Watergate Scandals. His worst contribution to American politics is his son, the current president. One has to wonder what values were taught in the Bush household that could produce the likes of Dubya. It must also be noted that this Bush provided pardons for many that were intimately involved in the Iran-Contra Affairs.
Bill Clinton was a buffoon of a different sort. Because Slick Willie couldn't keep his Lil' Willie in his pants he led this nation into a decline of political debate the likes of which hadn't been seen since before the Civil War. We were so busy with whether or not Wild Bill was sexually immoral with Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Jennifer Flowers or so many others that have yet to surface. We managed to impeach Slick Willie because he lied about having sex with Lewinsky to save his wife, his daughter and himself embarrassment regarding his sexual indiscretions and marital infidelities. But when we examine the Clinton administration from a historical perspective, we find he was a good president that did good things for our country. With the exception of NAFTA and DMCA (both of which were overwhelmingly supported by the GOP), the vast majority of what Clinton accomplished in the White House was effective, good for America and good for the Middle Class and the poorest among us. NAFTA hurt many small businesses, unions, workers, the entire Middle Class and migrant workers on the whole. The DMCA was a good idea that went to far in favor of the big businesses that already had control over ideas and expressions, giving away too much of the "fair use doctrine" that allowed ordinary folks to use intellectual property in a fair manner. But the entire process of impeachment was unfair. I am not saying it was not legitimate, just unfair. The proof of its unfairness is in the fact that Slick Willie got impeached for lying about a blow job in the Oval Office while Dubya has sent thousands to their death based on outright lies and manipulations, spied on Americans illegally, usurped powers he is not entitled to under our Constitution, and has committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" that far exceed the immorality offered by Bill Clinton.
Of course, we now have Dubya and his gang of fascist thugs running things. I have already written about how Dubya and his gang have fulfilled all the requirements for being identified as fascist as identified by Dr. Lawrence Britt. So I do not have to address his many failings in specific once again. But the latest scandal involving Gonzo Gonzales's lies before Congress only illustrates the continued legacy of the worst presidential administration in the history of the United States of America. It also illustrates levels of deceit, manipulation and incompetence that has been tolerated for far too long. It is well past time for impeachment of Bush, Cheney, Rice, Gonzales and anyone else that has stood on his side of the political and ideological spectrum. The addition of the Wolfowitz scandal at the World Bank is just another indicator of the incompetence, fascism, elitism (undeserved), mismanagement, cronyism and cause for impeachment coming out of the Oval Office.
REFERENCES:
Wolfowitz Resigns, Ending Long Fight at World Bank
Bush Intervened in Dispute Over N.S.A. Eavesdropping
But the most interesting part is that Gonzo had the audacity to appear before Congress and state, for the record, that there was no dissent as to the legality of the NSA spying programs. Well, we can now understand why Gonzo has appeared before Congress on numerous occasions without the benefit of being sworn in before testifying: Gonzo wanted to avoid charges of perjury. But Gonzo still violated the law. Presenting false evidence and statements before Congress, even without the benefit of being sworn in, is still a crime in this nation. It is cause for his removal from office through impeachment, as well as cause for his resignation. We can only hope that Bush, Cheney and Gonzales have the political savvy to recognize that Gonzo is done as the AG and has no credibility for remaining in office. Everyone now knows that he is a liar and an incompetent liar at that. We can only hope that he will never hold a high office or practice law again.
But this most recent revelation--on the part of Gonzales and on the part of the White House--only illustrates the utter contempt these folks have for our laws, our form of government, our basic values and our people. It further illustrates how incompetent these folks are, not only at running our government in an ethical and responsible manner, but at keeping their own flaws, secret operations and outright lies from surfacing. One has to wonder how they can claim the secrecy and extension of powers surrounding our national security issues if they can't even keep their own political secrets.
I was born in the tail end of the Eisenhower administration and have lived to see Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush (Sr.), Clinton and Bush (Dubya) occupy the the Oval Office.
Kennedy had his women on the side and supposedly had connections to the mob and Hollywood through his relative, Peter Lawford and the Rat Pack. The entire Marilyn Monroe thing is still a legend in both Washington and Hollywood (which is why we had Anna Nocole and have Gwen Stefani as media icons). But Kennedy knew how to stand on principle now and then, and managed most of our governmental affairs with a sense of righteousness, ethics and leadership, despite his flaws. My own opinion is that he was killed because of his principles in government and his refusal to compromise on the larger issues.
Johnson screwed up the entire approach to handling the Vietnam War. His "good old boy" approach to matters and his behind the scenes muscling on Capitol Hill did not cover up the fact that he had violated his word, our laws, the safety of our troops and our principles. Johnson did a lot of good through his Great Society campaign, including the reforms regarding spending and administration of welfare and education. He also had the decency to recognize that he was the wrong man for the office and announced his intention not to seek re-election. LBJ knew how to read the handwriting on the walls.
Nixon, however, was one of the most power-hungry bastards we ever had in office up to his day. He was a nasty politician that believed in smear campaigns going all the way back to the McCarthy Era and the "red scare" tactics of the 1950s. His reputation for throwing temper tantrums and voicing his disdain for the media was well established in his now infamous "Checkers Speech" (c.a. 1952) where he danced around the issues of campaign finance and election improprieties... an issue that would later reveal itself is the Watergate Scandal and Nixon's resignation in disgrace. Despite being a crooked politician that did not adhere to our laws, Nixon proved himself to be genuinely likable, but significantly incompetent and flawed as a human being and as a leader. Before he died he managed to re-invent himself as a humane leader and political figure. But the reality of history tells us that he was prone to ignoring the Constitution in not only regards to campaign and election laws, but in using government resources to spy on innocent Americans. It is because Nixon was incompetent at hiding these secret spying measures--much of which had been practiced back to the later days of FDR--that we ended up with the the Church Committee, Privacy Act of 1974, FISA, FOIA, and several other laws that were supposed to restrict the way in which the US government could use its intelligence gathering powers (not authority--POWERS).
Jerry Ford was a likable man with a sense of doing right, but in a backwards manner. He was a Washington insider that was essentially kept on the outside of the real deals. His major faux pas while in office was undermining our laws by pardoning Nixon before he was even charged with a crime. Ford claimed that he felt it necessary to heal the nation from the rift created by Watergate. But if this pardon had never been issued we might have learned more about how deep the disregard of our Constitution went into our government and our Congress might have passed more stringent laws regarding our privacy... many of which might have impacted the current gang of fascist thugs occupying the White House and the Executive Branch. I honestly believe letting Nixon off the hook damaged our ability to prevent run-away administrations like the current Bush gang. But Ford wasn't the worst president we've ever had, and most of his accomplishments were quiet, achieved without a lot of fanfare. He was however an economic boob. His Whip Inflation Now (WIN) campaign was a "feel good do nothing" approach to dealing with the rising prices of gas, manufacturing, imports and the loss of American jobs as a result of corporate mismanagement and globalization. Then again, it was during the Nixon days that the first oil embargo and manipulation of our economy by OPEC (led by the Saudis, of course) occurred and threw our lives into turmoil. (I once again advocate that the uninformed read Steven Emerson's "The American House of Saud" to understand how we are still tied to these manipulative bastards from the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia.) The roots of the invasion of Iraq are found in 1973.
Carter has proven a better leader out of office than when he was president. He has demonstrated courage and leadership as a peace envoy, going places where US officials could not venture and taking steps that politically ambitious folks dared not to approach. But while in office Jimmy Carter did not play the game of insider politics very well. He caused a lot of ruckus between factions in Congress and was opposed by the GOP leadership every chance they got. Many of his more humane approaches to government, leadership, domestic policies and international affairs were undermined by the GOP. This was confirmed when the Iranian-held hostages were released, very conveniently and auspiciously, on the day of Reagan's inauguration. At the time many pundits and analysts pointed to the fear of political and military reprisals against Iran under Reagan's "cowboy" approach as the reason the hostages were released. These same pundits and analysts pointed to Carter's impotence in international affairs as the basis for hostages being taken in the first place. But history is a better judge than were the pundits and analysts, proving that Reagan and company had laid a foundation for a covert relationship with Iranian "revolutionaries" that would eventually lead to an outright disregard of our laws and Constitution by Reagan and his administration. Carter was not the most effective president we've ever had, but he was at least one of the most respectable persons that held the office in the 20th century. Unfortunately, the legacy we are left with after Carter is that a moral, humane person cannot be an effective president of our nation... a legacy I reject as being a falsehood promoted by the greed and corruption that remains the mainstay of activity in Washington DC.
Reagan, on the other hand, was a Teflon buffoon. He could say anything, propose anything, no matter how outrageous, and get a nod from the press and the general public. He was dubbed the "Great Communicator," but was actually the "Great Senility." He was noted for falling asleep during meetings, asking questions that were way off topic, contradicting himself on many occasions, and for allowing Nancy to run things when she had no authority or business being involved. He led us to invade Grenada, launch attacks on Qaddafi and Libya, and brought us back to the Cold War with a passion. He was held in check by a few well-placed leaders, but was also surrounded by other buffoons like Casper Weinberger. His administration, and the subsequent Bush administration, became the breeding grounds for fascists that came to power (or are now in power), including, Cheney, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Rove, Alito, Thomas, Chertoff, Card, Rice, O'Neill, Snow, Gates, Chao, Wolfowitz, Bolton, Mueller and so many others that were part of the Reagan and Bush (Sr) administrations. Interestingly enough, many of these folks, as well as advisers employed by Dubya, were involved or have ties to the Nixon White House. But the deals with Iran that allowed the release of our embassy personnel held hostage by the theocratic fascists of the Khomeini regime eventually led to the unlawful and unconstitutional activities of the Iran-Contra Affairs which involved the US government in illegal sales and transfer of weapons, drugs and money to shady characters, leaders and nations throughout the world. Reagan's approach to economics (supply-side economics, trickle-down economics, "Reaganomics") was nothing less than a surrender of our economy to corporatism, globalism and fascism that undermines the freedoms and rights of individuals, municipalities, states and regions in favor of large profiteering corporations, power-brokers, politicians and hides behind the rhetoric and apparent benevolence of tax-cutting policies. It is an oddly ironic consequence that Reagonomics has only benefited the extremely wealthy, powerful or connected while undermining the Middle Class and relegating the poor to a status of underclass in our society.
George H. W. Bush is best summed up in the words of several friends from Spain whom I met while attending graduate school at St. Louis University: "Why did the people of the United States elect the former head of your secret police (CIA) to be president?" My Spanish friends could not understand this succession at all. In their view, the usefulness of the CIA was without question, but allowing a "secret policeman" to become a national leader was just plain stupid. Given that these folks lived under the rule of Franco, I think they knew what they were talking about. But this Bush was not only involved in the Iran-Contra Affairs, but was so negligent in terms of serving the most needy among us. During his second inauguration celebration there were literally thousands of homeless people out in the cold and hungry just feet away from where he was hosting dinners that cost $1500 to $4000 a plate. His administration's performance in terms of helping the poor is horrific, with deliberate efforts toward undermining the McKinney Act provisions for using surplus federal property for the homeless, deliberate efforts to undermine education funding for inner cities, and a deliberate effort to spread USDA money to agro-businesses rather than family-run farms. This Bush managed to bypass any real criticism for his neglect of our needs by calling for more volunteerism (all the while cutting the tax burden on the top 10% of the wealthiest among us) under the "Thousand Points of Light" approach. This Bush continued the Reaganomics of his predecessor and kowtowed to Big Business even more than Reagan. Like so many others with fascist and elitist tendencies within the GOP, this Bush had ties to the Nixon White House and, indirectly, the Watergate Scandals. His worst contribution to American politics is his son, the current president. One has to wonder what values were taught in the Bush household that could produce the likes of Dubya. It must also be noted that this Bush provided pardons for many that were intimately involved in the Iran-Contra Affairs.
Bill Clinton was a buffoon of a different sort. Because Slick Willie couldn't keep his Lil' Willie in his pants he led this nation into a decline of political debate the likes of which hadn't been seen since before the Civil War. We were so busy with whether or not Wild Bill was sexually immoral with Monica Lewinsky, Paula Jones, Jennifer Flowers or so many others that have yet to surface. We managed to impeach Slick Willie because he lied about having sex with Lewinsky to save his wife, his daughter and himself embarrassment regarding his sexual indiscretions and marital infidelities. But when we examine the Clinton administration from a historical perspective, we find he was a good president that did good things for our country. With the exception of NAFTA and DMCA (both of which were overwhelmingly supported by the GOP), the vast majority of what Clinton accomplished in the White House was effective, good for America and good for the Middle Class and the poorest among us. NAFTA hurt many small businesses, unions, workers, the entire Middle Class and migrant workers on the whole. The DMCA was a good idea that went to far in favor of the big businesses that already had control over ideas and expressions, giving away too much of the "fair use doctrine" that allowed ordinary folks to use intellectual property in a fair manner. But the entire process of impeachment was unfair. I am not saying it was not legitimate, just unfair. The proof of its unfairness is in the fact that Slick Willie got impeached for lying about a blow job in the Oval Office while Dubya has sent thousands to their death based on outright lies and manipulations, spied on Americans illegally, usurped powers he is not entitled to under our Constitution, and has committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" that far exceed the immorality offered by Bill Clinton.
Of course, we now have Dubya and his gang of fascist thugs running things. I have already written about how Dubya and his gang have fulfilled all the requirements for being identified as fascist as identified by Dr. Lawrence Britt. So I do not have to address his many failings in specific once again. But the latest scandal involving Gonzo Gonzales's lies before Congress only illustrates the continued legacy of the worst presidential administration in the history of the United States of America. It also illustrates levels of deceit, manipulation and incompetence that has been tolerated for far too long. It is well past time for impeachment of Bush, Cheney, Rice, Gonzales and anyone else that has stood on his side of the political and ideological spectrum. The addition of the Wolfowitz scandal at the World Bank is just another indicator of the incompetence, fascism, elitism (undeserved), mismanagement, cronyism and cause for impeachment coming out of the Oval Office.
REFERENCES:
Wolfowitz Resigns, Ending Long Fight at World Bank
Bush Intervened in Dispute Over N.S.A. Eavesdropping
posted by Jim Downey at 12:16 PM
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