Elephant circus and ‘promise-keeper’ Bush

It was August 3, 2000. Exactly four year ago when Republican nominee George W. Bush billed himself as the conscience of Lincoln, energetic like Teddy Rossevelt, man of integrity like Harry Truman and optimistic like Ronald Reagan. He was addressing the Republican National Convention (circus) at Philadelphia. Economic elite floated a new star to fool the helpless Americans who had no option but to select between Gore and Bush.

It is the time to recount the promises this ‘promise-keeper’ Bush made four years ago. Why? He is asking for “four more years” and second to keep the record straight. He promised to renew America’s purpose. Did he renew America’s purpose if it is not to occupy other countries with lame excuses? If America’s purpose is to occupy other nations in the name of ‘liberation,’ give him the credit to honor his promise. He promised to extend prosperity to every forgotten corner of America. Did he honor this promise and uplifted the poor? He promised to confront hard issues –” threats to national security, threats to health and retirement. Did he confront these hard issues in a constructive way or confront them at all? Window dressing should not be substituted as constructive solutions. He promised to write new chapters in American history and not the footnotes. Did he write new chapters in the American history that made Americans proud of? He promised to make Medicare as reflective of American society, set it on firm financial ground and make prescription drugs available for every senior who needs them. Did he keep this promise? Remember the scandalous Medicare reforms on his watch. He promised ending of segregation in schools, bringing standards in schools, and no shuffling of students from grade to grade because of their age, regardless of their knowledge. Did he keep this promise? Is public school better today than four years ago? He acknowledged that surplus is people’s money and it should be returned back to the people. And he returned it. But bulk of the people’s money stuffed the pockets of the mega rich. He promised to use America’s force for a just cause and for a clear goal. He kept this promise. Give him the credit. But was the cause just and goal clear. If it is the genocide of the Muslims all over the world a just cause and a clear goal, then he kept his promise. He promised not to defend outdated treaties. He kept that promise. Give him the credit. He trampled them with arrogance. It does not matter if treaties are about environments, about prisoners’ rights or respect for the sovereignty of other countries. He promised to change the tone of Washington to one of civility and respect. He kept this promise in another way. His vice president spit gutter language for a senator. The language the vice president used is not fit to print. He promised to set an agenda, set big goal, and to rally people to believe and achieve them. Did he keep this promise? He has set an agenda and has set big goals. But ‘people’ are not there to cheer him up for his agenda and his big goals. He is the most despicable figure that is hated by Americans. Proof? It is said that he is not running against Kerry. He is running against himself –” Bush against Bush. He promised to create ‘One America” and to end two Americas. He promised to smash that wall where on one side was wealth, technology, education and ambition. On the other side of the wall were poverty and prison, addiction and despair. And he called his fellow Americans to tear down that wall. Did he keep this promise? Is this wall of separation is less high or more high after four years. If he has honored his promise, why is Democratic nominee vice president John Edwards fooling the Americans by pointing to two Americas? He promised to give American children a spirit of moral courage because their character is American destiny. Did he keep this promise? Americans children are the most immoral groups in the world. Note the moral degradation of American children on whose character the destiny of the nation depends. Before reaching adult age, most of them have more than one sexual partner. They are the worst among the worst as consumption of liquor is concerned. They are the worst among the worst as consumption of drug is concerned. They are the worst among the worst as carrying the burden of debt is concerned. These are the future leaders of Americans whose character is American destiny! No wonder they create Abu Gharib when they wear uniform. He promised to teach American children a non-violent culture. He promised to lead the nation to a culture that values life –” the life of the elderly and sick, the life of young and the life of the unborn. He kept this promise. Give him the credit. He set an example what a non-violent culture is. He made his four years one the bloodiest years in the American history. He divided the world between them and us. He challenged the occupied to come and fight. He rolled over on live and dead. For get the non-violent world that America is creating. America itself is worst among the worst as violence is concerned. Note the numbers of murderers, note the numbers of rapists and note the numbers of Americans in jails. He promised to occupy the land with character. He kept this promise. Give him the credit. He occupied Afghanistan and Iraq. As occupation with character is concerned, even American allies doubt it. Is there any type of occupation with character? He promised to make great decisions with care, with conviction, and not with polls. Did he keep these promises? He promised to give reasons for his action to the Americans. He promised to speak from his heart. Did he keep these promises? It is said that Bush administration is one the most discreet administrations in American history. And he promised, “So when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God.” Did he keep this sacred promise after putting his hand on the Bible?

He promised to the Americans that if they give him his trust, he would honor it. He requested Americans that if they grant him mandate, he would use it. He requested the Americans that if they give him the opportunity to lead the nation, he would lead it. They did not give him trust, mandate, or opportunity. He grabbed trust, mandate and opportunity to lead anyhow through the Supreme Court. A Supreme Court that does not know how to count. Therefore, Americans did not select him. He was appointed by the Supreme Court. So he is not obliged to the Americans.

Painting himself as panacea for centuries’ old ills of American political system, Bush did not hesitate to dress down Clinton, his administration and his vice president Gore in the Republican National circus four years ago. He could not find any thing noble, constructive and praise-worthy in Clinton. Note how this ‘promise keeper,’ ‘compassionate conservative,’ and ‘champion of humility’ viewed Clinton as a human being. In his view, Clinton was a squanderer of opportunities, traveler of old and worn-out paths, and believer in politics of fear. Clinton also was not capable of leading, chuckled the ‘promise keeper.’ Clinton had a chance to lead, but he did not. He had his moment, but he did not avail it. He had a chance to usher a new beginning, he stuck to the old one. He could not qualify for the test of leadership. He was a shuffler of boxes, believer of one size fit for all, an executive chief without vision and without agenda. He did not confront problems head on, but hid them under the rug. And above all, Clinton did not have the character to call upon.

Forget for a moment how Bush Jr. felt about Clinton and painted him as a human being. What about the policies of Clinton? How Bush, present prisoner of corporate America, felt about them four years ago. For him the most touted successful policies of Clinton were illusionary in nature. What about the Clinton’s claim of creating more than 20 million jobs and longest peacetime prosperity? They were without purpose, opined Bush Jr. How fared military under Clinton? It was “low in parts, pay and morale. If called on by the commander-in-chief today, two entire divisions of the army would have to report, not ready for duty, sir.” Result? American power and American influence eroded, Bush claimed. But what about the ‘liberation’ (occupation) of Bosnia and Kosva by Clinton? What about the ‘liberation’ ‘occupation’ of Timor? What about starving millions of Iraqis by bombing them day and night and maintaining the weapon of mass destruction, sanctions? What about staging the drama of nuclear non-proliferation to ‘free’ the world from nuclear freeze? All these stark realties did not get any mention by Bush Jr. when he was the darling of the Republican National Circus four years ago. And it was the Clinton’s ‘unprepared’ and ‘ill-equipped’ military machine Bush used to extend the American empire to Afghanistan and Iraq.

How Clinton administration treated the American children? Bush gave zero to the Clinton administration. He told the world, “Seven of 10 fourth graders in our highest poverty schools cannot read a simple children’s book. And still this administration continues on the same old path, the same old programs, while millions are trapped in schools where violence is common and learning is rare.” What about Bush’s No Child Left Behind? According to some commentators, Bush actually meant No Billionaire Left Behind instead of NO Child Left Behind.

What about Social Security and Medicare under the Clinton administration? Again the baby emperor Bush discredited Clinton administration. “America has a strong economy and a surplus. We have the public resources and the public will, even the bipartisan opportunities to strengthen Social Security and repair Medicare. But this administration, during eight years of increasing need, did nothing.”

What about vice president Gore who was the Democratic nominee? How baby Bush viewed him? Gore lacked the ability to initiate. “Every one of the proposals I’ve talked about tonight he’s called a risky scheme over and over again. It is the sum of his message, the politics of the roadblock, the policy of the stop sign. If my opponent had been at the moon launch, it would have been a risky rocket scheme. If he had been there when Edison was testing the light bulb, it would have been a risky anti-candle scheme. He now leads –” he now leads the party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but the only thing he has to offer is fear itself.”

Clinton himself, his policies and Gore inability to lead were enough reasons that Bush not Gore should be ‘selected’ by the Americans. ” And now they come asking for another chance, another shot. Our answer: Not this time, not this year. This is not the time for third chance; it is the time for new beginnings,” Bush declared.

Today, Bush is a discredited person like Clinton. Today, Bush’s policies are discredited like Clinton’s policies. Today, Bush is blamed for not squeezing the middle-class, but hammering it. He is blamed for losing 2 million private sector jobs. It is said on Bush watch, “Family income has fallen 2 percent, housing prices have increased 18 percent, health insurance premiums are up 50 percent, utility bills are up more than 15 percent, credit card fees have doubled and college tuition is up 35 percent.” Who is blaming Bush for all these ills? A ‘lefty lunatic’? No. It is senator Harkin. While Bush is blamed for hammering the middle-class, fat cats under Bush are doing well. “The number of North Americans with over $1 million in financial or liquid assets increased by 13.5 percent last year, and their assets increased by 13.6 percent. At the same time, the wealth of the ultra-high net worth individuals –” those with over $30 million in assets –” grew a total of $2.5 trillion. U.S. and Canada together added more new millionaires last year than Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East combined. ” Again it is Senator Harkin who quoted these facts. His source is an article published in Wall Street Journal. It is titled “U.S. Led a Resurgence Last Year Among Millionaires World-Wide.”

Drug companies are free to rip off the sick and poor Americans under Bush. “According to a recent report by the AARP, drug companies raised their prices for the top 200 brand-name drugs at nearly three times the rate of inflation in the first 3 months of 2004. Some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle think these increases are less important to American families than the rise of gross domestic product, GDP. But Americans don’t live on GDP, they live on earnings. That is what they use to pay for milk, gas, medicine, health insurance, and tuition. They live on earnings, and those earnings clearly are not keeping up with the costs they are facing today.” And who is this fellow who is blaming Bush for giving multi-billion drug cartels a license to rob Americans? Another senator. His name is Daschle.

Are Democrats as innocent as they are posing themselves today? They have nothing to do where America stands today. They were there when tax cuts for the mage- rich were approved in the Congress. They were there when the shame and the sham Medicare Prescription Drug Bill was passed. They were there when the national debt increased by $1,639,772, 884,702 since January 2001.

So if Bush is responsible for allowing the country to be plundered by the mega-rich, Democrats are equally responsible for this crime. Both are fooling the Americans. Four years ago, it was Bush turn to fool the Americans by posing himself as their champion. Today, Democrats are fooling the Americans by becoming their champion. It is a Nura Kushti (a fixed fight). Americans are in the clutches of institutional tyranny. It does not matter it is Bush or Kerry; corporate America is the winner. Only a revolution can free the Americans. One hundred million Americans of Colors are the only hope to rescue Americans from this institutional tyranny of more than two hundred years. When this happen, it will be a perfect dawn. A real new beginning. Until this happen, the agents of American economic elite, Democratic and Republican leadership, will fool Americans every four years. Democrats and Republicans candidates will continue to dress-down each other to fool the Americans. Americans will have no real choice in this institutional tyranny. Source of information: 1. Governor Bush remarks at the Republican National Convention August 3, 2000. 2. Congressional record 2004.