The Home of Steven Barnes
Author, Teacher, Screenwriter


Thursday, February 23, 2006

Would a Conservative please tell me..?

You know, like everybody I have opinions about politics, but I've never claimed to any special insight.  My own politics would doubtless be thought shaded to the Left, but it varies depending on the topic.  I'm hitting threshold, though, on what feels to me like the most incompetant administration of my lifetime.  People blamed Bush I for not finishing off Saddam.  May we now state with confidence that we can see WHY he, quite intelligently, understood that this wasn't a good idea?  May we go down the list of problems that this current administration has (or seems to me to have)?  I can understand someone saying "Bush is an average president beset with extraordinary problems.  Any other President would have been equally overwhelmed."  That, at least, strikes me as a reasonable response.  But I've actually been hearing people claiming that Bush is extraordinarily wise, great, etc., which strikes me as pure b.s., and I'd love to hear thoughts.  But first, a list of what SEEM to be fairly telling problems.
1) Losing more American civilians than any president in the last 50 years (or more?)
2) Specifically, the disaster of 9-11 and
3) Katrina.
4) The (apparently) botched aftermath of Katrina
5) The biggest national debt in history, following a gigantic surplus left by Clinton. 
6) Borrowing more money than every other President combined.
7) America's first pre-emptive war based on
8) Completely shoddy intel.
9) Outing of a covert CIA agent by someone within his administration.
10) Mishandling the aftermath of the Iraq invasion, so that the country seems poised on the brink of civil war.
11)  Outsourcing port security to a company owned by a country with FAR closer ties to Al Queda than Iraq ever had.
12) His own family with tight ties to the family of hte man who attacked us.
13) An obfuscation of the rather obvious fact that Saudi Arabia, not Iraq, held more likely culpability in 9-11.  I remember not a single official comment on these ties.
14) Bush taking more vacation time than any other President of my lifetime.
15) Bush as bumbling and stumbling in spontaneous discourse.
16) Tightly, tightly managed public appearances.
17) The demonizing of anyone who disagrees with the administration's policies
18) Support for torture.
19) Earlier claims that "America doesn't torture."
20) The utter disaster of Abu Gharib, and only a few low-level soldiers being punished
21)  An apparent stifling of scientific thought, from meaningful discussion of Global Warming to Stem Cell research to an implied support for "scientific" creationism.  And this at a time when America risks losing the global edge in technological innovation.
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Christ...I could go on and on and on.  Before I ask my question, may I please ask my Conservative readers if this man truely represents you?  Is this the America you hold dear?
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And now my question.  Do you think that Bush is smarter than you are?  In my entire life, I have never looked at a President and said: "I'm smarter than this guy."  I don't think I'm smart enough for the job, folks.  And whether I've agreed with someone's policies or not, I've NEVER thought I was smarter than a sitting president.  Until now.  So I would really, really, like to hear from Conservativers who think that Bush is smarter than they are.  And if you don't, unless you have accomplished EXTRAORDINARY things in your life, doesn't that scare the living hell out of you?

this man needs to go.  Replace him with another Republican if you must.  But America seems at the lowest ebb it has seen in almost a century, and ultimately, the Buck stops with the man at the top.  I think he's a disaster.  Please--no automatic defenses.  THINK THIS THROUGH.  We are going to hand over this country, and this world, to our grandchildren.  This is no time for Partisanism.  So Liberals--please don't just jump on the bandwagon.  I'm not saying this man is evil, or stupid.  Just incompetant to lead America in these times.  I would love some serious discussion here, not just yelling at each other.  Thanks.

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