Tide turns on Dubya's wreck || + Gilligan & The Cat In The Hat!

Tide turns on Dubya's wreck - Opinion - smh.com.au: "In recent weeks, scanning the political coverage in the mainstream US media and sampling the blogs has been to watch a flood tide ebbing to reveal a rotting, skeletal hulk. It is the George W. Bush ship of fools, stuck in the mud for the world to see in all its mendacity, its incompetence, its faith-based stupidity.

It is possible, at this late stage, that even Bush himself has begun to realise something is wrong. That oddly simian face is ashen, the eyes leaden. The voice is shrill and its tone defensive.

'I'm the decider and I decide what's best,' he squawked to reporters in the White House rose garden the other day, as the screws turned tighter on his disastrous Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. Can you imagine Roosevelt, Eisenhower or Kennedy blurting something like that?"

Rummy is looking knackered too, with six retired generals going public to agree that he is "incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically", to quote one of them.

These men would have been junior officers in Vietnam, veterans of the all-American nightmare they now see replicated in Iraq. They don't want the mad old warmonger doing it over again in Iran. As former Marine Corps Lieutenant-General Gregory Newbold wrote in Time magazine: "… we must never again stand by quietly while those ignorant of and casual about war lead us into another one and then mismanage the conduct of it".

But the Middle East quicksands are not all that is killing Bush's presidency. Domestically, the rot is wide and deep. It is a budget deficit blowing out towards $US700 billion this financial year as Dubya juggles to fund his war while stealing from the American and immigrant poor to bestow tax cuts on the rich.

It is criminal sleaze in Washington, with the Republicans' favourite influence peddler, Jack Abramoff, headed for jail, and one of Bush's closest Texan buddies, the disgraced House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, not far behind him.

It is arrogant, Nixonian trampling of the law to order the wiretapping of American citizens and the leaking of national security secrets. It is the rape of the environment to enrich big business, especially big oil. And resonating with ordinary Americans most of all, it is the loss of the city of New Orleans - not by Hurricane Katrina but by the bottomless incompetence of the feds' post-apocalypse response.

This is a trash presidency, founded on lies and knavery, fraud and ignorant ideological [the still forbidden truth of Zionism] crackpottery.

KARL ROVE is another faux-Texan wheeler-dealer sometimes described as Bush's brain [a high school graduate, FYI] , a courtier most often seen superglued to the presidential right ear. Pink and pudgy, he looks like one of Disney's three little pigs, although infinitely more smug.

Rove was shunted sideways this week in a shuffle of the White House deck chairs which also saw Dubya's press secretary lose his job [to one of the terds already professionally lying for the chief, at faux neus]. His new assignment will be to divert the Republican Party from the coming train wreck of the Congressional mid-term elections this November.

That will be crucial to the survival of this gang. If the Democrats regain control of Congress, there would be a good chance of them moving to impeach Bush for high crimes and misdemeanours. [rigged receiptless 'voting' machines will prevent that, or military coup if needed]

The famous Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein raised just that possibility in a recent article in Vanity Fair magazine. "We have never had a presidency in which the single unifying thread that flows through its major decision-making was incompetence stitched together with hubris and mendacity on a Nixonian scale," he wrote.

Exactly. Compared to this lot, Bill Clinton was John the Baptist. [erm, His head under the desk, not upon a platter]

THE next question is this: what will the Howard Government do when Bush and co decide to bomb Iran?

On past performance, Australia will be the kiddie on the sideline, panting to join the team: "Pick me, pick me." That, of course, is how we wangled our way into Iraq.

To quote the admirable US Marine Lieutenant-General Newbold again: "My sincere view is that the commitment of our forces to this fight was done with a casualness and swagger that are the special province of those who have never had to execute these missions - or bury the results."

As we have seen, John Howard and Lord Downer are terrific at casual swagger, although neither has ever heard a bullet go pffwt-pzzz through the rubber trees. Luckily, they have not had results to bury. But next time we might not be so easily conned. After the never-ever GST, children overboard, Iraq, WorkChoices, AWB and now Papua, Howard has lost public trust. The moment we hear him blather that no decision has been made for war, that everyone is working for a peaceful solution to the Iran crisis - that's when we know the SAS is already there.

When the shoulders go back, the chin goes up and the lower lip juts out, you know the Prime Minister is lying.

smhcarlton@hotmail.com

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http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_stephen__060429_comments_on_noam_cho.htm
Solutions Chomsky Proposes

Chomsky ends his book by suggesting some possible solutions to the dismal and dangerous state of our nation, but I doubt he sees any of them being adopted. He lists: (1) accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and World Court; (2) signing and adopting the Kyoto protocols; (3) allowing the UN to lead in international crises; (4) confronting terror by diplomacy and economic measures, not military ones; (5) adhering to the UN Charter; (6) ending the Security Council veto power and practicing real democracy; and (7) cutting military spending sharply and using it for greater social spending. He calls these very conservative suggestions and what the majority of the public wants. Up to now, that majority has been ignored, denied and deprived in a society that only serves the privileged.

Will any of these changes happen? Not likely unless enough people act strongly enough to demand them. Chomsky ends by noting past social gains were never willingly given. They were only gotten by "dedicated day-by-day engagement" to win them. But he believes we have many ways to do so and, in the process, promote the democratic process. His final thought is a call to us to do it collectively. If we don't, it "is likely to have ominous repercussions: for the country, for the world, and for future generations."

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog address at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_ron_full_060429_the_us_doesn_t_give_.htm

The Bush regime has long asserted their immunity from prosecution by international courts. Stephen Hadley, NSA director, wrote in a byliner that "the international tribunal is a threat to the United States. The U.S. has a number of serious objections to the International Criminal Court," he wrote. Yet, the Bush regime is determined to make the case that Iran somehow threatens the international community without a weapon, without any means to produce such a weapon, and without any action that could be interpreted as a threat to anyone except in defense of their own borders.

The Bush regime ignored the UN in their rush to invade and occupy Iraq. This same Bush regime now wants the UN's blessing on their new imperialism toward Iran. But, it's not clear they'll get the cover this time either from the world body

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http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_gene_c___060429_the_decider_nominate.htm


The Decider Nominates Chief Polluter for the EPA

President Bush Nominated an Opponent of the Clean Air Act to the EPA

President Bush, the nation’s self-appointed “Decider,” has nominated William Wehrum to serve as Assistant Administrator for the office of air quality at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He’s been serving as legal counsel and interim head of this office since 2001. During his tenure at the EPA, Mr. Wehrum has consistently worked to weaken the nation’s air pollution laws and regulations. And his actions have resulted in a revolt within the EPA and serious criticism by the federal courts.
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http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bob_burn_060428_george_bush_and_the_.htm April 28, 2006 George Bush and The Cat in The Hat
by Bob Burnett

Once upon a time
The Cat in the Hat
George Bush and I
Had a big spat.

One summer day,
Just after three
My mother said,
“I’m going for tea.”

She went out the door
And in two seconds flat
Out of the closet
Came the Cat in the Hat.

“It’s time to have fun,”
Said the Cat in the Hat
“Let’s watch TV,
Nothing’s better than that.”

He went to our den
And without saying please
Turned on the FOX news
Which quivered my knees.

“I always watch this,”
Said the Cat with a grin.
“They take all the news
And then give it a spin.”

Bill O’Reilly was on
And he made me cry
“Stop sniveling,” said Cat,
“Want a poke in the eye?”

I cowered in fear
And covered my tush
When onto FOX news
Came our President Bush.

“I love him,” said Cat
“He’s simply the best
He’s stalwart and brave
He passes each test.”

I shouldn’t have argued
I’m only a kid
But I had to point out
The bad things Bush did.

“What about Iraq?
He lied and deceived
Distorted the facts
Fudged what we believed.”

“Tut tut,” said the Cat
“Surely you jest
We must sacrifice
Be put to the test.”

Then Bush gave a speech
The crowd began cheering
He said that the war’s
End was now nearing.

“The going is tough
And we’ll surely win
I just can’t say how
Nor do I know when.”

“Hmm,” said the Cat,
“Iraq seems a mess.
But Dubya’s my hero
He’ll be a success.”

Before I could think
The words tumbled out,
“You imbecile Cat
You’re never in doubt.

“Don’t you remember Al Qaida?
Osama and crew?
We haven’t caught many
In fact very few.

“Our security’s a joke
Our friends have departed
‘Cause of President Bush
And this war that he started.”

“If you are so smart,”
Said the Cat in the Hat,
“Then talk to George Bush
What’s the matter with that?”

So the Cat in the Hat
Reached in our TV
Grabbed Georgie Bush
Set him down facing me.

“We’re winning the war,”
Said Commander-in-Chief
“Yes, Iraq is hard work
But well worth all this grief.”

I couldn’t believe it
He wore a big grin
As if Bush enjoyed
This mess we are in.

“Hard work if you don’t
Know what you’re doin’
George, you and your gang
Will lead us to ruin.”

Then Dubya got angry
And made a bad sound
He shouted and bellowed
And stomped on the ground.

“I don’t have to listen
To peons like you
I’m Decider-in-Chief
I like what I do.”

Then Bush took a leap
Back in our TV
He hugged Bill O’Reilly
They giggled with glee.

“We’re looting America
And having such fun
Too bad ‘bout your future
But we’ve just begun.”

I jumped from the couch
Turned off the TV
“George is real bad,
“Just as bad as can be.”

Cat nodded his head
“He’s no fun all,”
And he turned and ran,
Cross the room, down the hall.

Then Mother came in
With a swish of her skirt
“I see you were good
Not covered with dirt.”

I said not a word
About the Cat in the Hat
Or my visit with Bush
She doesn’t know that.

Yet sometimes I ponder
George Bush and his flock
What does Dubya think
About solving Iraq?

Maybe he just sits
There, as simple as that
He waits for an answer
From the Cat in the Hat.

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer and Quaker actvist. He is particularly interested in progressive morality and writes frequently on the ethical aspects of political and social issues.