TINPOT DICTATOR


Bush is a liar. He tries hard to project the iron will of a great leader with his cocked eyebrows and steadfast gaze, but he is what he is: a little man drunk on power who slurs his speech. While oilman Cheney smirks in the background, the tinpot “war president” marches to the podium and scolds the world day after day, year after year. We can’t take it anymore. Scores of books and articles have come out recently, written by investigative journalists, impartial historians, and other serious researchers who are all trying to document this huge deception for posterity. Painful as it is, finding out what happened before the trail grows cold is essential for the long-term health of our republic.

Why is it so hard to learn the truth? Already, partisan pundits and corporate-media types are distorting the public record. The United States ranked 53rd last year on the “Worldwide Press Freedom Index” (Reporters without Borders)—a sober reminder of how easy it is to repress in-depth reporting and replace it with jumbled-up sound bites on splashy, “infotainment” news. Thomas Jefferson lectured throughout his life on why democracy wouldn’t survive unless people are well informed, why the masses couldn’t rule themselves intelligently if they couldn’t vote intelligently.

The trend nowadays is to use focus groups to divine the will of the people. That’s a good thing, since according to the Constitution, politicians are elected not as leaders but as representatives of the people’s will. The problem is that sleazy politicians and their hacks can unfairly manipulate this invaluable data by pouring money into the media machine and spinning facts to support their unpopular ideologies in a cynical attempt to influence the sentiments of the electorate. It’s called lying.

To “move forward,” why don’t we start with the truth instead of the lie? Iraq is more about the politics of oil and corporate greed than of terror. Are we now to waste even more blood and treasure over this failed, dishonest policy? It is time we admit our mistake, quit occupying Arab holy lands, and wean our economy off oil. That is the only sane approach to all this madness. The last three decades since Carter, and the hundreds of billions spent fighting in the Middle East and subsidizing the oil industry, could have been used for research and development of alternative energy. Why does Washington bow to these kings of greed while ignoring middleclass values and American ingenuity? At what cost have corrupt politicians dishonored the namesake of our capitol?

Congress, with an eye on 2008, is somewhat guarded in its commitment to honest oversight. We should demand that our representatives do their job! It’s called issuing subpoenas and holding hearings. Whether or not investigations result in impeachment depends on where the facts lead, but that is beside the point; laying it all out under the glare of public scrutiny is an end in itself. Popular outcry and written law will determine what happens next. It’s called transparency, and that’s how a free society stays free.

Gerald R. Ford was a decent man who reluctantly dealt with another one of history’s big lies. The salient point in numerous eulogies was that he “healed a nation” by pardoning Nixon. Unfortunately, those eloquent speakers are trying to revise the history of that turbulent time by glossing over its true significance, perhaps hoping that this Congress won’t impeach this president for even greater crimes. Instead of bringing us together, Ford’s good intentions only added to the disillusionment by frustrating the will of a nation clamoring for justice, a nation founded on the principle that no one is above the law, especially a president who swears to defend the Constitution. Ford did not win the subsequent election because the majority was still angry that Nixon did not answer for his crimes—breaking some of the most basic laws guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

Among its many other highly questionable activities, the Bush Administration stands accused of: purposely withholding vital information about the imminent failure of New Orleans levees that could have tipped off thousands of unsuspecting victims; routinely abusing the “signing statement” privilege to circumvent important legislation; spying on citizens without obtaining warrants; suspending habeas corpus for “enemy combatants” rotting in cages; “rendering” detainees to foreign prisons to be tortured; presenting a false case against Iraq to the U.S. Congress and to the United Nations; and worst of all, waging an illegal war of aggression, defying our own Constitution as well as the Geneva Convention.

If high officials violate their oath, our forefathers intended that the Articles of Impeachment provision (not followed up with a pardon!) would be the instrument that heals the nation, a safety valve that also protects our credibility in the eyes of the world and sends a powerful signal to any future politician who would lie about serious matters. What good is a nation of laws if there is no accountability at the top? We are turning into a nation of hypocrites, derided by friends and enemies alike.

Ryan