Bush Team Is Adept Only at Bungling
The Bush administration reminds me of Jimmy Breslin’s comic novel, The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. The premise of the novel was what if you had a Mafia gang whose members were incompetent at the things that mafiosi are supposed to do. Similarly, the Bush administration has often shot itself in the foot because its key players are not qualified for their jobs. They make a mess of the job and are protected by secrecy; or if that isn’t possible, by spin. The current example is the selective firing of U.S. attorneys for reasons that are not yet clear. The gnomes who created the mess are two of President Bush’s old cronies from Texas: Alberto Gonzales and Harriet Miers. Neither, as is now patent, is a heavy hitter. Gonzales has been involved in controversies over the Geneva Convention (which he called “quaint”) and legal memos that appear to involve approval of secrecy, torture, imprisonment without trial and spying on Americans without legal warrants. Small wonder the president does not want him to testify under oath.
Another example of not being able to do the job were the men who were supposed to deal with Hurricane Katrina: Michael Chertoff and Michael Brown (of Homeland Security and FEMA, respectively), neither of whom had the intelligence to deal with a catastrophe or the experience of responding to major disasters (unlike Brown’s predecessor Edward Witt). However, they were loyal Republicans, so no other competence was required. New Orleans continues to be a mess; FEMA continues to be unable to spend the money. No heavy hitters in this mess.
Then there is the Coalition Provisional Authority, which was supposed to govern Iraq in the years after the war. L. Paul Bremer, the head of CPA, did not speak Arabic and had never served in the Middle East. He had been a staff aide to Henry Kissinger and ambassador to Norway. The members of his staff, mostly younger Republicans, seem to have been even less qualified, and according to journalists covering Iraq, did not speak Arabic and rarely left the fortified Green Zone. Whatever Bremer’s intentions, he and his staff must share the blame for what came after the new government was installed. None of them seems to have been a heavy hitter.
The worst example by far of the gang that could only shoot itself in the foot is the president’s foreign policy team. Condoleezza Rice had been provost at Stanford University, which might have qualified her to become president of a state college in the California system, but scarcely the president’s top foreign policy adviser or now secretary of state. Donald Rumsfeld was a hard-driving and arrogant corporate executive skilled at bureaucratic infighting who ignored the advice of the experienced military officers and ran the Defense Department as his own fiefdom. He used the war to prove his hypothesis that a small American military force would easily triumph, and he made no preparations for reconstruction after the war — two tragic mistakes, the results of which are still with us.
Vice President Dick Cheney, on the basis of the ”Scooter” Libby trial, seems an angry man with paranoid tendencies who may even now suspect an Iraq link with al-Qaida and weapons of mass destruction hidden away somewhere. Mixed in were a clique of neocons: Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith and Libby, who could write strong memos. The only heavy hitter, who might have been able to prevent the mistake of the war, was Colin Powell, whom Rumsfeld and Cheney marginalized. No wonder the war went terribly wrong and tens of thousands have died.
Gonzales, Miers, Chertoff, Bremer, Rice, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz: Could any of the members of this gang have been expected to shoot straight? Besides Powell, where were the wise men (and women) who could have protected the country from a string of disasters?
Bush is a victim of his bad taste in advisers and staff, his propensity to Texas cronyism and his inclination to cover up and spin the truth. There is no reason to believe that he is better advised about the ”new” strategy in Iraq, or that the mistakes will not continue till Jan. 20, 2009. No heavy hitters need apply.
© Copyright 2007 Sun-Times News Group
Not only are those people not incompetent, they’re brilliant. Evil, but brilliant. They’ve been able to use a superpower nation as a tool for obtaining ends they’ve basically been broadcasting to the world for years prior.
An analogy comes to mind…a street performer is doing the old shell game. The crowd around him marvels at how bad he is and how he keeps losing, giving out a dollar here, a 5 there. They even start laughing at him as he struggles harder and harder to “conceal” the bean under the shell. Meanwhile, his associate roams the crowd stealing wallets.
Is there a law? Is incompetence an impeachable offence? If only it were true! And I loved the analogy…..
!!!!!!!!!!!! EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION !!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t think Bush has any intention of vetoing the Supplemental funding bill if it ever gets to his desk. One of the benchmarks he has to certify turns Iraq’s oil over to the major American and British oil companies is buried in this Supplemental!
Please read Richard Beham’s “George Bush’s Land Mine” just posted here on Common Dreams. Excerpt:
“The Iraqi Parliament has before it today, in fact, a bill called the hydrocarbon law, and it does call for revenue sharing among Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. For President Bush, this is a must-have law, and it is the only “benchmark” that truly matters to his Administration.
Yes, revenue sharing is there-essentially in fine print, essentially trivial. The bill is long and complex, it has been years in the making, and its primary purpose is transformational in scope: a radical and wholesale reconstruction-virtual privatization-of the currently nationalized Iraqi oil industry.
If passed, the law will make available to Exxon/Mobil, Chevron/Texaco, BP/Amoco, and Royal Dutch/Shell about 4/5’s of the stupendous petroleum reserves in Iraq. That is the wretched goal of the Bush Administration, and in his speech setting the revenue-sharing “benchmark” Mr. Bush consciously avoided any hint of it.
The legislation pending now in Washington requires the President to certify to Congress by next October that the benchmarks have been met-specifically that the Iraqi hydrocarbon law has been passed. That’s the land mine: he will certify the American and British oil companies have access to Iraqi oil. This is not likely what Congress intended, but it is precisely what Mr. Bush has sought for the better part of six years.
It is why we went to war.”
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ACT NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have to contact every member in the Congress that is on the panel to reconcile the House and Senate version of the Supplemental funding bill that just passed both houses of Congress. This “benchmark” has to be stripped out of this bill before it goes to Shrub’s desk!
GO! GO! GO!!!
P.S. I’m going to go on over to Move On and see what the can do.
Thanks.
No, no… the Bush administration has had resounding success at pretty much every turn. They only appear to be bunglers because we assume that their goals are lofty, and that they care about people. But the income disparity between the top and the rest of us has widened a lot - success! War profiteering has never been better - success! Environmental and workplace regulations are weakened every day - success! They know exactly what they are doing, they keep their eyes on the prize, and they deliver.
Looks like Greely’s the bungler. The shell game analogy is perfect. Keeping us focused on Iraq while they prepare to do in Iran is just another step in the game.
I think it’s a little of both.
There are some very smart puppetmasters (think darth cheney), who intentionally put incompetent people into important government positions.
I believe that everything that has happened thusfar under this gang of thugs has turned out exactly as planned. Follow the money—it’s a simple as that. And if they have succeeded in destroying or dismantling every damned program ever instituted by our Federal Govt that purported to help all of its citizens, especially the most vulnerable, hey! Does it get any better than that for the likes of them? These criminals are awesome in their evilness, as well as their Machiavellian methods. Incompetent, Mr Greely???? I think not. They’ve destabilized the oil rich MIddle East, robbed the Treasury, watched the destruction of a great American City, and enriched themselves and their cronies beyond belief, and insured the (increasingly privitized) Military Industrial Complex indefinitely. The “War on Terrorism” the perfect formula for a war-making structure that never ends. And you say they are incompetent???? They’d love you to think that because that actually evokes a certain sympathy instead of abject horror and disgust. Incompetence? Balderdash!
Bush makes me miss Nixon.
I too think it’s a little of both. I believe that Dick Cheney and whoever the people are that truly run this country know exactly what they want to do and have been very successful up to now. However, they did place many incompetent people in positions of importance. And I’m sure they had their reasons for doing that as well. You always need a fall guy to take the blame when the real blame lies elsewhere.
There is no doubt in my mind that Bush is the most incompetent president this coutry has ever had to endure. Our foriegn policy is a disaster We may have a lot of ability to push our agendas through the UN, but this is becoming more difficult as time goes on. Our foriegn policy is so bad that countries such as Iran and Cuba - to name only two - are benefiting from our incompetence. China is benefiting the most from our foriegn policy, as they quietly pursue their ambitions.
We have also squandered any ability to critisize anyone because we are guilty of so many misguided stances on a wide variety of issues.
So, in general, this is a highly incompetent presidency looked at in general. Under the suface and out of sight are some very competent people. Unfortunately, these are the very people who are destroying all this nation stands for.
These comments remind me of the night Grover Norquist drowned New Orleans in his bathtub.
I am surprised that Andrew Greeley, a catholic priest, doesn’t recognize pure evil when it is staring him in the face.
Dumb and Dumber, Bush and Cheney, have made fools out of the American people. And we are dumber than either of them for tolerating it. We should DEMAND that our members of Congress impeach both of them NOW.
It’s not a little of both, incompetence implies failed effort. There was no effort because they not only don’t care what happens to our children or New Orleans, they believe government has no business taking care of these problems anyway. And I laughed at the shell game analogy. That’s exactly what’s happening.
One thing I’ve learned about Bush. Whatever he says, he means the opposite. What I find most worrisome is the training of our military in urban warfare, and I wonder if that’s part of their plan. The newest version of the Patriot Act includes a provision for domestic use of the military if the President decides it’s necessary. The Constitution? Just a piece of paper.
Gawd you guys are great! You all saw right through this article! All of you seem to realize that Bush and Co’s evil actions are planned and executed with great diligence, forethought, and effective actions for the exact results that they were after. Kathyodat’s observation is dead on: “Whatever he says, he means the opposite”. Related to that, think about why he is making such hearty protestations that he will veto any Supplemental Funding bill that contains timelines for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Does Bush really mean that he will sign the bill when it gets to his desk? And if he does, what are his planned outcomes as a result?
Kathy: Could you expand on the Patriot Act language relative to the domestic use of the military please?
IMPEACH NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think the article is right on in its story of a lack of serious minded ‘deliverers’ of policy but the ‘frame’ is not useful for distinguishing the heart of ‘Bushism’. ‘Incompetence’ has a useful meaning only in relation to the expectation of ‘competence’ or, more bluntly, the expectation that someone who ‘cares’ and is more loyal to the ‘nation’ and its Constitutional ‘ideals’ than to the image of their boss is in each top job posting in the Executive. The belief that this is the case is supposedly strengthened by the reality that each of the Cabinet positions is confirmed by a supposedly deliberative process in the Senate and those ‘deliberaters’ are each accountable to their electorates.
The middle point between this article and the points listed above is to realize that being
competent in the job in the sense that most liberals, let alone Americans expect, is not the goal. In the most loving way possible and without rancor I wish more of those who disagree with the Bush administration would just notice that it CANNOT help people who are not their patrons. I mean this in the most objective and observational way I can muster. It’s the style of government that ‘they’ practice. It is a government of special interest. A natural consequence of power unconstrained. Those who disagree with this administration only undermine the impact of their own message when they get upset, emotional, suprised, etc. at the policies, actions or rhetoric of the ‘Bushies’. By this point (6.5yrs) it should be non-controversally evident that: ‘they’ exhibit a type of pettiness (or lack of concern for the value of actual (non-fetal or brain dead) human life which arises from the style governing ‘they’ practice which precludes ‘them’ from enacting any action which helps ‘non-patrons’ i.e. the general public. Helping America see this should be the central goal of proggresive rhetoric. The world of Karl seems to be divided into those who paid (contributed to the ’cause’) and those who didn’t.
By being angry, suprised, etc. we hide this basic reality from the third party public. We also fool ourselves because their seemingly endless ability to cause pain for others should be an obvious end point of the style of governing they practice.
Rebel Farmer, I can’t find the story where I read that (it was last year), but I did find some articles about Rumsfeld’s Northern Command (started in 2002 and which involves US deployment of troops), and discussions about reinterpretation of the Posse Comitatus Act. I remember last year reading that the President has the authority to domestically deploy military forces in the event of natural disaster, terrorist threat, or as he deems necessary to protect the public safety. There was a temporary flap over it, and also stories about Halliburton building huge detention camps in remote areas of the US. Does anyone have more information about this? I haven’t read anything about it this year (except more references to the Halliburton camps).
Does anyone else here draw a conclusion from the inherently psychopathic nature of corporations and the results of hiring corporate honchos to run the government? Two plus two still equal four - at least in my world. What you see is what you get.
Kathy - I don’t know. But….
Zeitgeist where are you? We need your help here!
Kathy and Rebel Farmer…
There has been an ongoing effort to erode the effectiveness of the Posse Comitatus Act. While 9/11 gave it more impetus, Patriot Act 1 & 2 is a continuation in that effort.
More on this can be found at the link below:
Is America Preparing for Martial Law?
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO504B.html
As for the detention centers, just cast your mind back to that bygone era when Japanese Americans became terrorist suspects and rounded up simply because they didn’t look right. I’ve heard the same rumors, Kathy has, about this.
Best Wishes and Hope
Impeach Bush’s empirical neocon oligarchs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk1vEuhBuEU
Rebel Farmer: Posse comitatus is a Latin phrase meaning “power of the county”.
On June 18, 1878 this act was introduced as part of the appropiations bill in that year beginning on June 1, 1878.
SEC. 15 reads as follows: From and after the passage of this act it shall not be lawful to employ any part of the Army of the United States, as a posse comitatus, or otherwise, for the purpose of executing the laws, except in such cases and under such circumstances as such employment of said force may be expressly authorized by the Constitution or by act of Congress; and no money appropriated by this act shall be used to pay any of the expenses incurred in the employment of any troops in violation of this section And any person willfully violating the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction thereof shall be punished by fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars or imprisonment not exceeding two years or by both such fine and imprisonment.
10 U.S.C. (United States Code) 375
Sec. 375. Restriction on direct participation by military personnel:
The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to ensure that any activity (including the provision of any equipment or facility or the assignment or detail of any personnel) under this chapter does not include or permit direct participation by a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps in a search, seizure, arrest, or other similar activity unless participation in such activity by such member is otherwise authorized by law.
18 U.S.C. 1385
Sec. 1385. Use of Army and Air Force as posse comitatus
Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of
Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to
execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
In 2002, Bush buried this idea into the Patriot Act: “The threat of catastrophic terrorism requires a thorough review of the laws permitting the military to act within the United States in order to determine whether domestic preparedness and response efforts would benefit from greater involvement of military personnel and, if so, how.” Of course, the administration downplayed the signifignace of this idea.Gen. Ralph E. Eberhardt of NORTHCOM favos this idea, and although he had no specific changes in mind, “we should always be reviewing things like Posse Comitatus and other laws if we think it ties our hands in protecting the American people.” as with so many other great ideas created to protect the public from a government gone wild, Bush the idiot tried to have this act rescinded. I can’t say what happened or where this issue stands today. But it’s clear that Bush doesn’t want to deal with this “quaint” idea either.
Rebel Farmer: Posse comitatus is a Latin phrase meaning “power of the county”.
On June 18, 1878 this act was introduced as part of the appropiations bill in that year beginning on June 1, 1878.
SEC. 15 reads as follows: From and after the passage of this act it shall not be lawful to employ any part of the Army of the United States, as a posse comitatus, or otherwise, for the purpose of executing the laws, except in such cases and under such circumstances as such employment of said force may be expressly authorized by the Constitution or by act of Congress; and no money appropriated by this act shall be used to pay any of the expenses incurred in the employment of any troops in violation of this section And any person willfully violating the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction thereof shall be punished by fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars or imprisonment not exceeding two years or by both such fine and imprisonment.
10 U.S.C. (United States Code) 375
Sec. 375. Restriction on direct participation by military personnel:
The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to ensure that any activity (including the provision of any equipment or facility or the assignment or detail of any personnel) under this chapter does not include or permit direct participation by a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps in a search, seizure, arrest, or other similar activity unless participation in such activity by such member is otherwise authorized by law.
18 U.S.C. 1385
Sec. 1385. Use of Army and Air Force as posse comitatus
Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of
Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to
execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
In 2002, Bush buried this idea on page 48 of the Patriot Act to alter the Posse Comitatus Act: “The threat of catastrophic terrorism requires a thorough review of the laws permitting the military to act within the United States in order to determine whether domestic preparedness and response efforts would benefit from greater involvement of military personnel and, if so, how.” Of course, the administration downplayed the signifignace of this idea. Gen. Ralph E. Eberhardt of NORTHCOM favors this idea, and although he had no specific changes in mind, “we should always be reviewing things like Posse Comitatus and other laws if we think it ties our hands in protecting the American people.”
However, this idea could have some very bad efects on the American people. Over the years, the law has been amended to allow the military to lend equipment to federal, state and local authorities; assist federal agencies in drug interdiction work; protect national parks; and execute quarantine and certain health laws. About 5,000 federal troops supported civilian agencies at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
There have already been many expansions of the power of the military to act inside this nation.
Of course there are a lot of good arguments not to change the Posse Comitatus Act. The military is already strecthed to the breaking point. From a Civil liberties point of view, the military is not trained as are the police to handle domestic problems. And military men and women are not trained to be good cops - they are trained as soldiers. In simple terms, soldiers search and destroy while the police search and capture.
The National Guard are the people called upon in times of national upheaval, but we all know where most of the National Guard is these days. Also, the National Guard must be better trained, as anyone who remembers the four students killed in Ohio during the height of the Vietnam protests. Finally, State Governors are the people who make decisions about calling out the National Guard - not the president.
As usual, Bush’s statements are filled with contradictions. The Guard should be here in the US if he were sincere about potecting the people.
You can follow this issue by reading what’s happening in Congress regading the Patriot Act and further attempts to undemine it.
In fact, Bush is probably going to ignore this law as well and rely on such wonderful people like Blackwater keep the masses subdued.
Thank you Hybridoma. Not exactly what we want to hear. Between Bush’s signing statements and his assertion that “As president I don’t have to answer to anyone”, this country needs to stand up to him and show him he is accountable to the people. Nancy Pelosi went too far quashing impeachment articles in Washington and New Mexico.
Thanks Hybridona! Do any of our “representatives” in Congress have any clue as to how Posse Comitatus has been undermined by the various Patriot Acts? Do they have a clue as to what the consequences are? Further, how do we get the National Guard back into the hands of the Governors so that they will no longer just be an extension of the Federal military?
Kathy: Got any updates as to how Vermont is doing on the impeachment front?
Not at the present. Just lots of town meetings is all I’ve heard so far.
OK Rebel Farmer, I’ve pasted a link the the Vermont Guardian on a story about introducing a resolution calling on the US House of Representatives to impeach Bush and Cheney. Sounds like a matter of weeks.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/20200
DeWalt, and other impeachment supporters, plan to press their case before lawmakers in the coming weeks.
That story was written on March 20th
Here’s another story mentioning efforts in Maryland and Rhode Island. Hopefully this will get too big for Nancy to manage.
http://www.greenmountaindaily.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=38
Some action to take:
Vermont Legislature: Sparks fly over Impeachment…
Filed under: Impeachment Progress News — Jodin Morey @ 11:31 am
Green Mountain Daily — As Senator Leahy bravely tightens the noose around the neck of the Bush “administration,” Vermont Democrats have lent him invaluable political backing in signaling their support for the remedy that ultimately gives him his power in his subpoena showdown — impeachment. The Vermont legislature now stands poised to lend its voice to the growing chorus joining Leahy’s charge.
In her continuing opposition, however, the understandably cautious Speaker Gaye Symington clings ever more tenuously to the excuses she’s invented for herself not to act. With the nation’s eyes on the contest of resolve now being waged between Leahy and Bush, her expressions of concern become increasingly indistinguishable from willful protection of the Bush White House.
Just as principled, anti-war Democrats in Washington were this week called upon to support an Iraq appropriations bill about which they had grave misgivings, so the time has come for Symington to reconsider the bottom line consequences of her trepidation. Senator Leahy, on behalf of Vermonters and all Americans, stands eyeball-to-eyeball with Bush in a high stakes staring contest in which even Republicans are backing away from the President. Gaye Symington, though, busies herself with watching the clock, insisting that the overwhelming weight of Vermont’s legislative agenda precludes an expression of support for Leahy’s brave stand in defense of the Constitution. (More)
What can WE do?
Contact Speaker of the VT House Gaye Symington, and tell her she’s failing to fulfill her oath to defend/protect the Constitution.
Gaye Symington
115 State Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05633-530
802-828-2231
Speaker@leg.state.vt.us
I’m not sure, but I think this isn’t the same as a state legislature filing articles of impeachment, just a resolution supporting impeachment. Baby steps.
It might be more polite (and productive) to urge Speaker Gaye Symington to support this in defense of our Constitution than to criticize her.
Just opened this email and had to share it! Here’s some action to take!
Dear Ms. Jones,
First of all, congratulations for making your pledge
to strike if Congress denies our Citizen’s Petition
calling for impeachment.
But we must ask more from you if we are going to stop
this president from pre-emptively attacking Iran and
impeach his administration for their well known crimes
against our Constitution and International law.
WHAT DO WE NEED? We need help contacting any groups
who have collected petition for impeachment
signatures. Especially those in districts of
Representatives Davis (D-Ill), Watson (D-CA), and
Conyers (D-MI).
WHY DO WE NEED THIS INFORMATION? Last Monday (3/26)
PTI Spokesman, Anthony St. Martin met with five
Members of Congress. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill) conceded
that while he currently defers to leadership on the
impeachment issue being “off the table” he would be
compelled to represent a petition for impeachment
coming from his district. Rep. Davis’ stance gave the
PTI Campaign the key to victory in that it gives us
the ability to rally the millions of outraged
Americans around the nation to send in their own
pledge to strike if the petition is denied or derailed
into committee.
THERE IS MORE GOOD NEWS. Mr. St. Martin then notified
Rep. Watson’s Chief of Staff, Jim Clarke by email of
Rep. Davis’s remarks and Mr. Clark replied that his
boss as well as Rep. Conyers would act similarly if a
petition arrived from their constituency with
approximately 1% of the district represented. Why
they never told anyone this, we do not know. All that
matters is that we now have three opportunities to get
a petition asking for the impeachment of Bush/Cheney
before Congress.
It should be clear at this point why we are urgently
contacting people to begin signature gathering in
those three districts while also seeking out those
groups who already have thousands of signatures to
deliver to Congress with this new understanding. We
are also contacting other Members to find those who
will join Davis, Watson, and Conyers in a Coalition of
the Willing to Represent the People on Impeachment.
I ask that you give us at least an hour a day, helping
to find and contact the many groups around the country
who have been tirelessly gathering signatures to
impeach this criminal president and his
co-conspirators so that we can inform them of this
development and ask that they join us in bringing
several petitions at once on May 1.
NOTE: We have located a group in Washington State who
hold 20,000 signatures, several thousand in Rep.
McDermott’s district. This situation is precisely what
we are looking for and are keeping abreast of their
contact with McDermotts office next week on this
matter.
Also, please take thirty seconds to call Rep. Davis
and Jim Clarke in Rep. Watson’s office to thank them
for meeting with Pledge to Impeach and for opening
this window of opportunity for removing Bush/Cheney.
Davis 773-533-7520. Clarke 323-965-1422.
Thank-you for any help you can give us in these tense
days leading to an imminent attack on Iran. There is
no time to lose.
Anthony St. Martin
Pledgetoimpeach.org
Thanks Kathy for all you do for us!!!! I’m going to wander over to Pledge To Impeach and see what I can do to lend a hand. Vermont is KEY!!!! They are so far ahead of the eight ball on this one. Impeachment has been squelched (by Dems?) in numerous States and they have lost steam!
GO VERMONT!!!!