Looking Forward... After Remembering

Eight Years in Eight Minutes

Yeah! Obama's in and Bush is out. The world can finally breathe a sigh of relief and move on to solving the crisis' left behind in their wake. 

But few lessons can be learned from moving on quickly since there won't be any investigations correcting history, no self-honesty's required, no national consensus or collective decision-making, and no public closure to begin healing. What's left will be open wounds, eventually bleeding future generations worse than any huge budget deficit ever could - thousands or more lives could be needlessly wasted because we didn't want to feel a little uncomfortable to learn our lessons now. And that number isn't counting any accidental deaths, disabling injuries or civilian casualties that may have resulted. 

This has happened before and we failed to learn it then too. And once before that also. I have learned more about U.S. foreign and trade policy since WWII in these last eight years than I could have stomached during twice the number of years in school while growing up. It's not a pretty or fun read, and very depressing.

However it was important to learn or Bush's legacy will be that he (or someone like him) will return, only worse next time. I'm posting a few excerpts from articles I've read lately that help remember this last Bush era .... 

Forgive and Forget? by Paul Klugman

"...One answer you hear is that pursuing the truth would be divisive, that it would exacerbate partisanship. But if partisanship is so terrible, shouldn't there be some penalty for the Bush administration's politicization of every aspect of government?" 

"...Meanwhile, about Mr. Obama: while it's probably in his short-term political interests to forgive and forget, next week he's going to swear to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." That's not a conditional oath to be honored only when it's convenient."

Bush's Only Gift to America by Robert Parry

"...In other words, the Clinton administration didn’t just look the other way when it came to Reagan-Bush crimes. Its officials joined in obstructions of justice, even to the extent of sending an American citizen off to prison rather than divulge secrets that would have damaged the legacies of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush." 

(The article reminds us of the roles of Rumsfield, Gates, North, Poindexter and others played in the previous Reagan-Bush administration. Iraq was accurately predicted and planned for 30 years. Behind Bush was an extremely experienced administration. No one bungled or goofed up on policies, wars, economy, or media. That's facts - not opinion.)

Tough Talk on Impeachment, Bill Moyers Journal, PBS

2007 - A public opinion poll from the American Research Group recently reported that more than four in ten Americans — 45% — favor impeachment hearings for President Bush and more than half — 54% — favored impeachment for Vice President Cheney...

Bush is a Nice Guy But ... by Helen Thomas

"... While he (Bush Jr.) remained stubbornly steadfast to his core social convictions, he did a 180-degree turn when it came to the role of government in the economy when he bailed out the collapsed giants of Wall Street.

    He told CNN: "I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market systems." So much for all the anti-government rant of Republican conservatives."

"...During the first crisis meeting after the 9/11 attack, neo-con advisor Paul Wolfowitz, said: "Let's bomb Iraq."

(Wolfowitz also stated the Iraq war would pay for itself in a year, as if greed was moral or just reason for a pre-emptive war.)

Pentagon Clears Itself of Iraq (domestic) Propaganda from Middle East Times 

"...The Times found that the Pentagon laid on special briefings and conference calls for the retired officers, many of whom then repeated the talking points as military experts on television news shows.

     It also found that many of the media analysts also worked as consultants or served on the boards of defense contracting companies, but that those ties often went undisclosed to the public.
     US law bars government agencies from using funds for domestic propaganda, but the inspector general's report said the definition of propaganda is unclear." 

 

Pentagon's Domestic Propaganda Program: by Amy Goodman 

The Best Op-Ed Ever!!! (this is a review since the original has gone 404) by Michael Cohen

George Bush Will Not Be President in 100 Hours by Spencer Ackerman

"... If there’s any real parting gift that George W. Bush has given conservatives, it’s that they can no longer use Jimmy Carter’s presidency as a laugh line. Carter never seriously argued that his presidency succeeded because only 3000 people died from terrorism on American soil while he was president. Indeed, the speech’s most inspiring stories are about people who persevered despite his policies."

OMB Watch: The Bush Legacy

And from the MSM press: (yawn)

CNN: Bush will be Vindicated by Tara Wall (I wish this story was reversed from The Onion - and this one was the joke.) 

AP: News about Obama's inauguration. Are they avoiding reviews of the Bush administration? Maybe they were too making up rumors.

The Media Myth About the Cost of Obama's Inauguration by Eric Boehlert

"... Did you hear that "some are saying" Barack Obama's inauguration will cost "$160 million," which is $100 million more than George W. Bush's last swearing-in?"

"...The federal government spent $115 million dollars for the 2005 inauguration. Keep in mind, that $115 million price tag was separate from the money Bush backers bundled to put on the inauguration festivities. For that, they raised $42 million."

ABC News: Bush Legacy: In His Own Words: Bush Frames Legacy in Farewell Speech (This story sounds like a whitehouse press release.) 

Media Often Just Along for the Ride from Media Matters

"Claim: The Bush administration is responsible for "keep[ing] the nation safe". 

     The interviewers failed to note a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on April 17, 2008 - titled "The United States Lacks Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas" - found that "[t]he United States has not met its national security goals to destroy terrorist threats and close the safe haven in Pakistan's FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas]." (and goes on and on...)

FOX: (faux) Should review information about Journalism and War Crimes.

CBS: The Bush Legacy (See ABC's whitehouse press release, er story, above). No new news.

And that's it. This is both sad and scary. People need information to make informed decisions and there are at least 100 or more hard news stories, just today, missing from mainstream news. 

Goodbye Bush - David Letterman