SINthysist
Rural Racist Homophobe
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2001
- Posts
- 11,940
By John LeBoutillier
Monday, July 15, 2002
MAJOR PROBLEMS
1) Bush’s Harken Problem: As the stock market slide dominates the news – including the political agenda – it is now becoming obvious that the so-called ‘mainstream media’ will not rest until the Securities and Exchange Commission makes public all the documents relating to G.W. Bush’s 1990 stock sale. Refusing to release them will only keep the focus on this 10-year old deal – and call into question Mr. Bush’s personal credibility.
The media – and the Democrats – just love to string this out. The more the market tanks and Bush is seen as personally under a cloud, the better it is for Democrats.
The November elections are now shaping up as a potential disaster for the GOP.
2) The Cheney Problems: Vice President Dick Cheney’s woes are going to hurt the White House more than we know, but not for the expected reasons. His strength is as a behind-the-scenes advisor, but he cannot function effectively if he is distracted and worried about his own situation. Good advisors must be able to take a dispassionate look at a problem and offer selfless advice. How can Cheney do that with SEC probes, Energy Task Force court cases and even Judicial Watch breathing down his neck?
No wonder White House aides describe the Veep as “unusually quiet” last week.
3) The War: public polls show a majority of people do “not believe we are winning the war.” This, too, presents a problem for the Administration. What do they do? They seem incapable of capturing or killing Osama – despite repeated news stories that he is alive somewhere in the mountain range linking eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. But the White House refuses to blame CIA’s woeful performance on Director George Tenet. Instead they have all hunkered down together and seem content with the status quo. This is a major mistake.
4) Iraq talk. The Bush Administration loves to leak Iraq war plans almost daily. Why they do this is a mystery as they are alerting Saddam that we are coming. And they are hardening anti-American positions in other nations who do not favor a pre-emptive attack. Instead of the tried-and-true “Speak softly and carry a big stick” foreign policy of Teddy Roosevelt, the Bushes bluster and boast and threaten. Why? What is the point? To score a few cheap domestic political points to offset the stock market?
5) Speicher Case. The Administration’s decision late last week not to send a delegation to Baghdad to discuss the case of Captain Michael Scott Speicher is another baffling move in the mysterious case of the first apparent casualty of the Gulf War. Speicher may very well be alive and the Iraqi government invited the Bush Administration to send a team to Baghdad to discuss the case. Why not take them up on it? Is it because we do not want to afford Saddam the opportunity to appear ‘cooperative’ at a time when we are preparing public opinion for war?
Such an attitude makes hollow the words “we are making every effort to determine the fate of Captain Speicher.”
Secretary of State repeated that phrase five times last week in announcing that we are not sending a team but instead will send a letter to the Iraqis.
We have not heard the last of the Speicher Case – not by a long shot.
6) Over this past weekend I again watched the videotape – SILENCED – Flight 800 and the Subversion of Justice. In light of 9/11, this tape is shocking. There is no doubt that TWA 800 was shot down - and the Clinton Administration covered it up.
How can we properly win the War on Terror if that crime goes unpunished –and our government clearly covered it up?
The CIA and the FBI are clearly ‘dirty’ in this case. How can we have faith in them if they lied to us – and got away with it?
Monday, July 15, 2002
MAJOR PROBLEMS
1) Bush’s Harken Problem: As the stock market slide dominates the news – including the political agenda – it is now becoming obvious that the so-called ‘mainstream media’ will not rest until the Securities and Exchange Commission makes public all the documents relating to G.W. Bush’s 1990 stock sale. Refusing to release them will only keep the focus on this 10-year old deal – and call into question Mr. Bush’s personal credibility.
The media – and the Democrats – just love to string this out. The more the market tanks and Bush is seen as personally under a cloud, the better it is for Democrats.
The November elections are now shaping up as a potential disaster for the GOP.
2) The Cheney Problems: Vice President Dick Cheney’s woes are going to hurt the White House more than we know, but not for the expected reasons. His strength is as a behind-the-scenes advisor, but he cannot function effectively if he is distracted and worried about his own situation. Good advisors must be able to take a dispassionate look at a problem and offer selfless advice. How can Cheney do that with SEC probes, Energy Task Force court cases and even Judicial Watch breathing down his neck?
No wonder White House aides describe the Veep as “unusually quiet” last week.
3) The War: public polls show a majority of people do “not believe we are winning the war.” This, too, presents a problem for the Administration. What do they do? They seem incapable of capturing or killing Osama – despite repeated news stories that he is alive somewhere in the mountain range linking eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. But the White House refuses to blame CIA’s woeful performance on Director George Tenet. Instead they have all hunkered down together and seem content with the status quo. This is a major mistake.
4) Iraq talk. The Bush Administration loves to leak Iraq war plans almost daily. Why they do this is a mystery as they are alerting Saddam that we are coming. And they are hardening anti-American positions in other nations who do not favor a pre-emptive attack. Instead of the tried-and-true “Speak softly and carry a big stick” foreign policy of Teddy Roosevelt, the Bushes bluster and boast and threaten. Why? What is the point? To score a few cheap domestic political points to offset the stock market?
5) Speicher Case. The Administration’s decision late last week not to send a delegation to Baghdad to discuss the case of Captain Michael Scott Speicher is another baffling move in the mysterious case of the first apparent casualty of the Gulf War. Speicher may very well be alive and the Iraqi government invited the Bush Administration to send a team to Baghdad to discuss the case. Why not take them up on it? Is it because we do not want to afford Saddam the opportunity to appear ‘cooperative’ at a time when we are preparing public opinion for war?
Such an attitude makes hollow the words “we are making every effort to determine the fate of Captain Speicher.”
Secretary of State repeated that phrase five times last week in announcing that we are not sending a team but instead will send a letter to the Iraqis.
We have not heard the last of the Speicher Case – not by a long shot.
6) Over this past weekend I again watched the videotape – SILENCED – Flight 800 and the Subversion of Justice. In light of 9/11, this tape is shocking. There is no doubt that TWA 800 was shot down - and the Clinton Administration covered it up.
How can we properly win the War on Terror if that crime goes unpunished –and our government clearly covered it up?
The CIA and the FBI are clearly ‘dirty’ in this case. How can we have faith in them if they lied to us – and got away with it?
