Democrats & Liberals: Archives

Putting Up a Front

President George W. Bush proclaims that Iraq is the “central front in the war on terror.” He is mistaken. There is no front such as may exist between the armies of 2 nations at war. Terrorism is an ideological movement that is spreading rapidly everywhere around the world and we must fight it everywhere. But U.S. has trouble fighting terrorism because our men are bogged down and sinking … sinking … sinking in the quagmire of Iraq.

Why does Bush keep telling us that Iraq is the "central front in the war on terror"? Because Iraq is, or rather Bush is making it, a front - as in "putting up a front." This brings me to the next question: Why does he need to put up a front? Because he is embarrassed - if such a word may be applied to Bush - that he has almost nothing positive to say to this year's voters about his administration.

Bush claimed to be compassionate but favored laissez faire. He showed his compassion to the rich with his tax cuts and his reduction in the so-called "death tax." He demonstrated his adherence to laissez faire when he allowed the poor victims of Katrina to exercise "self reliance."

Bush is so paranoid and eager to win the "war on terror," that he approved torture and warrantless spying on Americans - as if such actions could possibly help.

Need I bring up the scandals, especially those involving Jack Abramoff and his many congressional buddies?

President Bush, or as some call him King George, knows he is right when God presents him with a gut feeling. If Bush says a person is an enemy combatant, there is no point to any legal procedures. All that is left to be done is to put the detainee in Guantanamo and forget about him. Secrecy, reduced civil rights and a lawless rule of law are the rule under King George.

King George decides to invade Iraq. So, regardless of all objections, we invade Iraq. We meet the ostensible goal of the campaign: Saddam Hussein is overthrown. Do we leave? No. We must establish democracy. Now that Iraq has had elections and has formed a "unity government," Iraqis are running around killing each other in a "non-civil war." Our buddies the Shi-ites enforce civil rights by putting women in burkas and under the control of men. Iraqi leaders root for Hezbollah against Israel and U.S.

Absolutely nothing has gone right in Iraq. From the beginning to today it has been one big fiasco. And what does Bush say about this? "Stay the course." In other words, Bush has no idea what to do. He's been asked about this so many times that finally he blurted out that U.S. will never leave as long as he is president. Pure emotion. Nothing but suffering for Iraqis and Americans.

The situation is so dire that 61% of the nation wants to get out of Iraq.

To stem the bloodbath Republicans expect from the coming fall elections, Bush and his cronies are turning to the scare tactics they have used successfully against Democrats in the past. They think the word "terror" has lost some of its terror. So they are busy concocting new words to scare the people to death. They bringing up Communism and Fascism, Hitler and Nazism. Not strong enough. So they invent a new word "Islamofascism." What does it mean? Who knows? Who cares? It sounds bad and that is all that matters.

Scare them. Scare them. Scare them. At the very least, confuse them.

Instead of fighting terrorists, our Republican leaders are playing with words in order to scare the people, so that the people would elect Republicans. Although this strategy worked before, it will not work this time. All of us can see that terrorism is increasing and that the Iraq war was a blunder.

Iraq is not the "central front in the war on terror." It is the central front for concealing what the Bush administration and the Republican House and Senate truly are like. Don't be scared. Vote the Republicans out.