Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Fissures in the Facade - "All Hat and No Cattle"
Despite the boastful claim about "mandate" in the second term,there are signs that cracks are appearing in the image.
- The Bolton case highlights the fact that even with the Republican majority the president is unable to get his nominee confirmed by the Senate. He can, of course, use "recess appointment" and the signs are pointing that way. That, however, would emphasize weakness of his position.
- The House passed Patriot Act (II) but a watered-down version; the president didn't get what he pushed for.
- His much vaunted plans for partial privatization of Social Security landed with a thud. Majority of Americans remain unconvinced by his pitch. They are distrustful of the implications and lack of details. Rightly so. While he has not given up, Republican members of Congress are seeking a quiet way out.
- Finally, the mess in Iraq is making its impact at home. News about deaths and injuries are beginning to raise questions,especially in view of the barrage of new reports about plans for the war and the ploys used to deceive the nation. Apart from the lack of justification, the plans turned out to be hopelessly inept. The cost in dollars is one thing, the cost in lives and limbs is a more serious issue.
The Republicans would have been screaming for impeachment if this happened under a Democratic president. Now they are like the wise monkeys : "See no evil, hear no evil". While the politicians are following their usual path of expediency by remaining silent, the people are not. There are signs that disenchantment with the president is spreading across the land.
"All wars are wars among thieves who are too cowardly to fight and who therefore induce the young manhood of the whole world to do the fighting for them."
---Emma Goldman(1869-1940)
