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POPSInternal Perceptions / External Perceptions Within a particular cultural system, you always have to entertain second opinions from interested parties. It is not a contraversial statement that Stalin was evil, internationally. However! In Russia there are still many invested in Stalin and Nationalism who will try to rationalize it. Similarly, internationally, it is not a controversial statement that Bush was a monstrous, hostile, and unjust President. But in America there will people that will argue and try to justify torture and persecution that Bush perpetrated. An apologist is an apologist. If we cannot take responsibility for our own moral lapses, how can we possibly find our moral compass? People who refuse to look beyond their narrow world view discredit themselves.
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POPSThe Verdict on Bush's Reganomics: Guilty as Charged
There were those who were critical of Bush's economic policies, who said it would lead to disaster. We were dismissed as not understanding economics. We were accused of being anti-business. Well, a few years later, whaddya know... One of the central tenants of the resurgent Republican Revolution, among the GOP leadership ascendant in the mid-to-late nineties, was the idea that Regan's "trickle-down" economics worked, and that lowering taxes on the rich and encouraging rapacious spending would somehow develop an economy despite nagging social problems in the lower strata. This "well, I guess I feel rich..." approach was a lie everyone wanted to believe, because they didn't want the party to end. Now, though, even before Bush's term is over, we see a stunning economic crisis, for which he has no one to blame but himself, and which was clearly created, gift-wrapped, and delivered with flowers by the GOP's bizarre and destructively delusional view on economics.
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POPSLame Duck, or Just Lame? Okay, so there have been people like me on the left, saying that Bush is ruining the economy, and there have been people on the right saying the economy is great for the last 7 years. Very rarely has history been so swift to vindicate a particular side. What amazes me is that there are still people out there who are using the same rose-tinted glasses, taking the rose colored pills, and then drinking the rose-flavored kool-aide as the economy goes down in flames. And you know what bugs me? Even after all of this, unmitigated disaster, there are still going to be people who argue with me that Bush's economic policies have helped the country. If anyone checked, his vaunted "business experience" consisted mostly of driving profitable companies into Chapter 7. Guess what? He did the exact same thing with our country! Maybe next time we can pick a SUCCESSFUL businessman for president!
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POPSRalph Nader: Clueless Egomanica Ralph Nader represents everything that is indulgent, self-congratulatory, and ultimately ineffective about our nation's activist community. He is busy implicitly comparing himself to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while he is woefully short on valuable political analysis. Obama hits the nail on the head here: Nader doesn't actually understand politics. Anyone who thought Gore and Bush were the same ought to be feeling pretty sheepish after over 6 years of uninterrupted warfare on multiple fronts, economic crisis, financial collapse, and rapacious Nero-esque indulgence from the Bush administration. Nader couldn't have been more wrong. There is nobody quite like George W. Bush! (Thank goodness!)
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POPSThe Tethlon Idiot of Economics It's amazing how nothing sticks for this guy. Let's try to synchronize all his statements... 1.) Tax Cuts made our economy grow... 2.) We are now on the brink of a recession... 3.) Our economy is strong... 4.) We urgently need to save our economy... 5.) The government needs to spend more money 6.) The government needs to collect less taxes 7.) Tax cuts will help our economy now, just like they helped it over the last 6 years. IS HE TOTALLY INSANE? Please, tell me, someone, try to explain at what point we admit that EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE shows that Bush's tax plans have destroyed the US economy, and we are now being dragged deeper into the abyss with Bush blithely turning his sails into the storm.
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POPSThe Truth Behind Bush's Tax Cut Plan: Korsakoff's Syndrome Bush proposes tax cuts to save us from a recession. Apparently he doesn't remember that he's been cutting taxes for the last 6 years, and that's what brought us to the brink of recession in the first place. If six years of consecutive aggressive tax cuts won't save our economy, then wouldn't it seem obvious that one more year of aggressive tax cuts isn't going to either? In fact, I can make the argument that the tax cuts are actually causing the recession, due to our staggering deficit. Doesn't he have any other ideas? Doesn't he remember saying the same things over and over again as things get worse and worse? Korsakoff's Syndrome is what the guy in Memento had, where he couldn't remember what happened 5 minutes ago. One of the causes of Korsakoff's Syndrome is a depletion of Thiamine (Vitamin B1) caused by substance abuse and alcoholism. Given Bush's history, this clip is only half joking.
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POPSOn The Difference Between Belief and Politics If someone holds conservative, right wing beliefs, I've got not problem with them. I might even find myself agreeing with them sometimes. On the other hand, right wing politics are what really get under my skin. And when it comes to Bush, it's pretty much 100% pure politics. So what's the difference? Well beliefs are ideas - principles you think are right, and that you are willing to stand up for. Politics is using other people's beliefs to get what you want. Bush doesn't believe in being a "fiscal conservative!" He just talks about that so that right wing voters will support him. He wants to be fiscally conservative on public schools and health care and other areas that don't directly benefit him or his friends, but when it comes to something he wants, belief takes a back seat to unadulterated greed. Why do conservatives feel they have to defend him? Why deny reality to defend something that is against your values? Bush has dragged the entire GOP into deluded solipsism
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POPSBush: Out of Touch, and Out of his Mind At a certain point I fail to understand what our President thinks he is doing. It would seem he is newly possessed with an urgent desire to invade Iran, regardless of the circumstances. Apparently, he doesn't understand the game he's playing. He's confirming America's stereotype as a global villain in they eyes of the rest of the world. Bush led the push to attack and isolate Iran because of their nuclear weapons program. When that allegation was firmly contradicted by our own intelligence community, he didn't miss a beat. He's going on as if the NIE never even came out, still talking about nuclear weapons as if nothing had changed. Now Iran agrees to answer questions and open up to the IAEA, as well as fulfilling other obligations to the UN. As they do, Bush keeps cheer leading for war. Doesn't he realize that he's impeaching what little credibility America has internationally?
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POPSConflict in Iran: Symbiosis between Bush and Ahmadinejad I've stitched together three very interesting articles over the last week, which become much more interesting when you read them in sequence. Look carefully at what is happening. If there is anything that lays bare the role of the Bush Administration's jingoistic belligerence in the Middle East, it is the recent conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. With the international pressure off Ahmadinejad, he starts taking heat in Iran for the shortcomings of his leadership. Without fear, his belligerent and isolationist politics lose their appeal. In order to defend his world view, and preserve the source of his power, he needs America as an enemy... So some Iranian boats play around with one of our convoys, Bush comes out with some insane saber-rattling press conference, and, Ahmadinejad is back in business, courtesy of the Bush administration. If you desire war, you need an enemy. If you need an enemy, you desire war. Bush needs Ahmadinejad. Just like Ahmadinejad needs Bush.
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POPSWrong on Taxes: Bush sells America to China Romney says McCain was wrong to vote against Bush's tax cuts. If he really believes this, then he is not a true conservative. What is the truth about Bush's tax cuts? Bush slashed the revenue of the US government to help rich people get richer. This means the government has less money to spend. But he is the greatest spendthrift in the history of American Presidents. So who is paying for all of Bush's spending? It isn't Romney, who is getting millions back in tax cuts. It's the Chinese, who are buying US Treasury bonds to gain power over the US. Look at the numbers. the Chinese have almost literally financed the Iraq war. A true conservative spends money when he has it, and when he doesn't, he works for more. Bush's extravagance has sold our economic independence to a rival nation. Does this sound like treason to you? Because it sure does to me!
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POPSNotes on a (bunch of) Scandals This seems to represent one of the most perplexing American of phenomena. Our tolerance of serial idiots. Why is it that we invite them back? Why is it so hard to ruin your reputation? I don't believe the author is write, regurgitating the hackneyed "short attention span" argument. Something way more complicated is going on than that. Perhaps we let them come back because we secretly want more. More of the easy, mindless answers they give us. More of the distracting scandal that makes us feel better about ourselves. The author ignores the 700 lbs. Gorilla in the "train wreck" room: George W. Bush. After all his failures and deceptions, why do people still trust him? Do we really run from the truth? Or is it that watching their failures verifies our own righteousness? Nader said it best: he would rather see Bush president than Gore, because Bush would prove him right.
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POPSExcellent Advice on Middle East Diplomacy Although I disagree philosophically with Bush's conception of the international community and America's role in it, I do not believe that is the reason for Bush's diplomatic failure over the last 6 years. Instead, rather than ideology being the problem, I believe that methodology has been the most serrious impediment. If they can learn to swallow their pride when necessary and follow these three guidelines, we may see genuine progress in the middle east for the first time in nearly a decade.
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POPSBush: No Ideology Other than Greed This cracks me up. So: are right wingers strict-constructionists, decentralizing as much as possible and protecting states rights or big government federalists using consolidated power to engineer their ideal society? Depends on the issue: Prohibiting Abortion: Federalist unless it is a state trying to ignore Roe v Wade, in which case: State's Rights Integrating Schools: States Rights Unless it comes to Federal support for segregation: Federalists Marijuana decriminalization: Federalist Unless your state institutes ridiculously draconian and probably unconstitutional punishments: States Rights Gun Ownership: States Rights Unless unless you are Washington DC and pass restrictive gun control laws: Federalists Environmental Protection: States Rights Unless your state actually tries to protect the environment at the expense of big business: Federalist These guys believe in nothing, they just use any ideology they can to justify whatever it is the want.
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POPSWhy America Will Survive George W. Bush Otto von Bismarck saw how American blunders led to American power and allegedly said that God has a special providence for drunks, fools, and the United States of America. Walter Russell Mead (of the Council on Foreign Relations) puts Bush's 8-year stint in the White House into proper perspective. America's foreign policy has been short-sighted and often self-defeating from the get-go, alternately collaborative, passive, and interventionist. And, yet, miraculously, we always come out ahead. With the unstoppable rise of a global capitalist economy, Mead makes the case that America, for all its past and current faults, will continue to be the inevitable leader of this new international buoyancy. Not even our latest mistakes (unprecedented though they may be) can derail such a powerful incentive that is the modern American world trade system. Which means, more than ever, we're literally all in this together.
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POPSMemorial Day for "Loyal Bushies," Democrats & Dissidents need not apply "This is not the message Bush typically hears." That's the most alarming thing about this administration. It seems many conservatives have embraced Bush's example of willful ignorance. They depend on flattery, censorship and wishful thinking to justify their policies. A soldier who dies for his country is a hero, whether he is Democrat or Republican, whether his family supports the war or opposes it. Excluding some families of fallen soldiers on Memorial Day on the basis of political affiliations is Treason!
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POPSBetter Sorry than Safe: Torture and Global Warming It seems that there is a wild inconsistency here that betrays the priorities of the Bush administration. Bush justifies the use of what ammounts to torture when it comes to "The War On Terror" because he argues even if we are making a mistake, it's better to be safe than sorry. On the other hand, when it comes to "Global Warming" Bush and his ilk have stubornly resisted doing anything, even the meekest of protective measures, until a perpetually shifting level of scrutiny and evidence is met. Their logic is this: we still don't have enough evidence, so it is better to be cautious (no matter how much evidence is presented). They argue that acting without evidence might open the door to limits on our liberties that would lead down a slippery slope to state-ism. It is more important to maintain the ironclad protections of the "Free Market" then to combat the hypothetical risks of global warming. Why the disconnect?
22
POPSRediculous Propaganda from FEMA FEMA is a disaster all its own. The next president will need to give them a serious overhaul! Of all the people who shouldn't be afraid to face an ugly situation, it's FEMA's job to face disasters, not create them! Scolding is not enough for this. They should all lose their jobs. Immediately. Once again this shows that the administration only cares about pats on the back and looking out for its own interests, not in actually getting things done. Which is probably why in the last 6 years, Bush has achieved nothing except for ardent self-congratulation. These people are totally insufferable politicians! On a side note, the state department is having trouble filling positions at the Iraqi embassy. I can't think of a better place for Bush and his cronies to serve their retirements. Maybe they might actually do something for their country!
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POPSCuban Reactions to Bush's Condemnation It's hard to explain how out-of-touch the Bush administration and the right-wing in general is with the rest of the world. Bush was surprised that the Cubans didn't rise up when Castro retired, and wonders why the Islamic world rejects our "democracy" (so long as you elect a pro-American buisness leader) but he never thought to ask why? Why does he know so little about the rest of the world? Why do so many people hate the political principles he holds dear? Why has the rest of the world turned against America diplomatically under his leadership? Time to stop lying to ourselves. Now!
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POPSClueless On Cuba US foreign policy has long hinged on the rather shaky presumption that we are always right, and that those who disagree with us must be universally reviled. With such a perspective, Bush is no doubt very confused as to how someone like Fidel Castro could have maintained power, overlooking the fact that a lot of Cubans actually LIKE their communist government. Delusional egotism is no basis for foreign policy. Americans have an increasing reputation (since the beginning of the cold war) for being willfully out of touch with reality and utterly oblivious to inconvenient truths. Bush simply continues to prove that stereotype correct. The real danger lies in that we might soon apply the same naive optimism to a very dangerous war that we WILL lose in Iran. Sad to say, America is such a great nation, the only people who can destroy it are the Americans themselves. Unless we wise up and start taking the rest of the world seriously, we are doomed.
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POPSIf Bush is lying, we are lying too. Is not accepting a lie and allowing it to become truth just as bad as telling the lie? Isn't it criminal negligence when we overlook uncomfortable truths? Why are the lies Bush tells so effective, even after they are exposed? Because they are convenient, because they are what we would like to believe. I've always guided my politics by one principle: I see the Germans on the History Channel, awkwardly trying to explain why they served the Third Reich. They always say things like "How could we have known?" or "If you'd have been there, you would have too." or "We thought we were doing something good!" My goal is never to have to explain myself on the History Channel. Never to be blinded by political charisma or naive devotion to powerful institutions. I'd rather be skeptical than be an accomplice. I have no sympathy for someone who pleads ignorance.
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POPSTo be or not to be: Genocide & the Melancholy President Turkey is a lose lose situation for us. There's no way we'll pull them off of the Kurds through appeasement. Of all the times Bush stood strong, this is the time for a little bravado, where did it go? What kind of President caves in on issues like genocide? He just took away Pansy of the Week award from Gordon Brown!
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POPSEconomics of La-La-Land Bush has run the country the same way he ran his companies, which is directly into the ground. If world superpowers could declare bankruptcy we'd be in Chapter 7, or perhaps the seldom used Chapter 9. Why is this? Because Bush's arrogance precludes the critical examination of his spending priorities, or any of his other ill-conceived and un-informed decisions. No compromise, no second thoughts, no outside opinions. He's the Pangloss of economics! No matter what catastrophic negligence manifests itself in what would normally be considered a disaster or failure, he's always sure to praise what a great job he is doing. Si, mon chere Monssieur Bush, c'est ici le meilleur des mondes possibles, que sont donc les autres?
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POPSA Melancholy Bush Legacy Although opinions may very, I personally don't think Bush will have any significant legacy at all. Most of his best ideas were either glib comments in State of the Union addresses (Hydrogen Cars, Mars etc.) or things he talked about but never followed through on (the promised funding for AIDS research and even some assistance to 9/11 victims has yet to actually be allocated.) Empty promises may be impressive now, but they won't be in a hundred years when the rhetoric has faded. So what will people say of Bush once he has passed out of living memory? Conservatives seem to cling to him as a symbol of the strength of their ideas, because he won't compromise and doesn't blink when he continues to push the conservative agenda against mounting popular opposition. But he won't be a conservative rallying cry forever. What actual achievements will last in the record of history?
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POPSOn War and Rhetoric: From Hungary to Iraq It has always been striking how Bush has used similar rhetoric to imperialist dicataorships when rationalizing the war in Iraq and lionizing himself. This is no where more alarming then when the obliviously echoes the rehetoric of the Soviet Union and its invasion of Hungary in justifying his own invasion of Iraq. The Soviets and Bush would no doubt hate each other, but there is a common strain in their ideology: they are all true believers, who have convinced themselves that they can do no wrong. Can a country remain a democracy even as its leaders talk like dictators?
10
POPSFrank Rich puts Bush in perspective... I'm looking forward to watching Matthew McConaughey play Bush, it can be a cross between his performance in Sahara and his drug-fueled Daily Show interviews. But serriously, this does lend some valuable perspective. I think people really over-react to Bush. Granted, I think his Presidential record is abysmal, but I don't think he's what most people say he is. They simply stereotype him. He probably isn't as stupid as some people say he is, but he probably isn't as smart as others say either. He's not as diabolical as many people think he is, but I'd be surprised if he was as angelic as he makes himself out to be. In short, he is human. And although I hope we have better Presidents in the future, they too will be human, and we shouldn't forget this. That a President eventually ceases to be a person and becomes a symbol is the tragedy of all Presidencies.
5
POPSBush: For Israel a Friend or Foe? In the 2000 Presidential Debates, Bush was asked what he thought about the Israeli-Palestenian conflict, and what he would do to help resolve it, and he responded kurtly "America is a Friend of Israel." Nothing more. Apparently he felt no further depth of reflection was necessary. Seven years later and I still remember the moment very clearly. He was wrong then, not just in strategy but in statement. America has not been a friend to Israel, or if it has, it has been the worst kind of friend possible: the kind of friend always pushing you to do the things you know are bad for you, but want to anyway. Funny how those kind of friends always seem to stay clean of the trouble they get you into.
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POPSDemocracy at work: Unity in Contempt Just as Clinton galvanized the GOP into the unified organization that took back congress, and then the white house, Bush now does the same for the left. So it's time for the pendulum to swing the other way... ...and you can't even get off it, even if you get dizzy!
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POPSA Strategy not for Victory, but for Escalation The "New" Strategy that Bush has vaunted so much seems more and more to be a sinister ploy to avoid accountability. Militarily, this strategy is not feasible. While it might work in traditional warfare against an entrenched military, in the fluid dynamics of asymmetrical warfare, we are simply diving into the whirlpool. As our enemy continues to disappear into the surrounding chaos, we will become enveloped in an increasingly intractable fight to defend indefensible battle lines. I believe this is a strategy not to win the war, but simply to draw us into it so deeply that nobody can force Bush to end the war, and he can leave that as a problem for his anticipated Democratic successor.
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POPSIraq is more than just an election issue! At this point we really should be asking ourselves: what is the real objective of the Bush administration? Is he actually trying to win the war? Or simply trying to keep it going until he is out of office? Isn't the troop surge perfect evidence of this? The new strategy amounts to nothing more than simply committing more men and material to the problem without a significant re-evaluation of our overall strategy, or its shortcomings. Unfortunately, the impractical Democrat bill on spending, and their quick retreat from that position also seems to suggest that many Democrats think that an ongoing war in Iraq might be a convenient election issue next year. I will vote for no candidate who plays politics while people's lives are on the line.
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POPSThe transformation of Andrew Sullivan Although it may well annoy people on both sides of the political spectrum, I have to say, with no small amount of admiration, I find it a promising sign that such people can change their minds, rather than lead a life locked in to a single ideology. In all fairness, this is also a quality I can also admire going the other way, as in the cases of Christopher Hitchens and Charlton Heston. Ideological stagnation seems to be a sign of decline in civilizations.
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