Blog of Mass Distraction

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Too much Bush-bashing?

I heard on CBC this morning that no sitting president has ever had as much criticism and venom published against him as the current president Bush has. It's rather indicative of how polarized everything has become. It's probably also why people have actually *asked* me for my thoughts on the current political situation (rather than me offering them and making everyone bored stupid).
A lot of the big media groups have questioned some of the Bush administration's policies, particularly those outside the US. They have not, however, asked the real hard hitting questions like "How can you expect anyone to believe you about Iraq when your Secretary of Defense was calling for an invasion 4 years before you came to office?" Of course you'll never hear a major media chain mention Project for the New American Century (PNAC), it's too, oh what's the word, blatant? Seriously though, publishing articles like "Bombing Iraq isn't Enough"? Are you kidding me?
But perhaps the Bush-bashing is getting out of hand. Granted it's pretty funny at times making fun of him, but it usually precludes a serious discussion of issues.
On that note, perhaps a comparison of Bush with a couple of his contemporaries, Kerry & Clinton, would be useful. So let's see:

Illegal Invasion:
Bush invaded Iraq without Security Council consent.
Illegal Invasion:
Clinton invaded Kosovo/Serbia without Security Council consent.
Bombed Iraq:
Bush used "Shock and Awe" to begin Desert Storm 2.
Bombed Iraq:
In enforcing the illegal no-fly zones, Clinton bombed Iraq for nearly a decade.
Supporting Terrorism:
Bush's administration helped oust the oppressive Taleban, to give power to the terrorist Norther Alliance/Mujahideen.
Supporting Terrorism:
Clinton's administration armed and helped the Suharto regime while it slaughtered the people of East Timor.
Illegal sanctions against Cuba:
Bush has imposed further harsh restrictions on Cuba and advocated regime change, in contravention to international law.
Illegal sanctions against Cuba:
The Helms-Burton Act, passed in 1996, further tightened the sanctions against Cuba, in contravention to international law.
Wealthy elite:
Bush was born into privilege in a wealthy family.
Wealthy elite:
Clinton is also among the top 1%, but eclipsed by Kerry who (with his wife) has assets of about $1 billion US.
Disregard for the UN and international law:
In the run-up to the war said the UN risked becoming irrelevant.
Disregard for the UN and international law:
Similar to Bush, Clinton's administration said the US "will act unilaterally when it must". Kerry also voted to give Bush the power to declare war illegally.


While internal policy in the US may vary somewhat, international policy of Democrats and Republicans is ultimately the same. The one thing Clinton had going for him was that he implemented foreign policy without isolating the US and angering its traditional allies. Bush is a cowboy thug and pisses off everyone; which is why the US, and the world, has become so polarized. But, ultimately, goals of international policy won't change under Kerry, though they may be implemented more subtly.

1 Comments:

  • I think Clinton deserves his own column on this one, don't lump him in with Kerry.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:39 PM  

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