Bush Defies America
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Bush, Bolton to Congress:
Screw You!
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by Dra. Rosa Maria Pegueros
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| We may regard him as a dunderhead, the original jerk dressed up as the president of the United States but one thing is certain: George W. Bush loves exercising his power and never hesitates to do so when he has half a chance.
His latest slap in the face to Congress, the recess appointment of John C. Bolton ambassador to the United Nations, demonstrates that he loves the power granted to Congress by the Constitution only when he can speak of it in the lofty words provided by his speech writers or, as in this case, cram it down the throats of his opponents. Who needs the advice and consent of the Senate anyway? Consent doesn't mean agreement does it? Or maybe I'm just disassembling... How much more power can the man want anyway? His party controls both houses of Congress and the 28 of the statehouses, including those of the largest states and, paradoxically, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the most Democratic of the blue states. The GOP's successful bid to consolidate its power by controlling all possible the avenues to the White House can be seen in the intense though quiescent pressure on all the lobbying firms in the capital who have been advised that they will be granted access to the administration only if they do not represent any Democratic interests. Yet he conveniently forgets that almost as many voters opposed him as voted for him: 59,028,111 for Kerry, another 1,224,611 for Nader and other third-party candidates for a total of 49.27% of the vote, versus 62,040,610--50.73% of the vote for Bush. 1,787,888 votes do not make a mandate. Bush's attitude can only be understood through the lexicon of sports: Football's sudden death means that your team takes home the Superbowl trophy; the go-ahead run in extra innings can make you the World Series Champions. Bush regards this as a game. The win obliterates the other side. For Bush as for Green Bay Packers the late coach Vince Lombardi, "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing." It is absolutely clear that Bush has a gloves-off, take-no-prisoners approach to government. I am all for civility on Capitol Hill but the time has come for the Democrats to put aside their distaste for direct confrontation and to oppose Bush and his policies at every turn. Polite regard for the feelings and sensibilities of others is little more than spinelessness when you're dealing with aristocrats who are accustomed to getting their own way and getting their lackeys to do their dirty work. When Bush Sr. was president, Lee Atwater took the heat for what was clearly the desire of the president. Now, I am not saying that Atwater wasn't a slime ball; he was, but he also deflected anger from his boss for policies that he carried out for him. George W. has a whole stable of snarling alter-egos, from the despicable Karl Rove to Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. The unbelievable thing is that whenever a Democrat says something even remotely critical of Bush or the GOP, like Senator Richard Durbin's observations about Abu Ghraib or any statement by party chairman Howard Dean, the Right clobbers him/her and the Democrats crumple like so much used Kleenex. The president realized early on in his administration that talking a good game, initially characterizing himself as a "uniter" rather than a divider; portraying himself as a nice guy who middle America would enjoy having a beer with; joking about his poor use of language; and publicly communing with his deity would shore-up his "political capital." His supporters re-elected him happily and have continued to defend him. In the last week, Bush has won the approval of the energy bill that despite the encroaching dangers of global warming makes no mention of the need for conservation and ignores the need for development of alternative forms of energy and of CAFTA which lifts tariffs on goods of several Central American and Caribbean nations. Now he has given Bolton a recess appointment. All that remains for a complete rout of the Democrats is the confirmation of John G. Roberts to the United States Supreme Court. The Democratic Party should take a hard look at its mascot. Donkeys are renowned for their stubborn refusal to accede to the will of others and their tendency to kick when pushed. This donkey has not been doing enough kicking back to suit me. It is about time it did. Dr. Rosa Maria Pegueros is an associate professor of Latin American History at the University of Rhode Island. She may be reached at pegueros@uri.edu CHOICE AMERICA NETWORK |
