Problems Bigger Than Bush.

[Guest guest]

D

Thu, 16 Jun 2005 16:10:14 -0700 (PDT)

This is perfectly on-target: " Problems Bigger Than Bush "

 

 

 

Bush like many presidents in the last 30 years have just been there to fill the

seat to get elected by the machine, to read the prepared speeches, and pretty

much do what they are told to do. They are not there to think or know anything.

They would have done better to have used another hollywood actor to play the

part in this case though. D.

 

 

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/06/con05203.html

 

 

Problems Bigger Than Bush

By Nick Buran

Jun 16, 2005, 00:10

 

 

 

I remember watching Dubya's infamous State of the Union Speech where

he lied to the Congress about the threat of Saddam Hussein and

thinking, " Buddy, if you're lying you'd better be prepared to face the

consequences. " I remember watching Colin Powell's disgraceful

performance at the U.N. where he revealed the so-called evidence of

Saddam's evil intent and thinking, " That's IT? That's ALL you've got?

How can you, with a clear conscience, associate yourself with this

Administration, Gen. Powell? "

 

Now it seems as though the Downing Street Memo has finally woken some

people up. There is growing pressure to get to the bottom of Dubya's

War. In a perfect world we'd see Dubya, Cheney, Rummy, Frist, DeLay

and all the PNAC traitors behind bars in a few years.

 

Even if all the American war criminals are ultimately brought to

justice there is still something that bothers me greatly. Even if

justice is done in this particular case there are troubling signs for

the future. We have allowed our Constitution to be ignored for far too

long and we are losing everything it was supposed to protect for us

and our posterity. Beyond the criminal efforts to limit free speech in

this country under the false rubric of National Security, beyond the

Administration's efforts to enforce ideological purity in all

government organizations, beyond the Administration's attempts to

dissolve the sacred barrier between church and state, beyond the

Administration's attempts to deprive prisoners of war of their rights

under the Geneva Conventions, beyond the Administration's desire to

deprive some Americans of their citizenship, beyond the

Administration's craven dismantling of the Bill of Rights … beyond all

that and more, there is a troubling aspect to Dubya's War, and it is this:

 

The Congress has the power to declare war. Not the president.

 

If the Congress abdicates that responsibility -- as it has done every

decade since the 1950s -- we cannot hope to enjoy the benefits of the

checks and balances between the branches of our government as mandated

by the Constitution. If we lose that there is almost no hope that we

will be able to secure the blessings of liberty for very much longer.

The checks and balances among the branches of government were

envisioned by the Founding Fathers as an insurance policy against the

rampant abuse of power. No thinking man or woman can deny that abuse

of power is rampant in the Executive branch of our government today.

 

This is Dubya's War, no doubt, but the complicity of the Congress is

equally disturbing. As long as the Congress acquiesces to Presidents

who claim the right to declare war for themselves we are all in grave

danger.(emphasis added) The President is the Commander in Chief of the

United States armed forces in times of war. By allowing a President to

also determine - at his own pleasure - when we are at war and who (or

what) we are at war with is to criminally abdicate their

responsibility under the Constitution. They are giving the President

-- any President -- the power to unilaterally declare who is and who

is not a patriotic American. They are giving the President the power

to unilaterally decide what Constitutional rights may be suspended in

a time of war. They are giving the President the power to decide what

is and is not legal. They are giving the President the power to remove

his actions from the public's view. They are giving the President the

power to suppress debate on issues of critical importance to the

country. They are giving the President the power to bankrupt the

country as he pursues whatever threat to National Security he may

envision or imagine. They are giving the President the power to act

without any regard at all for checks or balances on his power.

 

As long as this situation continues to exist we are all in grave

danger. Even with Dubya and the other war criminals behind bars. You

think Dubya is bad? You ain't seen nothin' yet.

 

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/05/06/con05203.html