Mr. Bush, have I got an exit strategy for you

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Tue, 6 Dec 2005 01:01:34 -0800

Mr. Bush, have I got an exit strategy for you

 

 

 

Letter to the Editor in the Seattle P-I

 

 

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/250627_firstperson05.html

 

 

 

 

Monday, December 5, 2005

 

Mr. Bush, have I got an exit strategy for you

 

GUS R. STELZER

GUEST COLUMNIST

 

Despite much talk about an exit strategy from the Iraq quagmire in

which our nation is embroiled, the No. 1 exit strategy has not been

proposed. Let me fill that void. First you have a right to know where

I'm coming from.

 

When I reached the legal voting age of 21 in 1936, I voted for

Republican Alfred Landon against Franklin D. Roosevelt. I continued

voting Republican through 1980, when I founded a PAC in San Diego with

my own money to help Ronald Reagan defeat Jimmy Carter.

 

But I didn't vote for Reagan in 1984 because of his misguided trade

and fiscal policies.

 

Whereas the United States enjoyed a $28 billion trade surplus and only

$700 billion in federal debt in the previous 36 years, in eight years

Reagan piled up $1.042 trillion in trade deficits and $1.692 trillion

in federal debt. That was 186 percent more than all 39 prior presidents.

 

I haven't voted for a Republican or Democrat candidate since because I

have no desire to vote for the lesser of two evils. I retired in 1976

as a senior executive of General Motors, with responsibility for more

than 35,000 employees, and have been a member of the World Affairs

Council, the Institute for the Americas at the University of

California, the Advisory Board of the School of Education at the

University of San Diego, a Rotary Club president, etc. I've traveled

widely and lived in many states.

 

Any CEO of a corporation who screwed up as many things as George W.

Bush would have been fired by its board of directors. Here's a few of

the ways:

 

# Invasion of Iraq, which is the biggest strategic blunder and scandal

in U.S. history. Saddam Hussein never initiated a belligerent act of

aggression or terrorism against us. The buildup to that war was based

on fabrications, deception and lies.

 

# Death of 2,100 U.S. soldiers, wounding 15,000 more, and the death of

30,000 innocent Iraqi men, women and children.

 

# Immoral and unconstitutional trade policies that caused $2.824

trillion in trade deficits in just five years.

 

# The worst fiscal performance in our history, piling up $2.472

trillion in added federal debt in five years en route to a major

economic collapse.

 

# Tax policies that are an insult to working people who make dividends

possible but who are required to pay a higher marginal tax rate than

those who collect dividends without working.

 

# Foreign policies that have alienated most of the rest of the world.

 

# A misguided attempt to turn future Social Security pensions over to

Wall Street.

 

In typical arrogance, Bush said we must stay the course in the Iraq

war, which means continuing his tragic record while killing and

wounding more U.S. soldiers. That has no more credibility than to say

a fox should be put in charge of maintaining order in a hen house

after he has just created mayhem therein.

 

Earlier this year, Terri Schiavo lay in a permanent coma connected to

a feeding tube. Her husband said she would have wanted that tube

removed. But Republican members of Congress passed a resolution to

maintain the tube, causing Bush to fly from his ranch in Texas to

Washington to sign that legislation.

 

As his pen was poised to sign the document, Bush said, " If there is an

error in this matter, it is best to err on the side of life. "

 

Why didn't Bush make that same judgment in early 2003 when millions of

Americans protested against a possible invasion of Iraq, as did many

foreign leaders? Bush had no qualms about killing and wounding

thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians.

 

In view of his miserable record, his arrogant lack of good judgment

and his failure to understand the gravity of his record, President

Bush (and Vice President Dick Cheney) should be shown the exit door

with a proviso to never darken the Oval Office again.

 

That should be exit strategy No. 1!

 

I was a Republican, but never a knee-jerk Republican.

Gus R. Stelzer lives in Mill Creek.