The Bush-Cheney Rewrite History Road Show
I know it is Christmas eve and we should be focusing on family, religion, goodwill, peace and other noble subjects—and I will, after I get the following off my chest. (And, in a way, knowing that I have done so will help me enjoy the holidays, and all the future New Years, better.).
What prompted my humbug moment was a superb piece in the Washington Post by one of my favorite columnists and commentators, Eugene Robinson.
In his “The Price Of Their Security,” Robinson presents one of the most eloquent, convincing and, yes, objective judgments on the Bush-Cheney record.
I say “objective” because Robinson up-front gives these two men the benefit of the doubt by granting them the basic premise and argument: “We did what we did to keep America safe.”
Robinson even suggests that he may “understand” Bush and Cheney’s actions, with a caveat: “Understanding isn’t the same as forgiving.”
The rest of Robinson’s piece discusses these men’s natural and patriotic reactions to Sept. 11; the “[admirable] overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the dismantling of al-Qaeda’s infrastructure and the killing or capture of some of the terrorist organization’s most important operatives.”
But is also “shamefully” includes:
…the violation of international and U.S. legal norms by subjecting terrorism suspects to indefinite detention and cruel, painful interrogation; the creation of a mini gulag of secret CIA-run prisons abroad; and unprecedented domestic surveillance without court supervision — all justified, Cheney maintains, by a state of “war” that has no foreseeable end.
And a Bush-Cheney record that also includes
The invasion of a country — Iraq — that had nothing whatsoever to do with Sept. 11. This misadventure has claimed more than 4,000 American lives, wasted hundreds of billions of dollars and grievously damaged our strategic position in the Middle East.
Robinson also mentions Bush’s “So What” answer when Martha Raddatz pointed out that there were no al-Qaeda forces in Iraq until after the U.S. invaded that country. (See my “First It was ‘So?’—Now It’s ‘So What?’)
But what really got my attention was Robinson’s lead paragraph:
The history-be-my-judge interviews that President Bush and Vice President Cheney have been giving recently help me understand why they acted with such contempt for our Constitution and our values — but also reinforce my confident belief, and my fervent hope, that history will throw the book at them.
Mr. Robinson is absolutely correct about the “history-be-my-judge interviews” that Bush and Cheney have been giving as part of their transparent and shameless attempts to—at the eleventh hour—rewrite the abominable history of their failed administration and to fabricate some kind of redeeming legacy.
Had they spent half this amount of time, energy and forthrightness during the past eight years vetting intelligence and facts, fighting terrorism the right way in the right countries, and managing our economy properly, history and legacy would have taken care of themselves.
Now, Merry Christmas and a better New Year to all.
9 Responses to “The Bush-Cheney Rewrite History Road Show”
Yeah. Moderate voice…………..Yeah.
The Bush administration failed? Failed at what?
Keep in mind that admiration is the goal of worthless losers.
“failed at what?”
Shall we star with not taking action on the 9-11 signs, with crashing the economy, Katrina, civil rights, taking its eye off the real terrorists and the real war on terror, not getting Osama Bin Laden, corruption, exposing a CIA covert agent, lying to the American people, shredding the Constitution–and documents, obstructing justice, domestic. illegal wireta[[ing, setting themselves above the law, torture, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, wasting billions in Iraq, grossly mismanaging that war, etc., etc.?
“Shameless” is right. Still, the interviews will fool some people and appease others. So goes the struggle among the get a clue crowd.
DER – I guess your not a moderate like the folks at Redstate or Townhall. What is shameless is Bush/Cheney wasted the US and world support after 9-11. Instead of asking us to shop, maybe a small sacrifice to support the 'GWOT(?)' would have been a better idea. I didn't expect Victory Gardens or tin can recycling; but community service, lower oil consumption or a better understanding of the 'muslim problem' would be a start.
Dorian, I agree…. and have always said so… Bush did the right thing after 9/11 by rallying the country and the world around the US and going after the terrorists (and Taliban, if there is a difference) in Afghanistan. The world was lined up to help us and I believed Bush's pledge to get bin Laden 'dead or alive”. For a few months Bush/Cheney kept us safe. The problems (notwithstanding the initial pre-9/11 intelligence failure) came when Bush and Cheney realized they could say “national security” and put through whatever agenda they wanted.
As I recall leading up to 9/11, the Bush administration was receiving low approval ratings, and after Bush's initial success in Afghanistan, Bush's true colors showed again. His response only made the various crises worse because Bush/Cheney was trying to cover everything up (from Abu Ghraib to Katrina) under the guise of national security, and had a compliant Republican congress (though the Dems haven't been any better the last 2 years).
So yes, Bush started the war on terror on the right foot, but couldn't manage more than one task at a time when the business of running the rest of the country became necessary. Sort of like the way he ran his oil companies. He choose to venture off into Iraq for his own gain (and the gain of his political supporters who “won” no-bid contracts in Iraq).
Bush's job is to protect our country from enemies.. foreign and domestic. He did so when he went after the terrorists and the Taliban. He did not do so when he went into Iraq, which posed no threat to the US. Bush wouldn't even let the UN weapons' inspectors finish their job before bombing Iraq.
“Had they spent half this amount of time, energy and forthrightness during the past eight years vetting intelligence and facts, fighting terrorism the right way in the right countries, and managing our economy properly, history and legacy would have taken care of themselves.”
Exactly, Dorian- they have wasted way too much time trying to reinvent the facts. It makes me mad that I won't be around to see if historians buy all of this revisionist baloney.
Like Cheney's admission that he “inadvertently” may have been involved in the Plame outing. Uh—just where was Cheney when Scooter was on trial, Judith Miller was in jail— Patrick Fitzgerald was spending millions of taxpayer dollars to find out what happened?? Now that Cheney might look like a scumbag to historians– he has the “integrity” to come clean. Well, I think there's a lot more he's not saying.
“Keep in mind that admiration is the goal of worthless losers.”
Then Bush must be the greatest man on the planet! Seriously, though, he does care a lot that her is reviled– but how could he ever admit to it?
Feliz navidad Doriancito, to you y tu familia. See you next year. It's been great having you at TMV. And I know what you mean about politics and Xmas, it's hard to break the poli-addiction. lol. But make sure to take time to make good memories too.
with kindest regards,
dr.e
Muchas Gracias dr. e. And thank you for the advice on taking time “to make memories, too.” I hope I did, and am doing just that right after posting my last(?) poli-post for the year
As we say in Holland, een heel zalig Kesrtfeest en een heel gelukkig Nieuw Jaar voor U and Uw familie
Dorian