Imposing Insecurity
And Managing Madness: Bush Style


After the ruthless right wing of the Republican party seized complete control of the federal government, it quickly began to impose insecurity in order to manage the ensuing madness. Corporate control of the business and financial sectors made this political seizure possible. The principle of one person/one vote was the only legal remedy left to the people to save our faltering democracy. Nevertheless, the infamous 1976 Buckley v. Valeo Supreme Court decision slapped aside this important protection a long time ago. The equating of money with speech ensured the inevitable rise of US fascist fetishism. It's the year of Our Dear Leader 2005. The corporate Christo-conservative takeover is now complete. So, how do Americans like it? We don't like it at all.

There are basically two ways an executive can lead. He or she can either build consensus with compelling ideas or engage in conflict management. It's more difficult to build consensus than to manage conflict. A democracy is better served by leaders who have the capacity to persuade the people with vision and inspiration. Fortunately, America has been blessed with many presidents who fit this description. And we benefited immensely from their terms in office.

During peacetime, an executive's deliberative skills are usually prominent. However, it's during times of trouble the true measure of a leader is taken. Many historians believe great wars make great presidents. And there's little doubt an executive's ability to manage sudden and unforeseen problems is essential. It's the rare president who feels confident in leading the nation in peacetime as well as to war. So, where does Our Dear Leader fit on this political spectrum?

Historians will be confounded by the unconventional reign of George W. Bush. One wonders what kind of sorcery permitted this man the chance to occupy the Oval Office. He has never displayed any successful leadership skills. While we prefer to believe every young American could grow up to be president, the actual possibility is very remote. The burden of leading our nation is heavy. Only persons with noble character, excellent skills and perseverance usually assume the office. George Bush has no idea why he's president of the United States. And historians will consider him the worst of all time by default.

George W. Bush can't lead by building consensus because he's never had an original idea in his life. Cutting taxes doesn't count. He possesses no extemporary skills whatsoever. The few press conferences he's attended were all exercises in utter futility. In desperation, he wore a transmitter under his suit jacket during one of his debates with John Kerry. It didn't help. Rather, it only added to our national embarrassment.

This sad little man was left with leading by conflict management. While this position is infinitely easier than consensus building, it still requires leadership to stem the unrest. The 9/11 attacks were an ideal opportunity for Bush to take the high road in defense of our nation. Leaving aside whether the official 9/11 story is factual or not, Bush and his inept staff bungled every aspect of the response.

Osama bin Laden was charged with masterminding the 9/11 attacks. Despite his imminent capture at Tora Bora, he was inexplicably allowed to escape into Pakistan. George Bush wasn't interested in simply smashing al-Qaeda and bringing the criminals to justice. This was never his intention because a quick end to the 9/11 crisis would've been a short-term solution to his long-term leadership deficit. He needed an enduring conflict which he could manage. Such a conflict would conceal his skills vacuum; get him [re]elected and supply him the time to entrench corporate cronyism.

The facts are already known. George Bush used the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to launch a bait-and-switch ploy to go after Saddam Hussein. Long before the war, it was known Iraq posed no threat to us. The first Iraq war destroyed the nation. Twelve years of sanctions weakened it further. Relentless inspections ensured Saddam had little defense left. So, why did Bush drop the bin Laden ball to go after Hussein? Because it was a political opportunity too good to pass up.

Bush needed a real war to legitimate his mantra that he was a wartime president. Terrorism is a tactic, not a nation. To justify the long-term management of a wartime economy, Bush needed an actual enemy. It made little difference Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Even though 15 of the 19 highjackers came from Saudi Arabia, attacking this country was never an option. The House of Saud secures cheap oil to America while Saudis own $750 billion in US securities and $1 trillion in bank deposits. As the Downing Street memos stated, the facts could be "fixed" around the policy. So, in Bush's eyes, the long-term benefits far exceeded the inconveniences, such as the truth.

Since the Iraq war was based entirely on a pack of lies, George Bush and a compliant congress passed the Patriot Act. This law was designed to abolish many of our constitutional protections in order to strangle dissent. Along with trebling the number of documents subjected to secrecy and the wholesale removal of federal websites, the American people have never been more blind as to what our government is doing in our name. Despite the Bush embargo on the truth, the criminal nature of his Iraq war is now known. And the rumblings of discontent are growing.

George Bush was shoved into the White House not because he had the skills to build consensus or to manage conflict. He's there simply as a last-ditch effort by the corporate Christo-conservatives to block the rise of the Global Village. Bush and his hypercriminal friends prefer a New World Order. The Global Village would be supported by true democratic principles and justice. The New World Order would be very much like the Old World Order, only newer.

The bookend debacles of the Iraq war and hurricane Katrina exposed Bush's lack of leadership and proper priorities. It's not enough to manage the madness. You need answers, as well. Imposing insecurity on the American people in the form of draconian laws, high energy costs and a federal fiscal meltdown won't make Bush seem more appealing. Quite the contrary, the American people will despise him because we're accustomed to achievement and visionary leadership, not unending futility. Therefore, woe unto this impostor president who is unable to produce successful leadership! George W. Bush: It appears your days are severely numbered.

Franklin L. Johnson
http://weareseers.blogspot.com/
starhelix@aol.com