Republicans look to war for
election victory
|
With just a few weeks before the
election, George W. Bush is getting ready to go to war. After all, if you
have no program or agenda, if the economy is falling apart, you need
something upon which to campaign.
Never mind that Al Quaida members are being arrested in this country and
we’ve done all the damage that we can in Afghanistan. Besides, Bush has
been itching to throw down with Saddam Hussein of Iraq since Hussein tried
to kill his daddy.
And, if in the process, the war results in greater access to oil (and we
won’t even mention that the oil might fatten the pockets of Halliburton and
the likes of Vice President Dick Cheney) then all the better. Big money, big
oil, big grudge.
It sounds like a rerun of the now defunct television soap opera Dallas. It
would almost be comical if it wasn’t so tragic. Bush got high marks for his
recent prime time speech on his war plans (even though it was ignored by
major networks). Although he sounded more like a grown up than a little boy
spoiling for a fight against somebody who tried to beat up his daddy, he
still failed to articulate why Iraq? And why now?
But it’s not hard to figure out. In order to distract people from the
failing economy and other domestic woes, Bush is hoping to take advantage of
the post-September 11th tendency of the American people not to question the
administration. Despite the lack of a reason for a war, a significant
number of Americans polled say they support Bush taking this country to war
against Iraq.
Perhaps it’s post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of September 11.
Sadly, the current mindless patriotic sentiments (which might be admirable
under different circumstances) are such that some Americans would probably
support Bush going to war against Lithuania. So, look for a war to bust out
around Halloween and perhaps last just long enough for the Republicans to
try and win key political races in the November elections. |
