©2007, UrbisMedia
There is George Bush, looking as dumb-faced as usual, in front of the cameras last week, and telling General-President Musharraf of Pakistan that he must take off his military uniform. It’s undemocratic for a leader to be president and head the military as well.
Hey! Hold on a minute! Isn’t this coming from President Bush, who is also called “the Commander in Chief” of the Armed forces? So how come it’s OK for Bush to be flown onto aircraft carriers to announce “mission accomplished” in a military “poopy suit” and he calls for Musharraf to give up his suit of medals. Maybe because Bush has given him $10 Billion bucks since 911, that’s why. But Musharraf still hasn’t done it, and might not.
Musharref plays Bush like a cheap tin whistle. Pakistan has for years; first because we feared the Soviets in Afghanistan, then since we fear Al Qaeda after 911. So we pay them to be our friends, but mostly they take the money and ignore us. Bush goes on about nuclear proliferation, but after Pakistani A.Q. Khan ran an eBay for nuclear secrets and materials to people we regard as enemies, we did nothing when Musharraf punished the bastard with house arrest on a nice lake. Of course, Pakistan has nukes themselves thanks to Mr, Khan, and Bush is terrified that they might fall into the hands of Al Qaeda or what he calls “Islamo-fascists”. We make deals with the leader, but most all of the people hate us and especially Bush.
So all this is typical of Bush, who talks about bringing democracy to the Middle East, but is friends mostly with dictators like the Saudis, Mubarek, and Musharraf. Bush is no more an exponent of democracy than is Musharraf. The man is nothing if not insincerity incarnate.
These two autocrats are cut from the same cloth. Not only do they both run their militaries like private armies, the share other behaviors toward government. Musharraf stacked his Supreme Court with favorites; Bush—who reigns thanks to the like of Scalia and Thomas—appoints only ideological favorites to the courts, and has federal prosecutors who convict Republicans purged. Musharraf controls his parliament; Bush ignores the efforts of congress with vetoes and signing statements. Musharraf imprisons adversaries; Bush can call anyone, even Americans, “enemy combatants and make them disappear into Guantanamo, or “rendered” to contract torture prisons abroad. Musharref declares martial law so he can forbid protests and shit down the media; Bush has the 2007 Defense Authorization Act that allows him to declare martial law any tome he chooses. They both spy on their own people and probably have plenty of waterboards.
Bush was in over his head when he ran a baseball team, but his stupidity and ineptitude in a complex world of international politics will resonate in debt and ill-will for decades. He is a man who lives on, and by, fear and greed, and he is a hypocrite. He’s stupid. He’s incompetent. He’s Busharraf.
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©2007, James A. Clapp (UrbisMedia Ltd. Pub. 11.23.2007)