Cracks in the Façade of Bush Inc.

Late last week one of my long time readers and frequent contributors to my discussion section asked if I thought Dubya Bush was doing a good job as a leader visa-via the "War Against Terrorism." This is what I said:

'I must admit that Bush acted swiftly and with determination, something President Carter did not do, which arguably led to the past 20 years of terrorist aggression against the United States. I am thankful that Bush has able men and women around him and is sensible enough to heed their advice and counsel. President Bush has won my support and respect. Now if we could do some about the countrified, down-home way in which he communicates!'

Oh what I difference a week makes! Bush for all of his upper class indignant bluster and Texas tough talking on terrorism has for all intents and purposes left the filed of battle, and can now be found in the company of children, or most likely hiding under a desk!

Congress is once again coming apart at the partisan seams; what was the House of Representatives thinking when it pasted the Economic Stimulus Package which gives big business a free spot at the federal largess watering hole to the tune of billions in lost tax revenues? And now it seems Congress has gone back to the days of continual in-fighting, partisan bickering, and spitball throwing over who the issue of who should man the security checkpoints at out nations airports: federal security employee, or private security personnel under federal supervision! How juvenile and irresponsible, how insulting and overwhelmingly arrogant is it for the Republican majority to hold up such an important piece of legislation because they think the security agents will vote Democratic future elections! In the meantime people pass through airport security checkpoints with loaded guns, but the administration continues to swear air travel is safe, and admonishes us sheep (American citizens), to get on with the nations business and fly despite the continued lapses in airport security.

And the anthrax situation already an area of repeated debate, disinformation, and ignorance, is quickly spinning out of control! The Secretary of Health & Human Services Tommy Thompson, try as he might appears to be ill equipped to handle the department he has been anointed to lead. And so far in this crisis, which only seems to be growing larger by the hour, the Director of the Office of Homeland Security, Governor Tom Ridge, has remained surprisingly mute about what direction the many federal agencies he is supposed to be leading, should take in combating this nasty scourge. A flotilla of battleships could be driven through the leadership vacuum left in the wake of the inaction, missteps, miscues, in-fighting, and down right mistakes the federal government has made since the first anthrax case was reported in Florida almost a month ago. Shouldn't Governor Ridge in an effort to educate the American public about the anthrax bacterial threat, host nationally broadcast town-hall type meeting in Washington D.C. in which the "experts" tell us what to expect and not expect from not only anthrax but other potential bio-terror weapons? Ignorance is never a good thing.

For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Vincent E. Martin's Politics & Minorities topic, please visit the Discussions page.