Failed Strongman

Adam Trueblood Commentary	Index
Failed Strongman With the recent US election results, it appears likely that President Bush will fade away over the next two years, his grandiose plans to direct the world with an iron fist in shambles. A wave of repulsion coursing through the nation was enough to overcome the Republican Party’s campaign of misinformation, propaganda, and fear. The American people have come to their senses, shaking off the somnolence of the past six years. As Winston Churchill reputedly said, “America always does the right thing, after exhausting every other alternative.” The democrats are far from perfect, and operate within the same corrupt machinery of Washington D.C., yet they are the party most aligned with the political center of the country. Regardless of whether he is impeached or allowed to fade into ignominious retirement, George Bush will be remembered as the president who sought to torture, who lied to obtain support for an illegal war, who committed American troops to death and dismemberment for the sake of a needless military adventure. He will be remembered for the blood money his war bestowed upon cronies in the defense and oil industries. He will be remembered not least for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who lost their lives in the chaos created by this disastrous war. While President Bush may not merit comparison to the great butchers of history, he does hold a place alongside such minor tyrants as Mussolini, Trujillo, and Pinochet – rulers who with time have inspired both revulsion at their crimes as well as recognition of the banality of their low ambition. December 2006