Ari Fleischer: One, I think your choice of words is inappropriate when you refer to President Bush's militarism. The president is seeking a way to provide peace and to protect the American people from a growing, gathering threat in the hands of Saddam Hussein and the weapons that he has collected. And the president approaches this matter per his constitutional duties. And his constitutional duties are to be the commander in chief—who is sworn to uphold the Constitution and protect the American people from threats to our lives. And that's the manner in which he approaches it. He does view this also as a matter of great morality in terms of the serious judgment that any president has to make about risking lives to save life. And that's the focus that the president brings. —White House briefing with Ari Fleischer, Tuesday, February 11, 2003, 12:30 p.m.

A Society Worth Defending "Sometimes I think the most vulgar thing about the Cold War was the way we learned to gobble up our own propaganda. I don't mean to sound didactic, and of course in a way we'd done it all through our history. But in the Cold War, when our enemies lied, they lied to conceal the wretchedness of their system. Whereas when we lied, we lied to conceal our virtues. even from ourselves. We concealed the very things that made us right. Our respect for the individual, our love of variety and argument, our belief that you can only govern fairly with the consent of the governed, our capacity to see the other fellows' view--most notably in the countries we exploited, almost to death, for our own ends. In our supposed ideological rectitude, we sacrificed our compassion to the great god of indifference. We protected the strong against the weak, and we perfected the art of the public lie. We made enemies of decent reformers and friends of the most disgusting potentates. And we scarcely paused to ask ourselves how much longer we could defend our society by these means and remain a society worth defending." --John Le Carré, "The Secret Pilgrim" (NY: Ballentine, 1990, p. 127

GOLD PLATED INVECTIVE AWARD"President Pretzel's relentless hissy-fit for war on Iraq has of course goosed the price of gold enormously -- and that's set Bush Family coffers a-clinking. How so? In the waning days of his failed presidency, Bush I invoked an obscure 1872 statute to give a Canadian firm, Barrick Corp., the right to mine $10 billion in gold from U.S. public lands. (U.S. taxpayers got a whopping $10,000 fee in return.) Bush then joined Barrick as a highly paid "international consultant," brokering deals with various dictators of his close acquaintance. Barrick reciprocated with big bucks for Junior's presidential run. And in another quid for the old pro quo, last year Junior dutifully approved Barrick's controversial acquisition of a major rival. (Barrick is also one of the biggest polluters in America, by the way.)

"Thus every step toward war fills Bush pockets quite literally with gold. That's the way they operate, these liars and thieves in thousand-dollar suits, these secretive fronts who profit from war, fear, blood and greasy palms. They arm the "monsters," they disarm the monsters, making money both ways. Then they drape themselves with Bible and flag, like smug pimps promenading to church, singing "Glory Hallelujah" while the whole world burns." --Chris Floyd, with documentation, 02.17.03

Bush's day in Florida reflects challenges

Stressing the economy, while preparing for possible war

Monday, February 17, 2003 Posted: 12:21 PM EST (1721 GMT)

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (CNN) -- In back-to-back speeches in a politically pivotal state, President Bush sought Thursday to signal his commitment to strengthening the economy and then rallied U.S. armed forces for the prospect of war against Iraq.

Moving from a business forum to a naval base, Bush sought to assure Americans he was dealing with domestic challenges even as he prepares the country for possible military conflict abroad.

"This country will not accept a serious and mounting threat to our nation, to our people and to our friends and allies," Bush declared as he outlined the administration's case against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, accusing him of amassing weapons of mass destruction and defying U.N. resolutions to disarm.

Using forceful language, Bush denounced terrorists as "cold-blooded killers" and "thugs." At one point, he spoke as if war with Iraq were a foregone conclusion, declaring, "Our military will be fighting the oppressors of Iraq, not the people of Iraq."

The president's comments to sailors at Mayport Naval Station were delivered with far more passion than his remarks at the earlier gathering with small business owners and employees.

There, the president once again pitched his economic stimulus plan and tax package, asserting his plan would put more money into the pockets of all Americans and yield jobs for those seeking employment.

Bush called on Congress to speed up tax cuts and credits already enacted and to make permanent the elimination of the estate tax. His plan also calls for reductions in the income tax rate and would increase deductions for small businesses that invest in new machinery and other capital improvements.

"We need a little further wind at the back of this economy," Bush said. Several small business owners spoke at the forum held in a commercial printing shop, saying they would see both personal and business tax reductions from Bush's $674 billion, 10-year economic plan.

Friday's trip to the electoral rich state of Florida underscored the challenges facing the president -- dealing with an international crisis that has splintered European allies while attempting to jump start a lackluster economy at home.

The settings exemplified the White House message. First, Bush -- wearing a business suit --spoke with a the small-business owners on the floor of a commercial printing shop. Perched on a stool before a blue backdrop promoting "Jobs, Growth and Opportunity," Bush used terms like "entrepreneurial spirit" and "dividend income" to make his point.

His words were more visceral when he spoke to the sailors about an hour later. This time clad in a bomber jacket, Bush cited U.S. military might and the dangers posed by terrorists armed with biological and chemical weapons. And he bragged about the arrest or loss of suspected terrorists.

"So far more than 3,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested in many countries. Just about that number met a different kind of fate. They are not a problem anymore," Bush declared to cheers.

"Military force is always this nation's last option," Bush said at another point. "Yet if force becomes necessary to disarm Iraq and enforce the will of the United Nations, if force becomes necessary to secure our country and to keep the peace, America will act deliberately, America will act decisively, and America will act victoriously with the world's greatest military."

--Written By CNN.Com Producer Sean Loughlin in Washington

CITIZENS' WORLD NEWS DIGEST

The mainstream media, in cooperation with the White House world news service, provides this easily understandable digest of weekly world news for American citizens.

President Bush warned the world that Saddam was playing "Catch Me If You Can" with U.N. Resolution 1441, and he only had "Hours" to produce his weapons or he would be "The Man Without A Past."

Secretary Rumsfeld cautioned Europe that France's Chirac was a "Fait D'Hiver," a "Spider-Man" whose unwillingness to attack Iraq would take us down "The Road to Perdition." Chirac was reported to have responded in fluent Spanish, "Y Tu Mama Tambien."

One German official reportedly characterized Rumsfeld as "Der Er En Yndig Mand " and voiced colloquial favor for the French position, remarking, "Das Rad !"

Back in the U.S., the terrorist attack warning has gone up to Code Orange, the highest it's been since "The Two Towers" attacks.

Secretary Ridge's advice that during Code Orange citizens should go about their normal activities was followed by celebrants at Manhattan's St. John's "Cathedral" as "The Pianist" played an "Adaptation" of bride and groom requests, "About A Boy" and "Talk To Her," at a "Big Fat Greek Wedding."

A "Minority Report" by activist Michael Moore while "Bowling For Columbine" warned that an attack on Iraq would be "Far From Heaven," and asked, "Why Can't We Be Family Again"?

City officials have cautioned President Bush that unemployed teen "Gangs of New York" and "Chicago" may eventually prove to be a major domestic problem, reports Bob Herbert in the New York Times.

Meanwhile, on a very small island in the Pacific, its inhabitants commented upon the possible U.S. war with Iraq: "Cheeb-Chubs !"..."Inja !" which, roughly translated, means "I'll Wait For The Next One."

--Politex, 02.12.03 references

I've never known quite how to take New York Times pundit Thomas Friedman, seeming as he does to combine useful insight with a notable looseness of fixed principle. Watching him on Oprah last week (being home with the flu) it finally gelled for me. Friedman came across as the precociously clever child much in love with his own ideas, and yet very much someone's tool. When a well-informed audience member rose to protest that we were only seeing the Cheney doctrine of pre-emptive war formulated over a decade ago, Friedman shouted over him until Oprah quickly shut the man down, going to commercials essentially for the balance of the show. And though Oprah promised the audience member he could resume his comments the next day in part two, that didn't happen.

Friedman's efforts seemed to be directed towards getting the audience to accept the concept that the United States needed to 'reform' the governments of 21 nations in the Middle East in order to erase terrorism. From Richard Pearle's mouth to Friedman's ear, apparently.

Listen, my brother-in-law's a supervisor at a major defense plant, and he blurted out over a year ago that 'we're going to have to take over the whole Middle East and run it.' His comment immediately previous was that Bush the first was justified in leaving Saddam Hussein in power after the Gulf War because Saudi Arabia needed a buffer against Iran, just so you understand the context of his truth-telling.

So it ain't about terrorism, it ain't about bringing democracy to the Iraqi people, it ain't about weapons of mass destruction - it's about global power, dominating global economies, which is to say it's about oil. Which every thinking person already knows.

As to Friedman's sop to the audience of Fox News, that France 'be voted off the island,' I would like to respond: pardon my French, but Friedman can go *#@& himself. --Kent Southard, 02.11.03

"Events aren't moved by blind change and chance. Behind all of life and all of history, there's a dedication and purpose, set by the hand of a just and faithful God." --George W. Bush, NYT, 02.09.02

Oh my name it is Bush
Got things on my chest
The country I come from
It's called the West
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands And God on their side.

Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.

But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

So now as I'm fixin'
To make one more Hell
The truth I'm a-feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And roar to the sky
With my Savior we'll ride
'Cause God's on my side.

--Bob Dylan, with additions by Politex, 02.09.03

Vatican Rejects Bush "Economic" War Pope John Paul's point man for peace said on Thursday an attack on Iraq would unleash terrorism and kill civilians and called the latest evidence by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell unconvincing and vague. In an interview with Reuters, Archbishop Renato Martino, president of the Vatican's justice and peace department, said the pope was deeply saddened by the recent turn of events. He also stressed the Vatican's stand that it could not consider any U.S.-led action against Iraq a "just war" and that there were perhaps economic reasons behind the conflict. "I wonder why those who want to make war do not take into account the serious consequences," Martino said. "The reaction in the Muslim world will be enormous. Acts of terrorism will increase dramatically," said Martino, who served as Vatican representative to the United Nations for 16 years. "Even if it is a two, three-day strike, what about later? What about the consequences inside and outside Iraq? "I'm afraid that a war would completely affect the whole area of the Middle East...and will increase refugees, terrorism and endanger the environment," he said. Martino spoke as the Vatican raised its diplomatic profile in the Iraqi crisis to try to avert war. The pope will receive German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Friday and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz, one of Iraq's most prominent Christians, will see the pope next week. Martino gave a lukewarm reaction to evidence against Iraq presented by Powell to the U.N. on Wednesday. "My first impression is that this (Powell's new evidence) is vague," he said. He also described it as "unconvincing". --Reuters, 02.06.03

IRAQI TERRORISTS POWELL IDENTIFIES AS LINK BETWEEN SADDAM AND AL QAEDA RULE KURDISH TERRORITY NOT CONTROLLED BY SADDAM AND SAY THEY OPPOSE SADDAM "As part of Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation to the United Nations Security Council today, he said there was a "sinister nexus between Iraq and the al Qaeda terrorist network" — the nexus being a small, little known terrorist group called Ansar al-Islam, which is now at the center of the U.S. case. Powell showed a satellite photograph of what he said was a chemical weapons training center in Northern Iraq, used by al Qaeda and protected by Ansar al-Islam. "Baghdad has an agent in the most senior levels of the radical organization, Ansar al-Islam, that controls this corner of Iraq," said Powell. The group, whose name means "Supporters of Islam," rules a remote portion of the autonomous northern Kurdish territories in Iraq near the Iran border, which is not controlled by Saddam Hussein. In fact, their leaders say they seek to overthrow Saddam Hussein and his government...In an interview with ABCNEWS, the man considered the leader of Ansar al-Islam, Majamuddin Fraraj Ahmad, who is also known as Mullah Krekar, denied all allegations that he is in any way linked to al Qaeda. "They are our enemy," he said, adding that his group opposes Saddam Hussein because, unlike Osama bin Laden, Saddam is not a good Muslim." 02.06.03
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A Modest Proposal. In response to the US presentation to the United Nations Security Council by Sec. State Colin Powell, the countries on the UNSC that have spoken in favor of continuing and reinvigorating the inspection process should each offer up a substantial force of inspectors. For example, France, Germany, Cameroon, China, Russia, Pakistan, etc. should each contribute, say 1,000 - 10,000 inspectors according to population and capabilities. An inspection force of perhaps 100,000 or more would operate as a de facto occupation force. The inspectors should be supported by UN troops as protection. In effect, Iraq - and by implication of the new strategic policy of worldwide response to WMDs, the other countries in violation --Israel, N.Korea, etc-- will become an occupied country. Occupied by inspectors/international police. This is the future. NOT bombing parts of the planet back into the stone age. --Christine, 02.05.03

BUSH BUDGET WRITER ADMITS TAX CUTS HELPED CREATE DEFICIT

According to a Feb. 3 White House fact sheet:
"The budget would be in double digit deficit if had there never been a tax cut in 2001. The budget returned to deficit because of war, recession and emergencies associated with the terrorist attacks of September 11th."

"But whoever wrote the historical tables volume of the 2004 White House budget obviously didn't get the memo. Observe this passage from the bottom of Page 5:

According to this analysis, the 2001 tax bill was intended to help stimulate the economy. But it didn't work, or at least didn't work fast enough. Consequently, the Bush tax cut combined with a weakening economy and the Sept. 11 attacks to eliminate the surplus and create a $157.8 billion deficit. You can say that a deficit representing 1.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product doesn't matter. You can say that short-term deficit spending will help stimulate the economy in the long run. But the person who wrote this obviously couldn't bring himself to deny that the tax cut helped create the current deficit...." --Timothy Noah

Didn't They Find The One-Armed Iraqi Man On THE FUGITIVE?

Mr. Bush shouldn't reach for strained rationales. We're going to war against Saddam because we can. (If we go after Kim Jong Il, he could destroy Seoul.) We're going to war because conservatives will be happy only when they have a John Wayne ending to Desert Storm and make U.S. foreign policy less about realpolitik and more about muscularity and morality. We're going to war because we're a nation with a short attention span; we want to strike back at some enemy, and it is too hard to find Osama. (The Brits now say they and the U.S. knew Al Qaeda was working on a dirty bomb even before 9/11.) No one will miss Saddam. But as the administration inflates Iraq, it should not deflate other threats: North Korea, Al Qaeda, the deficit, the freaked economy and the woeful failure to secure the ports, skies and borders of America from attack. --Maureen Dowd, 02.02.03

Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Portland, Des Moines, Tacoma, Berkeley, Madison, Santa Fe, San Luis Obispo, Nederland, Amherst, Topango, Blain Country, Idaho, Multnomah County, Oregon, etc. ("Bringing to 57 the number of municipalities that have acted. Together, they represent about 13 million people....Nearly 70 other cities and counties — and one state legislature, Maine's — [are] considering similar resolutions." NYT

At least 11 of the 15 Security Council members support giving the inspections more time, although they have also demanded that Iraq be more cooperative. Among the countries that have indicated they want to give the inspections more time are three veto-bearing permanent members of the council: France, Russia and China. Germany also appears unalterably opposed to backing a war. --nyt

BUSH BIZ CONNECTION TO EX-GOV. KEAN --9/11 BUSH-APPOINTED INVESTIGATOR-- IS THROUGH BCCI-BIN LADEN PLAYER "When George W. Bush's first choice to head an "independent" probe into the Sept. 11 attacks -- suspected war criminal Henry Kissinger -- went down like a bad pretzel, he quickly plucked another warm body from the stagnant pool of Establishment worthies who are periodically called upon to roll out the whitewash when the big boys screw up.Kissinger's replacement, retired New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, was a "safe pair of hands," we were assured by the professional assurers in the mainstream media....But now it seems that Kean might possess some unique insights of his own. Fortune Magazine reports this week that both Kean and Bush share an unusually well-placed business partner: one Khalid bin Mahfouz -- perhaps better known as "Osama bin Laden's bagman" or even "Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law." " 02.03.03
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FIVE DEGREES OF BIN LADEN "In December, President Bush named Thomas Kean, the former Republican governor of New Jersey, chairman of an independent commission examining the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But FORTUNE has learned that Kean appears to have a bizarre link to the very terror network he's investigating--al Qaeda. Here's how the dots connect: Kean is a director of petroleum giant Amerada Hess, which in 1998 formed a joint venture--known as Delta Hess--with Delta Oil, a Saudi Arabian company, to develop oil fields in Azerbaijan. One of Delta's backers is Khalid bin Mahfouz, a shadowy Saudi patriarch married to one of Osama bin Laden's sisters. Mahfouz, who is suspected of funding charities linked to al Qaeda, is even named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by families of Sept. 11 victims. True, Hess is hardly the only company to cross paths with Mahfouz: He has shown up in dealings with, among others, ultra-secretive investment firm Carlyle Group and BCCI, the lender toppled by fraud in 1992. Kean, who was unavailable for comment, may not have been aware of the Mahfouz connection. But Hess spokesman Carl Tursi did reveal another interesting coincidence: Three weeks before Kean's appointment, Hess severed its ties with Delta. " 02.03.03
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BUSH OUT TO GET FLIPPER. BUSH WAR ON ENVIRONMENT RESORTS TO FRIDAY NIGHT ATTACKS, DESTRUCTION OF THE DOLPHINS "Last Tuesday, as the world was gathering to hear what President Bush was going to say about war with Iraq, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) rose in the Senate to note that the commander in chief had already gone to war against the environment....She mentioned incursions against clean air and clean water, all announced in after-hours, Friday-night releases that proclaimed that in pursuit of cleaner air and water, present air and water standards had to be rolled back, while trees had to be chopped down to save forests. Most important, she pointed out a new and unforgivable target of the president's assault on the world of nature: the dolphin. Bush may rue the day. He is messing with one of the most undeniably delightful of God's creations, one loved by humans since the time of the Greeks. He might as well declare open season on golden retrievers." 02.01.02.03
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Remember This In 2004. "Bush designated U.S. Attorney-General John Ashcroft to stay away from his State of the Union speech, making Ashcroft the successor to head the government should catastrophe strike at the Capitol." toronto star

"To judge from the alacrity with which everyone leapt to their feet when Bush hit the line about subsidized prescriptions, I'm beginning to suspect that the whole Congress is on drugs. " chris buckley

"As for [Bush's call for] hydrogen-power cars, I can't wait to buy the first off-the-assembly-line Hindenberg convertible. " walter shapiro

Tuesday, January 28: "I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country, your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation. "

Thursday, January 30: "I think that no matter how Mr. Saddam is dealt with, the goal of disarming Iraq still stays the same, regardless of who is in charge of the government. And that's very important for the Iraqi people to know." "