Party LIke It’s 2002!

by tristero

In case anyone thought that dragging Gonzales, et al, out of the sewers and into the light of day would sober Bush up, and make him think twice before indulging in stupid, illegal, and dangerously destabilizing behavior, read this:

…President Bush has signed a “nonlethal presidential finding” that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international financial transactions.

Kinda takes your breath away, don’t it? But the real kicker is that the only reason Bush authorized this sheer idiocy is because someone persuaded Bush not to greenlight – at least not yet – Cheney’s plans to attack Iran with the US military. That’s right: Bush actually thinks he’s taking the sensible, middle course, between the appeasers who foolishly urge negotiating with Iran, and the miltiary hawks.

From this, it should be clear that rather than backing down to Bush – eg, by agreeing to provide him with a blank check on Iraq – Congress should be doubling its efforts to restrain him from causing even more, and worse, international catastrophes. Consider the likely consequences of Bush’s Iran “policy.” If it actually did lead to the collapse of the present Iranian government, my God! As horrible as Iraq currently is, an Iran without a working central government will be many times worse. And not only for the hapless citizens, but for the rest of the world. But if it doesn’t lead to the government’s collapse – and dollars to donuts, it won’t – then Bush’s propaganda and currency manipulation will simply serve to infuriate Iranians and increase their support and solidarity with a government that will surely do everything it possibly can do to blame its problems – quite credibly – on the US. Bush’s actions are a textbook example of Lose-Lose foreign policy.

Dealing with a rogue president is a tricky business, to be sure, especially one as immature and ignorant as this one. But backing down is not an option. I, for one, dread an overt constitutional confrontation between Bush and the rest of the government (as many of you have said, we’ve been in a serious covert constitutional crisis since Bush entered the White House). But it is becoming distressingly apparent that the alternative to such a confrontation is a White House hellbent on embroiling a (now) very unwilling United States in as many unncessary and futile wars as it can dream up. Wars that will, due to the limitations of conventional American military resources, almost certainly involve nuclear weapons sooner or later. And rather than grapple with the near-certain prospect of Bush deploying nuclear weapons, an American constitutional crisis seems a downright reasonable and level-headed alternative.

BTW, the article includes a link to a groovy little photo essay about many of the Iran/Contra felons and fools. It should come as no surprise to learn that you and I are paying some of their salaries again; that’s right: they’re in the current Bush administration.