The Bushies' Dilemma

North Miami Beach, FL May 17, 2002
A.H. Schectman

THINKING ALLOWED

Essays on Issues, Ideas and Reflections on the Times. Published now and
then. Opinions pro or con are welcome.

THE BUSHIES' DILEMMA

We never think that it will happen or when and how it will happen
but it does. We trip up and comeuppance is there staring us in the face.
This is now the "Bushies' Dilemma" that the managers who pulled off the
botched, tainted and stolen election must deal with - the red-faced,
embarrassing and dangerous exposure of ineptness in handling red-lined
information leading up to the September 11th destruction in New York,
Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Hindsight will not help here.

I don't think it should be the Democrats' job of nudging the
Republicans to bring all the facts out into open and make political capital
out of the implications that the terrible retribution of Osama bin Laden
(whatever became of the effort of find this plotter of mass murder?) could
have been seen for what it was and prevented. The Republicans quickly put
into being all the plans they had been talking about for years but who had
not been given a mandate to do so by the American voters. Instead of trying
to implement them they should be the ones who are very active in getting all
the facts out.

This information about crucial memos not being received when they
could be used against the man who now is not anywhere our vaunted FBI, CIA,
Homeland Security and Military forces can find him - is the Watergate of the
Second Bush's administration. He has been floating on a cloud of acceptance
for his unflinching "leadership" in stamping out the reactionary forces in
Afghanistan and repeating endlessly that things will be done. Promises,
promises. He has made a promise to finish the job begun by his father in the
war against Iraq and Saddam Hussein. S. Hussein is the new target since O.
bin Laden is nowhere to be found.

The NY Times has as a headline "Congress Seeks Inquiry." This is
inevitable and the evenly divided Senate will split down the middle with the
Republicans defending and the Democrats accusing. It would be better if the
Republicans cleaned their own mess without the help of the opposing party.

Carol's Evaluation: 10 out of 10