Through the American Looking Glass
I have President Bush, and his compassionate conservatism, to thank for the following revelations.
God loves America. America's interest equals justice.
The world should love America and fear America. America is all-powerful. The people and countries of the world must submit to America's will or risk America's wrath.
Dissent equals terrorism. Any individual or country that does not support the Bush administration's foreign policy is aligned with the terrorists. Journalists who highlight a potential link between the war and profiteering on the part of Bush administration officials are terrorists.
America is incapable of committing a terrorist act. American-sponsored terror is a freedom operation. Americans are liberators, not terrorists.
Regime change has a defined linear path. Strategies to overthrow governments are first advocated and then held in abeyance until sufficient pretense can be used to manufacture the acquiescence of the American people for implementation.
War feels good. After approving strikes to "decapitate" Saddam and just before announcing a state of war, Bush pumped his fist and boasted that it "feels good."
The American media are obedient servants. In time of war, the American media are now obedient servants of the Executive Branch upon which they rely for cheap programming and unpaid stars.
It is not only the American media that are obedient servants. The BBC fed the unscripted act (of Bush pumping his fist while stating it felt good to get the war underway) to open airways without the approval of the Bush administration, and was admonished for its reporting. In response, the BBC apologized profusely.
Rogue states have simple definitions. A "rogue state" is any country so designated by the Bush administration.
The weapons ban is not really a ban. The Bush administration's weapons ban policy is applied on an exception basis. A "rogue state" can keep "weapons of mass destruction" if the Bush administration lets it.
Nuclear proliferation is a no-fault area. If a country is America's enemy, then it is a "rogue state." Even if America or its allies facilitated its development of "weapons of mass destruction," it is the fault of the "rogue state," not the country that assisted the development of its weapons program. It is not the responsibility of America to work to limit nuclear proliferation through the enforcement of existing treaties and stricter rules on the export of sensitive material.
Evidence of the existence of weapons mass destruction can be metaphysical. The Bush administration, in order to protect its sources of intelligence, will offer only its word as evidence of the existence of "weapons of mass destruction" and the existence of a threat to world peace and American security.
War can be unavoidable. The military action undertaken by the Bush administration was unavoidable because Saddam refused a 48-hour ultimatum to do as he had been told.
You only hurt the ones you love. An unintended consequence of war is that the targets of our liberation will suffer. They will first be subjected to the terror of a bloodthirsty dictator propped up by the United States, then savaged by sanctions and an embargo when America turns on the dictator, and, finally, killed and maimed by the air and ground war required to remove the dictator from power.
"Shock and Awe" is war fought Texas style. According to local folklore, Texas does everything bigger and better than any other state. Why should war be any different?
Thou may lie to promote war but not to hide sex. The men and women who pushed to remove Clinton from office becasue he lied about sex now praise a president who continually lied in search of a marketing strategy to generate public support of a war.
The "coalition of the willing" is a modern day posse. Like posses of the Old West, the "coalition of the willing" is a posse of dregs who were bought and paid for.
Broad opposition is an oxymoron. In the face of broad opposition, the Bush administration singles out one country (here, France) as the "bad guy" and repeats that characterization until it becomes accepted. By successfully spearheading opposition to Bush's war, France ensured that it would be singled out.
Russia is irrelevant. No one in the Bush administration cares that Russia, a key American ally in the defeat of fascism, and its President, Vladimir Putin, oppose the war against Iraq.
Germany is irrelevant. No one in the Bush administration cares that Germany, a country reconstructed by America and its allies after World War II, and its chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, do not support the war against Iraq, despite assurances of "liberation" and "reconstruction."
China is irrelevant. No one in the Bush administration cares that China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the most populated country in the world, opposes America's war against Iraq.
India is irrelevant. No one in the Bush administration cares that India, the second-most populated country in the world, is against America's military action.
Mexico is irrelevant. No one in the Bush administration cares that the leader of our neighbor to the south, President Vicente Fox, stated that Mexico is "against the war."
Canada is irrelevant. No one in the Bush administration cares that the leader of our neighbor to the north, Prime Minister Jean Chretien, called the war "unjustified".
Turkey is irrelevant. No one in the Bush administration cares that Turkey, our European ally with the largest Muslim population, and its president, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, voiced opposition to the war while its parliament rejected billions for the right to use it for raids against Iraq.
The Vatican is irrelevant. No one in the Bush administration, not even Roman Catholics, cares that Pope John Paul II stated that America's war lacked "all legality and all international legitimacy."
The UN is irrelevant. No one in the Bush administration cares that Secretary General Kofi Annan, The UN Security Council, and the United Nations are against the war.
