Now Let Me Get This Straight

In 1989, George W. Bush, remarking to a friend said, “You know, I could run for governor, but I'm basically a media creation. I've never done anything. I've worked for my dad. I worked in the oil business ..."

In the late 1990’s, members of Bush’s future administration planned the Iraq War.

In 1999, presidential candidate George W. Bush spoke of invading Iraq and political capital. “My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it. If I have a chance to invade, if I had that much capital, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I'm going to have a successful presidency."

In early 2001, President Clinton warned Bush that Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda was the biggest threat to the United States Security. Richard Clarke warned of the threat of Al Qaeda on January 25th 2001. Attorney General John Ashcroft considered anti-terrorism a low priority. In the summer of 2001, the administration was briefed on the possibility of a terrorist attack against the USA using commercial Jets.

September 11th, 2001, President George W. Bush continues to read to young children after being briefed that America was under attack. Later that day, instead of heading to ground zero, Bush goes to Nebraska. Just days after 9/11, Bush began looking for reasons to blame Iraq.

In late 2001, the Bush administration planned the attack of Iraq even as they continued to claim they were seeking a diplomatic solution.

In 2002, the Bush administration builds its case for war, and in March of 2003, the war begins.

The original justifications for the Iraq war all turned out to be false or highly exaggerated. There were no weapons of mass destruction. There was no active nuclear weapons program. There was no link between Sadaam Hussein and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. As a result, we are now in a war with no exit strategy, the American military is stretched and soldiers continue to die. Billions of dollars have been wasted that could have been better spent on homeland security, poverty, and our declining infrastructure. Iraq is destabilized and under the threat of civil war. Thousands of innocent Iraqi’s have been killed. Iraq has become a hotbed for terrorists.

The Bush administration has cut taxes to the bone for the richest Americans. These tax cuts along with his ill-conceived war of choice in Iraq have had the impact of nearly bankrupting the federal government. They "outed" a CIA agent in retaliation to criticisms by her husband. President Bush has tried to destroy Social Security. There have been many allegations of election fraud and suppression of the democratic voters. They let the assault weapons ban expire. They want to repeal the estate tax. They attack scientists when their findings contradict the neocon agenda.

And we all know about their dismal response to Katrina.

***

January 1998, President Clinton denies under oath that he had an affair with Whitehouse intern Monica Lewinsky.

December 19, 1998 President Clinton is impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice.

February 12, 1999 President Clinton is acquitted of all charges by the U.S. Senate.