Tag: President Bush

Ukraine–Historical Background

I am one of those beleagued bloggers that try to help my readers make sense of what went wrong in Ukraine that would lead up to Vlad the Invader attempting to invade Ukraine…..I will admit that most do not want to think about it they will settle for the propaganda spread by their favorite news source.

But I try and will probably fail…..but I can sleep nights knowing I did what I thought was right.

This conflict has been raging for over 2 months….and there has been very little info in the media to try and explain just what went wrong that a war had to be used to solve the situation.

This is my small attempt to help in some form of clarification…..

There are points in Ukraine history that could be part of the problem….like the Clinton NATO thing…..the election of Zelensky……but did you know that Bush I made a promise to the USSR?

The US government today likes to pretend that it is the perennial champion of political independence for countries that were once behind the Iron Curtain. What is often forgotten, however, is that in the days following the fall of the Berlin Wall, Washington opposed independence for Soviet republics like Ukraine and the Baltic states.

In fact, the Bush administration openly supported Mikhail Gorbachev’s efforts to hold the Soviet Union together rather than allow the USSR to decentralize into smaller states. The US regime and its supporters in the press took the position that nationalism—not Soviet despotism—was the real problem for the people of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

Indeed, in the case of Ukraine, President George H.W. Bush even traveled to Kyiv in 1990 to lecture the Ukrainians about the dangers of seeking independence from Moscow, while decrying the supposed nationalist threat.

Today, nationalism is still a favorite bogeyman among Washington establishment mouthpieces. These outlets routinely opine on the dangers of French nationalism, Hungarian nationalism, and Russian nationalism. One often sees the term nationalism applied in ways designed to make the term distasteful, as in “white nationalism.”

When nationalism is convenient for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its European freeloaders, on the other hand, we are told that nationalism is a force for good. Thus, the US regime and mainstream media generally pretend that Ukrainian nationalism—and even Ukrainian white nationalism—either don’t exist or are to be praised.

In 1991, however, the US had not yet decided that it paid to actively promote nationalism—so long as it is anti-Russian nationalism. Thus, in those days, we find the US regime siding with Moscow in efforts to stifle or discourage local nationalist efforts to break with the old Soviet state. The way it played out is an interesting case study in both Bush administration bumbling and in the US’s foreign policy before the advent of unipolar American liberal hegemony. 

https://mises.org/wire/1991-when-america-tried-keep-ukraine-ussr

As I always state…there is more to a story than the one-sided crap the media would have you believe.

The more you learn…the more you know….

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

OMG! The Most Corrupt Admin In History

That is the narrative that the media is passing around these days….Trump is the head of a basically criminal enterprise…..makes for good copy and a good propaganda piece…..but let’s look at another presidential term and what transpired….that would be the term of G. W. Bush.

It interests me that all these pundits are comparing Trump to the tenure of other presidents in history…..but they seldom talk about the “scandals” of these presidents…..so how do they are match up?

Let’s look at those in recent history……

One of the most scandal heavy presidencies is that of Good Old “Dub”…..let’s look at the Executive Branch scandals……and what became known as “Lawyergate”……

  • “Lawyergate” or the Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy refers to President Bush firing, without explanation, eleven Republican federal prosecutors whom he himself had appointed. It is alleged that they were fired for prosecuting Republicans and not prosecuting Democrats.[456][457] When Congressional hearings were called, a number of senior Justice Department officials cited executive privilege and refused to testify under oath and instead resigned, including:
  1. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
  2. Karl Rove, Advisor to President Bush
  3. Harriet Miers, Legal Counsel to President Bush, was found in Contempt of Congress
  4. Michael A. Battle, Director of Executive Office of US Attorneys in the Justice Department
  5. Bradley Schlozman, Director of Executive Office of US Attorneys who replaced Battle
  6. Michael Elston, Chief of Staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty
  7. Paul McNulty, Deputy Attorney General to William Mercer
  8. William W. Mercer, Associate Attorney General to Alberto Gonzales
  9. Kyle Sampson, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
  10. Monica Goodling, Liaison between President Bush and the Justice Department
  11. Joshua Bolten, Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bush was found in Contempt of Congress
  12. Sara M. Taylor, Aide to Presidential Advisor Karl Rove

There is so much more…..all three branches none are immune…..Read about all the scandals and corruption stories from the Bush White House…..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_political_scandals_in_the_United_States#Legislative_branch_2

Like I stated earlier….we are always talking about the scandals and corruption in the Trump White House….but reality shows us that ALL…repeat….ALL presidencies have had their scandals and corruption……

I read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Farewell To A President

Over this past weekend this country lost a president……POTUS 41…..George HW Bush died at age 94…..

I admit I was never a supporter of his……I worked against him in his run against Clinton but to be fair I worked in opposition to Clinton as well…..but from an international relations point of view Bush1 was a good president…..as the 41st president he oversaw the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a uni-polar world…..he went to war on several occasions that I opposed……and worked hard to stop the wars ….

Richard Haass wrote a good piece about Bush1’s chops as president…..

I have worked for four US presidents, Democrats and Republicans alike, and perhaps the most important thing I have learned along the way is that little of what we call history is inevitable. What happens in this world is the result of what people choose to do and choose not to do when presented with challenges and opportunities.

George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, was presented with more than his share of challenges and opportunities, and the record is clear: he left the country and the world considerably better off than he found them.

I worked for and often with Bush for all four years of his presidency. I was the National Security Council member responsible for overseeing the development and execution of policy for the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. I was also brought into a good many other policy deliberations.

https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-world-george-h-w-bush-made/

I think I liked Bush as a man because he actually served this country in the time of war…..the last president to do so……

And so passes George Herbert Walker Bush, the last American President to face combat. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the United States into World War II, he deferred admission to Yale and joined the Navy at the age of 18, just out of prep school in the June of 1942. He went to war in 1943, barely a man, saying later, “I was scared but I was willing. I was young, but I was ready. I had barely started living when I began to see men die.” He saw significant combat across the Pacific as a carrier-based bomber pilot, serving with deep courage and commitment, completing 58 combat missions and surviving two crashes.

http://time.com/5468640/george-hw-bush-military-service-navy/

But my memories are not all glowing…..I feel that under his leadership the GOP was handed over to the Religious Right which had the beginnings of the world we have today.

He also was a better president….he called supply side economics its better name voodoo economics….we can give him the win for the Cold War and he did what needed doing at the time raised taxes (that was the kiss of death for the rich donors) and he looked for a balance between the branches…..

I may not have wanted this person to be re-elected but I did appreciate what he was attempting to do as far as foreign policy goes….not much I would have supported but could understand.

But at least it threw Trump off the headlines and I bet he has had a sigh of relief for that.

Goodbye HW….You will be missed…..RIP

Sully, HW’s service dog bids farewell.

Bush Republicanism Is Dead and Gone

I occasionally do something that few of my more right leaning friends do….that is read opinions from opposition groups….I guess some of the mental midgets would call me “politically correct” for doing so……I guess if I was more of a self-centered type that would irritate me…..but personally, I do not care what they think….

But speaking of opposition positions….I recently read an op-ed by former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan…..he attempted to explain why he thinks that the Bush Republicanism is dead and gone…..

“The two living Republican past presidents, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, have no plans to endorse Trump, according to their spokesmen.” So said the lead story in The Washington Post. Graceless, yes, but not unexpected. The Bushes have many fine qualities. Losing well, however, is not one of them. And they have […]

Source: Bush Republicanism Is Dead and Gone – The Unz Review

I am not sure if I can agree…..I have seen the way all those naysayers against Trump have come slithering to his side once he became the presumptive nominee….it is a small indication that the GOP can survive the Trump attack…..

Any thoughts?

You Leak–You Fired!

Pres. Obama has had his hands full in the last month with the Afghan situation…..generals want more…they always want more…..the Repubs are all over him for not moving quickly…..and the media is out after a breaking story on the situation.  Will he send more troops?  Or what will be the mission?  Or what?

Pres. Obama said when interviewed in China about the possibility of leaks from his admin:

“For people to be releasing information during the course of deliberations, where we haven’t made final decisions yet, I think is not appropriate,” he said in Beijing during a nine-day trip to Asia.

Asked whether he was as angry about the matter as Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Obama replied: “I think I’m probably angrier.”

Asked whether he thought the leaks were a “firing offense,” he said: “Absolutely.”

We Americans have heard this type of bravado before…..it came from GW when asked about leaks in his admin…he said a similar statement……as usual it was false bravado….why?….when the name of a CIA operative was leaked to the press and it was proven to have come from his “inner” circle…..,NO one was fired because of that leak…the threat of a firing was BS…just a bit of political theater to impress the mindless few that thought he was being honest and assertive……gotcha!

The same will be true with Obama…it is all just political theater….false bravado…..and a lame promise that will most likely NOT happen……but say he does fire someone over a leak…that would be cool….but then I would ask:  where was that assertiveness when it was needed during health reform and the ensuing debate?  Maybe if he is going to thump his chest, he should have begun with the health debate…….Just a thought…..

2009 Anal-Ocity

For over a week I have been listening to the Repubs doing everything trying to save the reputation of  Bush.  I mean everyone of them is doing all they can to make him seem more like a success than he really is.  But this latest anal statement is just beyond belief.

Fox News anchor Wendell Goler, doing his best revisionist history impersonation, has decided to declare the events of Sept. 11, 2001 really can not be blamed on President George W. Bush (even though it happened early on his watch). Instead, Goler is trying to insist that this was an inherited attack from the previous administration (the administration of President Bill Clinton). Goler also tried to say he inherited a recession and some tough times on Wall Street … along with the budget surplus. So, apparently Goler has gotten the Fox News memo that George W. Bush must be protected at all costs.

Please tell me these guys will go away soon.

And So It Begins

Oath taken, parade has passed and the dancing over……time for President Obama to take the bull by the horns and pray for success.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news……

The findings, released to lawmakers Sunday, call into question the effectiveness of congressional Democrats’ efforts to pump up the economy through old-fashioned public works projects like roads, bridges and repairs of public housing.

Less than half of the $30 billion in highway construction funds detailed by House Democrats would be released into the economy over the next four years, concludes the analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. Less than $4 billion in highway construction money would reach the economy by September 2010.

The economy has been in recession for more than a year, but many economists believe a recovery may begin by the end of 2009. That would mean that most of the infrastructure money wouldn’t hit the economy until it’s already on the mend.

The CBO analysis doesn’t cover tax cuts or efforts by Democrats to provide relief to cash-strapped state governments to help with their Medicaid bills. But it illustrates just how difficult it can be to use public investment to rush money into the economy. It usually takes bids and contracts to announce such developments, which invariably take time.

Overall, only $26 billion out of $274 billion in infrastructure spending would be delivered into the economy by the Sept. 30 end of the budget year, just 7 percent. Just one in seven dollars of a huge $18.5 billion investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy programs would be spent within a year and a half.

And other pieces, such as efforts to bring broadband Internet service to rural and underserved areas won’t get started in earnest for years, while just one-fourth of clean drinking water projects can be completed by October of next year.

Still, other elements of Obama’s $825 billion economic recovery plan, such as $275 billion worth of tax cuts to 95 percent of filers and a huge infusion of help for state governments, will be distributed into the economy more quickly. But Republicans are poised to attack the bill for spending too much.

Throw a Shoe For Peace!

A 25-foot-tall inflatable President Bush figure in a “Mission Accomplished” flight suit. People were chucking shoes at it.

The shoe hurling, sponsored by several anti-Bush, pro-peace groups, was inspired by Iraqi journalist Muntather Zaidi, who threw his shoes at Bush last month during a Baghdad news conference.

The shoes bounced off the midsection of the giant Bush, forcing a local television cameraman to duck as they sailed past his head.

On the stage nearby — behind a neat line of boots, loafers and sneakers — Gael Murphy, co-founder of the antiwar group Code Pink, called Zaidi courageous and thanked “everyone who has stood up and spoken truth to power in their own way.”

“Hold onto your shoes,” Murphy said to the crowd of about 100 protesters. “The struggle is not over.”
The shoe hurlers planned to march later to the White House, where a few were going to toss their ammunition over the fence.

This year’s protests are expected to be notably mild compared, for example, with 1973’s raucous anti-Vietnam War demonstrations aimed at President Nixon or the angry shouts of “Hail to the thief!” in 2001 after George W. Bush’s disputed victory over Al Gore. A handful of anti-Obama protests — most centered around the abortion issue — were planned for Inauguration Day.

A Pardon For Stevens?

Always a day late and a dollar short (God I hate to use cliches)

It seems that if you are in the government in one way or another, you are not responsible for your actions.  Why do I say that?  Take a look at recent occurrences.  Libby comes to mind. And now they are pushing this:

CBS News has confirmed that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has asked President Bush to pardon Ted Stevens, the former Alaska senator from charged with several felony counts by a federal jury in 2008.

A spokesperson from the White House could not be immediately reached for comment.

Before losing his seat in the last election, Stevens had served as a senator from Alaska since 1968. Last October, he was found guilty on seven counts of failing to reports gifts. After trying to contest his seat following a slim loss to Democrat Mark Begich, Stevens conceded the race in mid-November.

I say screw him…let him face the music and take responsibility…something Repubs have been yelling for others to do for decades.

All I Want For Christmas Is A Shoe

A Turkish shoe firm says it has had to take on 100 extra staff to cope with a surge in orders after an Iraqi threw shoes at US President Bush.

Istanbul-based Baydan Shoes claims it made the shoes and says it now has tens of thousands of orders from around the world – including from the US and Iraq.

The shoe was called Model 271 but has been renamed Bush shoe, the firm said.

He said there had been a four-fold interest in the shoe – now dubbed Bush shoes or Bye Bye Bush shoes – and had to take on 100 extra workers to cope with the demand.

According to the shop’s owner, Ramazan Baydan, a US firm has ordered 18,000 pairs, a further 15,000 pairs are destined for Iraq and a British distributor has asked to be the firm’s European sales representative.

Mr Bogatekin said the firm was pleased with the publicity it was getting, but insisted the shoes would not have done President Bush any serious harm.

The perfect Christmas gift—the shoe seen around the world.