Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Bush on accountability

The latest lesson in government from George W. Bush, when speaking of revamping the Intelligence services:
“’I will hire the person, and I can fire the person,’ Bush said. ‘That’s how you have accountability in government.’” (Idaho Spokesman Review, August 3, 2004, page A6).

George W. Bush talking about accountability? This pretend President who has yet to make either himself or any other person in his administration accountable for anything? And this in spite of the multiple failures of intelligence spelled out in the 9-11 report? In spite of the CIA “outing” fiasco? In spite of John Ashcroft’s dismal record? Dick Cheney’s? Tenet’s? Rice’s? How much more absurd can it possibly get? Doesn’t he understand how positively idiotic such a statement sounds coming from him, of all people? If he doesn’t understand it he is sadly divorced from reality. If he does understand it but said it anyway, he’s a hopeless hypocrite who thinks we’re all too stupid to understand or too “tuned out” to care.

Having resisted having a 9-11 Commission in the first place, and having stonewalled repeatedly, he now is rushing headlong to accept the Commission’s findings, a procedure that could prove more dangerous than the infamous and mislabeled Patriot Act. Bush’s idea of a national intelligence director would essentially be a toothless illusion of a director, just another level in the strange and failed bureacracy he has already created. Instead of doing this why doesn’t he just hold the present intelligence chiefs accountable?

Now we have a new round of terror alerts, based upon materials found from three and four years ago. Yes, they say, the material is old but they might still plan on doing it. Yes, and they might not. By all means let’s let them know what we know about where they may plan to attack. They may want to make other plans. But, then, maybe not. Well, perhaps. Actually we don’t know. Let’s raise the color to orange anyway, it’ll take some attention away from Kerry/Edwards.

The Bush administration at work. It makes one right proud to be an Amurican.

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