Bush Administration (Undermining Democracy, Lies, Coup, Corporate Interests, Oil)

FACT: President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela (the fourth largest exporter of oil in the world) has serious problems with his country's oil industry, which causes prices to rise. Next, administration officials meet clandestinely with Venezuelan military leaders and opposition activists, including an oilman named Pedro Carmona. Suddenly, dozens of Venezuelan military personnel working in various embassies around the world return to Caracas without explanation. There is a military coup, and the pro-Bush, pro-oil Pedro Carmona is installed as interim leader. Hugo Chavez is sent to an island prison where he sees an American plane, which he presumes is there to take him into exile. Venezuela's neighbors denounce the coup, but the Bush Administration quickly recognizes the new government, announces that Chavez has resigned and calls his actions undemocratic. Much glee and rubbing of hands at the thought of all that lovely oil ensues. Surprise - two days later there is a countercoup and Chavez is reinstalled as President. George W. Bush's response? Sickeningly, to tell Chavez that the US had absolutely nothing to do with the coup, and that Chavez must "embrace democracy" if he wishes to be a successful president. 

Bush Administration (Unilateralism, Isolationism, Foreign Policy) 

FACT: Upon entering office, Bush's Middle East Policy has consisted of shutting down peace talks, firing the Middle East special envoys, and supporting Ariel Sharon, who has announced that the agreement to give the Palestinians control of the West Bank and the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem is void. All this despite the fact that the US Arab allies pleaded with the US to maintain the peace processes established by Bill Clinton. 

George W. Bush  (Foreign Policy) 

FACT: With Sino-American relations already strained, GW appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" and managed to reverse 30 years of U.S. policy in a single spectacular brain-on-vacation incident. He said that America would do "whatever it took to help Taiwan defend herself" against a Chinese attack, clearly departing from the U.S.'s previously (and deliberately) vague policy on the area. But in follow-up interviews Bush said that he "strongly supports the one-China policy," (the notion that Taiwan is not an independent country). 

COMMENT: The initial statement sent shockwaves across the globe as militaries heightened alert status and diplomats clamored for an explanation.

George W. Bush (Aristocracy, Foreign Policy, Stupidity, Nepotism) 

FACT: It is not unusual for an incoming Administration to reward their friends and big donors with ambassadorships to largely innocuous posts in places like the Bahamas, Andorra, or Micronesia. But President Bush has a different idea. According to USA Today, so far Bush has given 22 out of 27 ambassadorships (81%) to "people with political or personal connections and no diplomatic experience". He even nominated a former college fraternity brother to be ambassador to China. 

COMMENT: Sino-U.S. relations are already strained and in need of an experienced diplomat to mend the wounds. Old frat brothers don't quite make it. So here is another threat to world stability resting on the pseudo-nepotistic preferences of an illegitimate president.

George W. Bush (Anti Environment, Corporate Interests, Isolationism-Unilateralism, Lies) 

FACT: Abandoning his more moderate campaign promises, Bush decided to forget that pesky CO2 promise. You know the one where power plants' would have to curtail their carbon dioxide emissions.

COMMENT: Chalk up another trifecta for Bush Inc. 1) It pisses off our allies, stressing our bold independence from any sort of global responsibility 2) The environment gets trashed further and 3) Polluting corporations are free from those pesky profit-munching regulations. 

George W. Bush (Unilateralist, Isolationist) 2001

FACT: Bush announced that he was abandoning the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty in order to pursue his missile defense shield plans. In addition, he tells China that it is OK for them to resume nuclear testing. Russia, Meanwhile announced that they would implement a multiple-nuclear-warhead strategy which would easily overwhelm a missile defense shield in response to Bush's proclamation. Multiple Nuclear warheads were to 

Bush (Unilateralism, Isolationism, Warmonger, Corporate Interests, Stupidity) 

FACT: The administration refuses to join 123 nations pledged to ban the use and production of anti-personnel bombs and mines. 

COMMENT: This leaves the door open to stage war on our terms and on the Defense industry's terms…and on Carlyle group's terms….and thus on Bush Sr.'s terms. Note that the millions of mines remaining in war torn regions of the world kill countless civilians and can remain in the ground and active for decades. The fact that they are hidden, makes for an obviously and excruciatingly difficult recovery operation, and since they are usually planted in parts of the world that cannot afford such a clean up effort, they remain. 

Bush (Anti-Environment, Unilateralism, Isolationism, Corporate Interests) 

FACT: The Kyoto Protocol of 1997 for controlling global warming is declared "dead" by Bush, who also backs off his campaign promise to regulate power plants for lower CO2 emissions. 

COMMENT: Corporate bigwigs hail the decisions in a fit of wallet fattening glee.

Bush (Lies, Unilateralism, Isolationism, Stupidity) 

FACT: After Colin Powell announced that the U. S. will continue to support the efforts of South and North Korea to hold talks, as the Clinton administration had done, Bush says we will not support talks because North Korea is not living up to all its agreements with us. It emerges we have only one agreement with North Korea, and it has been verified they are holding up their end. North Korea cancels peace talks in Seoul. 

COMMENT: Bush apparently made this jack-ass move in retaliation for South Korean premier, Kim Dae Jung publicly supporting the ABM treaty (Which Bush unilaterally declared dead). Bush knows that peace = no money for defense contracting buddies. Thus, concludes the lame one, war = profits. Ha, ha, ha! This is further proof that there is nothing more important in the miniscule mind of Bush than that which inflates his pockets or his ego. World be damned. 

Orrin Hatch (Intelligence Leak, Stupidity) 

FACT: When Intelligence Committee member Senator John Edwards was interviewed on television shortly after September 11, he quite rightly refused to divulge any classified information - the same position we have seen taken by Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, and General Hugh Shelton. Unfortunately Hatch, who was suffering from diarrhea of the mouth, blabbed sensitive information on television on September 11. Hatch revealed everything he knew about telephone conversations that had been intercepted between groups linked to Bin Laden. When pressed on the matter, he said that he got the info from high-level intelligence sources - who then had to come out the next day and admit that it was true.

Condoleeza Rice (Nuclear Proliferation, Defense Industry, World Domination) 

FACT: The National Security Advisor announced that giving China the details of the controversial missile defense shield and allowing China to build up their nuclear arsenal and test nuclear weapons is in the best interest of the United States. According to the Washington Post, "Another administration official said that as a sweetener for China, the United States will signal that it recognizes both sides might want to resume nuclear weapons testing in the future. Such tests, now precluded by a voluntary worldwide moratorium, could allow China to field a new generation of mobile, multiple-warhead missiles." "We're being realistic," another administration official said. "We imposed these sanctions because the law required us to and because it was right to do. Overall, it's still about reducing the world's reliance on nuclear weapons." 

Dan Quayle (Nuclear Proliferation, Warmongering)

FACT: Dan Quayle was back in the news when the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, David Lange, claimed that New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance once made him an assassination target. Apparently Lange told NZ's ONE News that there was "personal pressure" on him from Dan Quayle: "There were veiled threats, there were specific threats that were made to other countries... it was announced to the Australian cabinet at one stage that I would have to be liquidated." Fortunately for David Lange, he had some good advisers. "I enquired of our security sources and was told I shouldn't regard it as a credible threat because the vice president wasn't regarded as credible."