The Loss Of Political Innocence

I begin to think some people in America are simply apologists. They can see no wrong by anyone in this administration.

Loyalty to a president is important. I understand this and we saw Bush have one of the strongest followings ever associated with the office of president. After 9-11 the US stood firmly behind George Bush and the polls reflected that. He came across as a strong leader.

Then the rhetoric towards Iraq started. Saddam was a bastard. He tortured and killed his own people. Was he a terrorist? No. But that's what we were told. By using 9-11 and the "War on terror" interchangably the America public began to associate Iraq and Saddam with the evil that was Bin Laden.

In my mind Bush began losing credibility with that tact. Yes, I saw pictures of the children Saddam ordered gased and there was no doubt in my mind he needed to be punished but if freedom from oppression were such an issue why were we not in other areas as well, such as the Sudan which has been largely ignored by the US? Why were we not also concerned with North Korea? Why had we ignored the human rights violations in China and courted their favor if freedom from oppression were such a political and moral concern?

Yet, Bush pressed on with his plans. I can remember the night the war started. Living alone at the time, I was actually talking to someone online who strongly supported military action when a news flash came across the TV and we knew it had started.

Then came more rhetoric and anyone who opposed this war was labeled. Unamerican. Ungodly. Not Patriotic. Those terms were repugnant to me.
When Bush declared that God talked to him I was done. All support was done. By making that declaration Bush had insinuated that God directed him to battle and anyone who disagreed couldn't be talking to God.

It was a well planned campaign of disinformation designed to silence anyone who disagreed with Bush or didn't support his war. Rove uses the English language to cloak truth and misdirect attention on portions of reality that he wants to embrace while ignoring others which reflect badly on this administration.This is why I have little difficulty in believing Plame was outted as retribution.

Whether Bush directly knew or knew after the fact, I'm not sure. I cling to the hope that a president of the United States would not take such an action. But ambitious men like Rove and Libby would easily take whatever means they thought they could get away with to further their cause.

Many will disagree with my impressions of Bush, that's fine. I believe facts support my suppositions. But whether you agree with my stance or not we all should agree that the office of President of the United States should be held to the highest possible standards. We want our president to be honorable. We want him to be truthful and honest. We want him to be MORE than an ordinary Joe. We want him to be a visionary who sees America as she can be. If we can't agree on those tenets then we are already lost.