The Public Eye: George Bush: Moral Termite

[The Straight Story]

The Public Eye: George Bush: Moral Termite
By Bob Burnett (07-24-07)

For many of us on the left coast, President Bush’s pardon of Scooter Libby was a non-event; we’ve grown blasé about Bush abuses. As a result, we shrug and say to the rest of the nation: What did you expect? You supported a conservative demagogue whose most notable “accomplishments” were a series of business failures. Why are you surprised that he’s become the worst president in modern history? Nonetheless, while it’s comforting to bask in self-righteousness, that won’t fix our common problem: Bush will be President for another 18 months and the immorality of the Bush administration infects us all. The president is a moral termite.

If you’ve ever had a termite infestation in your house, you know how pernicious the insects are: they chew their way deep into your woodwork and, before you know it, your home’s structure is jeopardized. Then the infected area has to be treated to ensure the termites are destroyed—often the entire house needs fumigation—and the damage has to be repaired—whole sections of your residence require reconstruction. That’s exactly where America is with the Bush administration: first the pests have to be treated and then the structure—the federal government—has to be repaired.

How do we remove these moral termites from the White House? The best alternative is for Bush and Cheney to resign. After all, even Richard Nixon had the sense to resign once he realized that he’d lost the support of three-quarters of the U.S. electorate. Unfortunately, Bush and Cheney don’t have good sense, so it will be necessary to impeach them. There are specific, factual grounds for impeachment such as their falsifying the justification for the invasion of Iraq and illegally eavesdropping on domestic communications. But, the larger grounds are the damage the Bush administration has inflicted on the United States, the corruption of America’s moral infrastructure.

Bush and company have caused four types of destruction: They’ve severely damaged the reputation of the United States. Recent polls indicate the United States continues to lose favor with much of the world. It’s not only that non-Americans don’t like us, think we’re fat, greedy, and brutal, but also that they listen to our talk about democracy and don’t believe we are sincere. After all, in many parts of the world the face of America is our military or our most aggressive businesspeople. As a result, when we say “democracy,” many non-Americans see militarism and unrestrained capitalism. Throughout the world there’s deep cynicism about Bush’s claim that the United States is spreading liberty and democracy. This has affected our reputation and the security of Americans who travel overseas. Moreover, in some parts of the world it’s made theocracy look attractive.

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=07-24-07&storyID=27598

[valerief]

1. Hey, that's not fair to termites! nt

[Vincardog]

2. The best alternative is for Bush and Cheney to resign. WRONG. They must be prosecuted and their

ilk removed from our body politic just as a cancer would be.

[tularetom]

3. One of the more apt phrases to describe the miserable mofo

Moral termite LOL!