The long goodbye
What does Bush have in common with Celine Dion?
The long goodbye
Dick Polman, Inquirer National Political Columnist
Whether you like or dislike George W. Bush, chances are that by now you are sick of reading about George W. Bush. No doubt you are sick of me writing about George W. Bush. Heck, I’m sick of writing about George W. Bush, here and elsewhere. But every time I reach what I believe to be closure, George W. Bush pops up yet again on his protracted farewell tour and says something worthy of comment. Rumor has it that his tour will finally end next Tuesday, but right now this feels like the longest public farewell since Celine Dion’s string of goodbye gigs back in ’99.
Anyway, last night the president addressed us from the White House for the last time. It was basically a 15-minute cut-and-paste of his greatest hits, including this familiar theme: “I vowed to do everything in my power to keep us safe…America has gone more than seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil…our nation is safer than it was seven years ago.”
This has become the closing catechism among Bush’s defenders: He made us safer. The problem, however, is that it’s impossible for us to verify that. It’s impossible to know whether the absence of another attack (for which we are all grateful) is proof of a safer America thanks to the Bush team - or whether Islamic extremists are plotting something on their own timetable, patiently exploiting security lapses that the Bush team has failed to address.
Indeed, there is already documented proof that, contrary to Bush’s claim, he has not made America safer. It’s all spelled out in one of those important bipartisan reports that few people bother to read. This particular document – “The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism” - was released only six weeks ago, and naturally it received a lot less public attention than Madonna’s breakup with Guy Ritchie.
The bipartisan commission, chaired by former Democratic senator Bob Graham and former Republican senator Jim Talent, did not mince words. It concluded that, in the years since 9/11, the WMD threat from terrorists has actually increased, not lessened. The executive summary states: “The simple reality is that the risks that confront us today are evolving faster than our multilayered responses…in our judgment, America’s margin of safety is shrinking, not growing…Though U.S. policy and strategy have made progress, they have not kept pace with the growing risks.”
In a sense, this conclusion that we’ve actually become less safe is not surprising; back in April 2006, a National Intelligence Estimate concluded that Islamic terrorists “are increasing both in number and geographical dispersion.” But the Graham-Talent report declares that the Bush team has lagged in the fight against potential nuclear and biological terror because it hasn’t sufficiently tried to win the hearts and minds of those who seek to kill us:
“The next administration needs to go much further, using the tools of ‘soft power’ to communicate effectively about American institutions, and to build grassroots social and economic institutions that will discourage radicalism and undercut the terrorists in danger spots around the world – especially in Pakistan.”
The report also said it would be a good idea to have one person at the highest level who would focus exclusively on the WMD threat – a “WMD coordinator,” as recommended four years ago by the 9/11 Commission. Congress passed a law in 2007, authorizing the creation of that job. But the Bush White House resisted the idea, and, as the Graham-Talent report dryly noted: “As of this writing, the position has remained vacant for nearly 15 months.”
All told, there’s ample reason to question Bush’s repeated claim that he has made us safer. It’s arguaby just as likely that former Navy secretary Richard Danzig was correct when he told the Graham-Talent commission, “Only a thin wall of terrorist ignorance and inexperience now protects us.”
And on that cheery note, let’s roll back to a separate Bush remark, uttered earlier on his farewell tour, during last Monday’s final press conference: “I am disappointed by the tone in Washington, D.C. I’ve – I try to do my part by not engaging in the name-calling and – and, by the way, needless name-calling I have worked to be respectful of my opponents on different issues.”
It’s a bit rich for Bush to claim “disappointment” with the tone in Washington, D.C., considering his many contributions to the tone in Washington, D.C. – such as his complaint, in September 2002, that the Senate Democrats “were more interested in special interests in Washington, and not interested in the security of the American people.” And his September 2004 complaint that domestic critics of his Iraq policy “embolden the enemy.” And his June 2006 complaint that those selfsame critics “wave the white flag of surrender.”
And, lest we forget, a president’s tone is typically mimicked by his minions. Case in point: Bradley Schlozman.
Perhaps you missed the story this week about Schlozman, a Bush official who spent three years helping to run the Justice Department’s civil rights division. The inspector general for the Justice Department did a whole report about this guy, and released the results on Tuesday. It states that Schlozman violated federal civil service laws by hiring only right-wingers, while discriminating against all applicants and employes who didn’t fit the conservative Bush agenda.
That’s standard stuff, considering what we’ve learned these past two years about the ideological politicization of Justice. More striking were Schlozman’s creative contributions to the tone in Washington, D.C. In email and voicemail messages, Schlozman considered all non-conservatives to be “pinko” and “crazy lib” and “Politburo members” and “adherents of Mao’s Little Red Book.” By contrast, he said he was only interested in “real Americans” and “right-thinking Americans.”
So there it was, the administration’s belief system in sharp relief. Anyone who failed to embrace the Bush ideology was deemed not to be a “real American.” It’s fair to say that this pervasive attitude did much to debase the tone in Washington, D.C. these past eight years, notwithstanding Bush’s attempt to distance himself from blame.
His farewell tour is nearly over, but let’s not forget that Celine Dion came back after insisting in ’99 that she was saying goodbye. Bush can always pitch his legacy from the lecture circuit, singing his own praises. But I doubt that our hearts will go on.
Comment removed.
Mr. Polman: Your commentary is very superficial. You're dealing only with the symptoms of the problem, and not the causes. Why don't you analyze why our institutions, like the press and the Congress, did not perform their constitutional duty of holding the president and Congress accountable for their decisions. After 9/11 these institutions gave him a pass, and so did most Democrats. In addition, for far too long our nation has become accustomed to taking on responsibilities (such as Iraq) without the call to sacrifice. Bush did not invent this, the scheme started long ago and was perfected by Clinton. Let's hope your commentaries in the age of Obama will be more penetrating.— prudential2- janann, I've missed your posts:) Did you read anything above? I've done my own research and backed up everything I said with facts and links (and none of them are talk radio related)! Just because you say it, doesn't make it so. You don't shoot down any of my facts and figures with your own facts, you just call people names and start your shallow nonsense. If you have something of importance to add or say about the CRA, Fannie or this meltdown, add it. If not move on to a less informative blog that is more your speed:) Have a nice weekend:)— NEPhilly
- I worry about our boys SMike and Tom. They seem to be totally flipping out (SMike: “Well ... we are on the eve of liberal total control of government. Now you can dismantle the Patriot act and free the Gitmo terrorists.” Tom: “Krugman is an idiot. He is one of those you say you would not like to be painted as in line with even though you are liberal”). Even Mitch McConnell is keeping an open mind! Guys, grab a cold one, take a deep breath, sit back, enjoy the Eagles’ run, and remember: “The sun will come out, tomorrow; bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun; jus’ thinkin’ about tomorrow clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow.” We’ll be there for ya!— Djoko Pritza
- SW MIKE: And gee how shocking that the administration would want to hire like minded individuals for the Department of Justice. I didn't realize the leftist would hire right wing employees. Polman has become downright silly. ......................... SW MIKE: It's nice to see you agree that Bradley Schlozman was right to hire, fire and transfer people based on their CONSERVATIVE CORE VALUES. The best part is the RULE OF LAW that Obama & Holder MUST follow in order not to violate Federal Law: he must keep these Conse lawyers, or be held accountable. Why doesn't Poleman point that out to The Dems? Why doesn't Poleman point out how having ALL like-minded people makes for harmony, eliminated the dissent of anti-Americans, like Obama?— Talvenada
- JANANN: NE Phil likes the Truman-military view of tomorrow, how about the Hoover-economy view of tomorrow?— Talvenada
- What long goodbye? Bush has been about as gracious as one can be, considering that Obama's whole schtick was "I'm not Bush." Bush has stayed out of the spotlight, which is a bit strange when one considers that he's STILL the President. Call Obama's undesired press conferences The Long Hello.— bmmg39
- BMMG39: W was NOT responsible for 9/11 or the first NINE months, which means that Clinton is 100% at fault. Obama is responsible for the last NINE months, which means the economy is 100% his fault. .............. The long hello unwanted? Those dreaded Dems and Libs!!! I could not agree w/ you more: GO 'PUBS, LET'S GO 'PUBS!!— Talvenada
- My simple comment to jmc and NEPhilly is this: As of the 20th, you guys have been marginalised!— SCB
- From his political crony appointments, through a series of press secretaries and cabinet officials, one may scour high and low through 44 administrations to find even a hint of the overwhelming delusion of George W. Bush's time. It is profoundly remarkable. And to think: we elected him twice.— Sharecropper
- LET'S CALL RICHARD'S BLOG "THE NEVER ENDING BASH ABOUT THE SAME THING" ANY ORGINAL THOUGHTS RICHARD???????????????— CD75
- I bet Richard will still be writing about Bush and blaming him for Obama's mess up's long after Janaury.— CD75
- CD75- I betcha there will be no expiration date on the blame Bush mantra.
- Djoko Pritza- I took you advice and had a cool one. Maybe one too many. Now my heard hurts and Obama will still be President on Tuesday. Uugg. But don't you worry. I will have great enjoyement watching liberal hypocrisy and corruption flourish. Cheers!
- See you at The Haugue Mr. Bush. I will not silence my call for accountability of the Bush Administration's crimes (both in Congress and International War Courts). Never Forget ... Never Again!!!— rallyrally
Cited by the Columbia Journalism Review as one of the nation's top political reporters, and lauded by the ABC News political website as "one of the finest political journalists of his generation," Dick Polman is a national political columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is on the full-time faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, as "writer in residence." Dick has been a frequent guest on C-Span, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the BBC. He covered the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential campaigns.
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