Dear Senator Reid:
I am writing to urge you to not back down in this battle over war funding. Sadly, our president is a man who has never faced consequences—from his coddled upbringing; to his legacy schooling; to his absent military service; to his scam of a business life; and even throughout his mediocre governorship—his family’s social, financial and political muscle have always prevented him from facing his failures. And so, he has been allowed to bulldoze his way, disaster after unaccounted-for disaster, defiantly up the hill of achievement until he has ended up in the presidency.
That said, there is one thing he does do incredibly well: Mr. Bush is a world-class bully, who long ago mastered the dark, divisive arts of fear mongering and personal attack. And, like any bully, his tactics will continue to work until someone stands up to them. We, the people, are counting on you to stand up on our behalf. Unlike the great pretender, you actually are a fighter. And, to prevail, I believe you will only need the truth and the guts to speak it honestly. To wit:
Mr. Bush claims he supports the troops. That is a lie. He forces the troops to support him as patriotic wallpaper. And then, at every turn, he cuts their funding, training and safety while trapping them with stop-loss and extending their tours beyond human endurance. In fact, Mr. Bush so disrespects the troops that he will not attend their funerals; and, until recently, even insisted their bodies be shipped home as cargo to save money.
Mr. Bush claims he follows the advice of his commanders. That is a lie. Every commander who has dared tell him the truth was shoved aside or fired.
Mr. Bush claims the terrorists will win if we withdraw. That is a lie. The terrorists have already “won” due to his breathtaking incompetence. And because of Mr. Bush’s compelling “Great Satan” impersonation, jihadists continue to recruit converts in droves, helping them master their craft on an actual battlefield filled with real American soldiers as targets. Thanks to the strategic genius of “the Decider,” the longer we stay, the more they win.
Mr. Bush claims if we leave, the terrorists will follow us home. That’s not just a lie, it is absurd. If terrorists “follow us home,” (like little puppies?) it would be due to his failure to stop them. Homeland Security is under his jurisdiction, not yours.
Mr. Bush claimed his war was a preemptive strike against a potentially nuclear Iraq. That was a lie. Mr. Bush said it would only take a few months before the troops would come home. Another lie. Now, five years later, Mr. Bush says we are in Iraq because we cannot leave. Yet another lie.
Mr. Bush claims he has implemented a new strategy. That too is a lie. It is the same strategy with a new name. He say’s it needs more time to work. Another lie. It has already failed repeatedly because it cannot succeed.
Mr. Bush continues to claim this is a war against Al Qaeda. If so, then where is Osama bin Laden? Mr. Bush said he was going to get him “dead or alive.” Half a trillion dollars later, there’s no Osama. Lies. Just more lies.
Mr. Bush also claims the terrorists will attack us again, here in America. Now, that may be true—certainly as long as he is in charge. After all, Mr. Bush is the one who initially cut funding for terrorism, vacationed through credible and increasingly shrill warnings, and then sat reading a children’s book the entire time we were attacked. After that, Mr. Bush ran away—disappearing into the sky and leaving New York to fend for itself for several hours.
Truth is, Mr. Bush is a coward and needs to be called on it. He pretends to be manly and tough, dressing up like a cowboy or a fighter jock, but he’s just a spoiled little boy, sitting in the global sandbox and throwing sand in everyone’s face. So far—and to the world’s amazement—he’s gotten away with it. And, as a consequence of our cowardice in not standing up to him, entire countries lie in ruin, international relations are in tatters, terrorism is on the rise and America’s hard-won respect is in the gutter. Even worse, the problems that actually do threaten civilization—global warming, peak oil, poisoned ecosystems—are all but ignored.
Do not, I pray, back down. Do not give in to expediency. Damn the risk. Damn the political calculation. Do what is right. Our country, our constitution, and perhaps our future survival as a species are at stake.
Please stand up to Mr. Bush. Say “NO!” to his war tantrum. Stand up and give him hell, Harry.
Sincerely,
Dr. William E. Miller
