The Cowardice of King George
by Allen Snyder
Cowardice comes in many forms. If George W. Bush had seen any combat action, I could probably use that term in its most familiar sense. But even though Bush saw fit to go AWOL from his National Guard duty during the Vietnam Era, I'm still left with many instances of cowardly behavior. In fact, cowardice appears to be one of the only areas where George W. Bush doesn't regularly disappoint.
What do you call it when a President sends young men and women off to die based on lies, fabrications, and half-truths, forbids video news coverage of their returning coffins, refuses to attend even one of their funerals, exploits heart-wrenching images of real heroic deaths from 9/11 to secure his re-election, continues to hide behind those same tragic events almost 3 years later, blame all the nation's ills, foreign and domestic, on them, while flatly refusing to meaningfully participate in any investigation into their causes, effectively covering up a truth in which he is no doubt complicit, all for money, influence, neo-conservative ideology, and political power?
Cowardice.
What do you call it when a President initiates an unprovoked and unnecessary preemptive war on a destitute country, liberates thousands of its citizens and military personnel from their very lives, imperils countless others worldwide by challenging all terrorists to kill as many people as possible, talks the big talk only in front of gushing audiences of brain-dead supporters, while his bombs and bullets kill dozens daily, and refuse to count the bodies of those he's killed, all for money, influence, neo-conservative ideology, and political power?
Cowardice.
What do you call it when a President continually uses 9/11 fear to curtail civil rights, invade privacy, pass dangerous and undemocratic legislation, suppress dissent, infiltrate protest organizations, brand opponents as unpatriotic, and alienate whole nations and peoples, in the name of freedom and security, all for money, influence, ideology, and political power?
Cowardice.
What do you call it when a President invokes the will of God in practically everything he does, sloughing his responsibility off on a dubious deity whose voice apparently only he hears, using religious bigotry and intolerance to keep Americans deeply divided, openly advocating massive involvement of religion and religious groups in government and social welfare, and supporting discrimination based on religious misinterpretations, all for money, influence, neo-conservative ideology, and political power?
Cowardice.
What do you call it when a President says nothing while his hired guns smear not only Spain the nation, but the Spanish people for acting on principle and conviction, democratically retaliating against their government for joining Bush's lie-based war, says nothing while his pathetic minions castigate them while they mourn their dead, says nothing while his Education Secretary brands as terrorists the largest teacher's union in America, says nothing while true heroes are maligned by the GOP hate machine, and says nothing while his VP pals around with Supreme Court Loser Scalia on the eve of Scalia's hearing a case directly involving Cheney himself and his secret energy commission, all for money, influence, neo-conservative ideology, and political power?
Cowardice.
What do you call it when a President so confident about his policies he foists them on the entire world with reckless abandon refuses to debate those same issues with his likely opponent, John Kerry, while citing Kerry's lack of preparedness as a reason for chickening out? When a President has to paint an antithetical picture of reality before he can claim success for even his least ambitious policies? When a President has to spy, bug, eavesdrop, manipulate, cherry-pick, strong-arm, bribe, blackmail, threaten, support terrorism, kill thousands, and lower the quality of life for the majority of the world's population with an ill-conceived and arrogant narcissism and moral superiority all for money, influence, neo-conservative ideology, and political power?
Cowardice.
What do you call it when a President commits these heinous war crimes and acts against humanity, in full violation of international law, but never steps up like a man and takes responsibility for any of it, saying instead that 'Saddam made me do it' or 'God told me to do it' or 'I've been called on to rid the world of evil' or some such fated nonsense all for money, influence, neo-conservative ideology, and political power?
Cowardice.
What is the only character trait President George W. Bush has displayed with such flair and flamboyance, to the exclusion of all others; including most notably, compassion, leadership, and common human decency?
Cowardice.
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Allen Snyder can be reached at asnyder111@hotmail.com This article is copyright by Allen Snyder and originally published by www.opednews.com but permission is granted for reprint in print, email, blog, or web media so long as this credit is attached.
