The bully at the bully pulpit

by Helen & Harry Highwater, Unknown News

Jan. 13, 2006

Being President of the United States bestows an enormous aura of respect, and from that respect for the Presidency comes one hell of a 'bully pulpit,' as Teddy Roosevelt called it. When any President says something, anything, about almost any issue, it tends to dominate the debate.

Along with the torture, the spying, and the perpetual claims of executive privilege, the Bush administration's abuse of power includes the everyday abuse of his powerful 'bully pulpit'.

President Bush uses his bully pulpit to lie. Constantly.

It's almost funny to remember how the media went after Al Gore in 2000, alleging that a few little lies, mixed with some misstatements he'd made and a few misquotes in the media, rendered Gore a pathological liar, unfit for the White House.

The Bush administration has been nothing but lies, spin, smear, and false insinuation, beginning with the oath of office -- remember the canard about preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States? Whatever issue Bush discusses, he lies. Lying is the lynchpin of this administration's strategy, and on those rare occasions when something isn't a lie, it's classified and kept super-secret instead.

Mr Bush is "truth diabetic" -- his metabolism simply can't cope with honesty. Telling the truth would throw his blood sugar out of whack or something. And yet, five years into his malfeasant administration, reporters, columnists, and even the so-called opposition party still can't describe Bush or Cheney with the word "liar," unless it's followed by a question mark. As in, "Surely you're not saying the President is a liar?"

Anyone who can't say that the President is a liar, is a liar. Unless he's talking about his dog or his daughters, George W. Bush can't string together half-a-dozen sentences without telling at least one big fat lie. US Presidents are not generally known for honesty and integrity, but Bush has taken lying to a whole new level. And it's not even high-quality crap. His lies are obvious to anyone but the most dim-witted or deluded Republicans.

But Bush took his own rhetoric to a higher level a few days ago. In a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars, he described limits to "reasonable debate," limits that question the patriotism of anyone who voices honest opposition to any of the Bush-Cheney war-lust and policies of disaster.

It's an enormous load of propaganda, but you don't need me to debunk Bush's speech, line by line, McCarthyesque smear by Goeringesque spin, and I won't bother. I won't interrupt, because the crescendo of Bush's speech works best as an uninterrupted sound bite:

"The campaign season will soon be upon us -- and that means our nation must carry on this war in an election year. There is a vigorous debate about the war in Iraq today, and we should not fear the debate. It's one of the great strengths of our democracy that we can discuss our differences openly and honestly -- even in times of war. Yet we must remember there is a difference between responsible and irresponsible debate -- and it's even more important to conduct this debate responsibly when American troops are risking their lives overseas.

"The American people know the difference between responsible and irresponsible debate when they see it. They know the difference between honest critics who question the way the war is being prosecuted and partisan critics who claim that we acted in Iraq because of oil, or because of Israel, or because we misled the American people. And they know the difference between a loyal opposition that points out what is wrong, and defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right.

"When our soldiers hear politicians in Washington question the mission they are risking their lives to accomplish, it hurts their morale. In a time of war, we have a responsibility to show that whatever our political differences at home, our nation is united and determined to prevail. And we have a responsibility to our men and women in uniform -- who deserve to know that once our politicians vote to send them into harm's way, our support will be with them in good days and in bad days -- and we will settle for nothing less than complete victory. (Applause.)

"We also have an opportunity this year to show the Iraqi people what responsible debate in a democracy looks like. In a free society, there is only one check on political speech -- and that's the judgment of the people. So I ask all Americans to hold their elected leaders to account, and demand a debate that brings credit to our democracy -- not comfort to our adversaries.

"Support for the mission in Iraq should not be a partisan matter."

Count the insinuations, but if it makes you angry, make sure you watch your words, America. And remember, your Senator's job isn't to write legislation or balance Presidential power, it's to keep the soldiers' morale high.

My favorite part, just for its breathtaking dishonesty, is this: The American people, the President says, "know the difference between honest critics who question the way the war is being prosecuted and partisan critics who claim that we acted in Iraq because of oil, or because of Israel, or because we misled the American people."

By the dictionary definition, to mislead is "to lead in the wrong direction," "to lead into error of thought or action, especially by intentionally deceiving." It's an old joke, but there ought to be a picture of President Bush alongside that definition.

And now, the President misleadingly suggests that it's misleading to point out that he's "misled the American people." It reminds me
of those Russian nesting dolls, only with Bush it's one lie snuggled over another lie, encased in yet another lie. Except with the nesting dolls, you'll eventually reach the last doll, but with the Bush administration, the lies never, ever end.

And between the lies, President Bush uses his bully pulpit to speak out, against speaking out.


© by the author.