Bush-era nostalgia?
Anniversaries inherently have nostalgia attached to
them. As the world marked the 10th
anniversary this week of the U.S. “war” with Iraq, I am surprised to find I’m
longing for the days of George W. Bush...well, not him personally, but his era.
I am not a Republican, nor a fan of W’s politics – especially the
policies that drove the U.S. economy into a depression in addition to invading
sovereign countries preemptively. It’s the
10th anniversary of my opposition to the military action in
Iraq. Harry Browne (RIP) and other
Libertarians warned of the consequences in 2003 of the action. Their website has been frozen in time at http://www.truthaboutwar.org/. It remains accurate and prophetic. The Bush administration either had the worst
intelligence gathering people imaginable, or the material justifying invasion was
manufactured to support their perspective.
Why would I be nostalgic for those shenanigans?
The Bush administration went to the United Nations to get
authorization to invade. Then they went
to Congress and asked for the legislative authority to use the military. I have criticized the fact that the
politicians at the time didn’t request or authorize war, permitted by the Constitution, Instead there’s this whole other reality that
has been created where it feels like war, it’s funded like war, but it really
isn’t war. But let’s give credit where
credit’s due: the Bush administration at
least had the gumption to give the illusion of following the rule of law and
getting appropriate authorizations. The
political theatre at the time was all about getting the authorization. Action wasn’t taken unilaterally.
Barack Obama swept into office in 2008 as the
anti-Bush. Many would say that he even won
re-election by campaigning against Bush 43 again in 2012. A key differentiation between the candidates was
how Obama viewed the war in Iraq. He promised
to get U.S. troops out of the country – and he did. (There are still tens of thousands of
ex-military serving through third-party ‘security’ companies as 'civilian contractors' who are funded by the
Pentagon. Direct U.S. troops are essentially gone.)
Kudos and appreciation should rightfully go to the 44th
President for ending the occupation of Iraq.
In other regions, however, President Obama has gone where even George W.
Bush wouldn’t. Obama has a kill list
that he personally oversees – deciding who lives and who dies. He has expanded the Bush drone program and
has even assassinated U.S. citizens – without any oversight or any semblance of
the Rule of Law. The current administration
has shut down any attempt to apply even military justice rules to the
program. Can you imagine the hue and cry
if President Bush had done any of these things?
There’s little that I agree with policy wise from either of
the last two Presidents. They’ve both
been reckless with the economy, spending
vast amounts of money that don’t exist.
The limitations on civil liberties are epic. The wars are a stain on America’s
values. At least Bush went through the
motions of following the law, and, it’s horrifying that this distinction makes
me nostalgic.
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