MOMENT OF TRUTH

Americans saw the first moment of truth for a member of the Bush war cabinet at a hearing of the House Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday.

As Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice prepared to testify about Middle East foreign policy issues, a war protester, hands stained with red dye, approached Rice, held her open hands close to Rice’s head, and simply said “War criminal, war criminal.”

Rice froze, saying nothing and displaying no emotion, as the protester, who neither touched nor verbally threatened Rice, was hustled away.

What was Rice thinking? Did she freeze because she realized that the power of her office can no longer shield her from the inevitable and harsh judgment of history that she sold her soul to conspire with the Bush war party to make up, sell, launch and continue endlessly their immoral and criminal enterprise in Iraq?

Maybe she stood stone faced because she is already haunted by the million or more dead and wounded Iraqis, and the millions more who have fled the carnage she helped orchestrate which ruined their lives.

Originally published in Chicago Daily Herald, November 9, 2007

ATTORNEY GENERAL TRIFECTA

With the nomination of retired New York trial judge Michael Mukasey to be Attorney General, President Bush has offered America possibly the worst three candidates ever for this critical post.

First Attorney General John Ashcroft engineered unnecessary restrictions to civil liberties in the hysterical aftermath of September 11, and trumpeted inaccurate or phony terrorist busts every time a distraction was needed to camouflage Administration embarrassments.

Second Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, infamous for calling the Geneva Conventions “quaint”, brought his office to such a low level he had to look up to look down. He mercifully resigned and hired a defense attorney after enduring a withering storm of criticism from Republicans as well as Democrats.

Now the President offers retired judge Mukasey, who is incapable of stating the obvious, that water boarding is torture. US military personnel were prosecuted for torture for water boarding Philippino insurgents after our takeover of the Philippines, a prize garnered in our victorious Spanish American War of 1898.

Did the President give Mukasey marching orders to avoid telling the truth which might expose American interrogators to prosecution for that same practice used on alleged bad guys in this century? Or, did Mukasey read the tea leaves and divine that an honest answer would have that precise consequence?

Bush’s three choices for the top law enforcement official in the land completes his trifecta of everything we do not need in a decent and effective Attorney General.

Originally published in Glen Ellyn Sun, November 9, 2007

TOM SAWYER WOULD BE PROUD

Is there a better job out their for a red-blooded American than Blackwater security guard?

The lucky person tabbed for this cherished position gets paid a pile of cash to ride around protecting state department and other officials in Iraq. They meet danger with the mantra "Spray and pray", with the result that hundreds of innocent civilians have been blown to kingdom-come for the crime of getting in Blackwater's way.

When the heat is raised over these senseless killings, the State Department grants them immunity from prosecution in order get the facts, and nothing but the facts.

Their name may be Blackwater, but they are drenched in Whitewash.

Originally published in Chicago Sun Times, November 6, 2007
Also published in Glen Ellyn Sun, November 23, 2007