Political Blog

By: Cedric McClester, Copyright © 2007. All rights reserved

There’s an old adage that applies to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, when first we practice to deceive, oh what a tangled web we weave. Apparently, Mr. Gonzales was less than forthcoming when he said he had little to do with the dismissals of the nine United States Attorneys who worked for him. It appears that Mr. Gonzales and senior advisors met ten days prior to the dismissals to discuss the dismissals. Of course Mr. Gonzales says he doesn’t remember the meeting. It’s the kind of incompetence that has become the hallmark of the Bush administration. Remember soon to be pardoned Scooter Libby? He too suffered from faulty memory syndrome.

In the rearview mirror of history, we discovered for much of his presidency the late Ronald Regan had Alzheimer Disease. Are now to believe that Mr. Gonzales might be demonstrating early symptoms of the same disease? According to a spokesperson, Gonzales can’t recall the hour-long staff meeting he called to discuss the firings. Instead, he remembers tasking his chief of staff to carry out the firings. “He did not participate in the selection of those to be fired. How come? He did sign off on the final list.” Gonzales’ level of non-involvement in the agency he has been tasked to run, is reminiscent of FEMA’s Michael Brown. The Presidents continued support for Mr. Gonzales calls to mind his support for Mr. Brown, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Like Katrina, the Bush Administration continues to be a national tragedy. There is no level of incompetence that goes unrewarded. Who can forget Mr. Bush’s staunch support for the gregarious Donald Rumsfeld, his former Secretary of Defense. Mr. let’s go with a meaner leaner armed force proved to be one of the worst defense secretaries in recent memory. This did not stop our C-student president from vowing his undying support for Mr. Rumsfeld.

We can only hope that Mr. Gonzales receives the same kind of support, hopefully of a much shorter duration. Perhaps we’ve been in the Middle East too long but I could swear I saw Gonzales kiss Mr. Bush’s shoulder. Gonzales must be removed, if confidence in the Justice Department is ever to be restored, Mr. Gonzales has to go. How many lies does he have to be caught in before the President recognizes the inevitable? Unfortunately lying is seen as a virtue in the Bush Administration. From the President on down, everyone associated with the Bush Administration lies. Foremost among the Bush liars is Tony Snow, who used to shill for the President when he was a talking head on the Fox network. His current position is an extension of his former position. Let’s get back to the topic at hand. The aforementioned staff meeting took place as Mr. Gonzales and his aide’s awaited final White House approval of the detailed dismissal plan that had been drafted by D. Kyle Sampson, Mr. Gonzales’ chief of staff. According to the New York Times, The plan was sent to the White House on Nov. 15, according to previously released e-mail. Harriett E. Miers, the then White House counsel, approved Mr. Sampson’s proposal on Dec. 4, and the dismissals were carried out three days later.

The U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President. He can fire any or all 93 of them on a whim. This however, is usually done at the beginning of a president’s term, as Bill Clinton, did, not in the middle. Of a term. Not at the conclusion of successful prosecutions. All nine-fired U.S, attorneys had exemplary records, yet they were unceremoniously dismissed. In several of these instances elected officials queried them about sealed indictments. Some Republican elected officials wanted Democrats prosecuted. Others wanted on-going prosecutions discontinued. This smacks of the kind of partisan politics that have become all to familiar in this administration. We the people, should be able to have confidence in our Justice system. Under the present leadership, , this is impossible. Mr. Gonzales is loyal to a fault. His loyalty is misplaced. He should be loyal to the law and its administration. Instead he has made a political circus out of the Justice Department, and he is the head clown.

There are consequences for lies as Senator Charles Schumer noted. He said, “If the facts bear out that the attorney general knew much more than he admitted, he simply cannot continue as attorney general.” Lying to Congress is a serious crime, a fact that must have escaped the attorney general. Since lying is second nature to the members of this administration, Mr. Gonzales may have forgotten. George Bush and his acolytes have perverted every good and pure thing about this nation. They have made a mockery of our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. Mr. Gonzales to a large extent has provided the legal rationale for many of the things that have been done to rob us of our basic American rights. Like some backwater Third World country, people in America can be disappeared. No trial of peers, no jury, no defense. Mr. Gonzales sanctioned all of this. Our phones can be tapped and our mail opened without justification. We are left to ask, Is this America?

Gonzales has become an embarrassment to his Mexican heritage. He is so anxious to curry favor with the power elite, particularly Master George, that he has forgotten his humble beginnings. Perhaps this assumption is incorrect. Maybe it’s that he never wants to return to those humble beginnings that has him ignoring his obligation to serve justice. As Gonzales sees it, damn the people’s justice system if it means abandoning George. Following the tumultuous Clinton years, President Bush promised to bring dignity back to the White House. Instead, he has disgraced the office by making the kind of appointments of which Mr. Gonzales is indicative. Despite protestations to the contrary, Mr. Gonzales will be buckwheat’s before the month of April passes. Bank on it.

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If the title of this article caught your attention as intriguing – you aren’t alone. In fact, the words “Iranian-American Alliance” seem so strange that even the uninformed know something is terribly wrong with them. And the uninformed would of course know that we don’t have an alliance because we have fought bloody wars against one another, Iranians don’t respect women or Jews, and they are a governed by a ruthless dictator. The problem is that none of those things are true.

We have never fought a war with Iran, women and Jews are treated better in Iran than in just about any other Middle Eastern nation, and their leader is elected by the people. While their democracy has its flaws, Iran is perhaps the most democratic country in the Middle East outside of Israel (and arguably Iraq). Now make no mistake, the Iranians are not in love with America. The United States made a terrible decision in 1953 to follow British advice and overthrow the democratically elected government. This of course gave rise to a government friendly to the United States and Britain, but unpopular with the people. Without elaborating too much, the 1979 Revolution in Iran where Americans were taken hostage was the result of a population demanding their voice be heard. The result was a theocracy that in principle is fundamentally opposed to America.

Now, fast forward to 2007 – nearly thirty years after the Revolution. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is losing popular support at home. The Iranian people (50% of which fall between the ages of 15 and 30) are demanding more freedoms and a better economy. These are two things that their leader has failed to provide. What’s worse is that Ahmadinejad insists on defying the UN demand that he halt uranium enrichment. This news does not sit well with many Iranians who – while supporting their nation’s peaceful nuclear program – disapprove of their government’s way of handling the issue. Iranian youth are concerned about the things that their Western counterparts are concerned about – iPods and Playstation 3. That is a way of saying that the realities of 1953 have started to fade and that Iranians seek to become part of the international family with all of the luxuries and technological marvels that come with it. They are fed propaganda about the West (especially the US) in order to keep them more in line with the government agenda. Unfortunately, the US has done nothing positive to attempt to rectify the situation.

We still insist on having cold relations with Tehran while the honest people in the know will tell you that they pose little threat to our wellbeing. Our handling of the nuclear issue has so far been restrained, but lacks the American leadership to which we are accustomed. Instead of meeting with the Iranians, we have instead chosen to remain cold. Iran certainly isn’t making our lives any easier, but in the climate of today’s world, America should show a little humility. In fact, I think a single gesture could open up a tremendous opportunity between our nations. If President Bush would only offer to meet with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a neutral location, perhaps we could at least make some progress. Even during our Cold War with the Soviets, Reagan and Gorbachev met face to face to build a rapport with one another. It is unlikely that all problems will be fixed with one meeting, but it could be a great start if nothing else. Nuclear issues need not be discussed in the first meeting. Instead, a simple gesture of goodwill would probably do much to decrease tensions.

Iran cannot defeat the United States militarily, and the United States (if using military force) cannot defeat the Iranians politically. Neither side can afford a war of this magnitude the result of which will be wasted blood and treasure. The attempt to build some sort of fellowship between Bush and Ahmadinejad certainly seems ludicrous today. However, I think the world would breathe a collective sigh of relief if a meeting like this took place. If nothing else, it simply looks good. It shows that the spirit of dialogue is indeed alive and well. America used to be a master at dialogue and our national identity is that of solving problems using a pen and a voice. These are the attributes that made us a great nation and a respected nation in the eyes of many throughout the world. We can get back there without much work if we make the decision to do so. It is time for our leaders to meet face to face in the spirit of peace and an eye towards future cooperation and prosperity.