Farrago
10/31/04
13:05 EST
No Weapons of Mass Destruction have been found in
Iraq in the last 10 years.
There was no link between Iraq under Saddam and the events
of 9/11/01.
There was no link between Iraq under Saddam and al
Qaeda.
9/11/01 was 3 years and 1 month ago.
The war with Iraq began 3/20/03,
(52+32) = 84 weeks ago.
George W. Bush had been President for 33 weeks on 9/11/01.
1,123 US soldiers have died in Iraq.
482 US soldiers died in Iraq in 2003.
641 US soldiers have died in Iraq in 2004.
Saddam was captured 12/13/03, more than 10 months ago.
Osama? Omar? al-Zawahiri? al-Zarqawi?
*****
25% more US soldiers have died in Iraq per day in 2004 than died in Iraq per day in 2003:
2003 482 dead US soldiers in 287 days = 1.68 US soldiers dead per day
2004 641 dead US soldiers in 305 days = 2.10 US soldiers dead per day
***
The federal budget deficit for fiscal 2004 is $413 billion, more than 10% greater than the highest previous deficit of $374 billion, set in fiscal 2003.
*****
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 585,000 jobs have vanished in the US since 1/20/01.
*****
Speaking of national missile
defense, 10/9/04 marked 59 years and 2 months of nuclear peace, 59 years and 2 months since nuclear
weapons were last used in anger. Theorem: There is no such thing as
nuclear missile attack. Proof: The proof is by induction and is left to the student.
*****
Nuclear energy is our friend.
***
(Optional)(Unnecessary)(Discretionary)
No Weapons of Mass Destruction have been found in Iraq in the last 10 years. There was no link between Iraq under Saddam and the events of 9/11/01. There was no link between Iraq under Saddam and al Qaeda. Taken together, these facts mean that Iraq was not an imminent threat to the US. Therefore the war with Iraq was optional, discretionary, unnecessary. At least 1,123 US soldiers dead and $150 billion for 1.5 years was all optional, discretionary, unnecessary. All the blood and all the treasure was optional, unnecessary, discretionary, elective, gratuitous.
*****
GWB
has done well since 9/11/01, particularly if one ignores scamming the
citizenry into war with Iraq, and the economy, especially deficits and
joblessness. The war on terror (a metaphorical war, like the war on drugs
or the war on poverty) has been expensive. 9/11/01 occurred on Bush's
watch, after he was inattentive to and complacent about terror for almost
8 months.
*****
Secretary Rumsfeld is the State.
Secretary of
Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld is the whole franchise.
Secretary Rumsfeld
wrote the book on self-defense.
DHR deployed American legions to the
Tigris and Euphrates, from Washington. Alexander, Caesar, and Napoleon
envy him.
The war with Iraq was a war of self-defense, generously
defined.
Secretary Rumsfeld is quixotic, grandiose. Envisions US as
Sheriff: enforcing truth, justice, freedom, democracy, and English all
over the Earth. Appointed Secretary of Megalomania by GWB, won the Energy
War, declared himself King of Iraq. Chairs the Great Big American
Committee of Scamologists (Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Perle,
Gingrich).
GWB may be remembered to history as President during
Rumsfeld's tenure, or President under Rumsfeld's tenure.
Secretary
Rumsfeld has a compelling and seductive vision of US Empire, benevolent
and enlightened. Got something better?
Please note that even Donald
Rumsfeld and Caspar Weinberger will scam you, will lie to
you.
Secretary Rumsfeld is unusually inventive. He invented the need
for national missile defense. He invented the post 9/11 threat from Iraq.
*****
Speaking of impeachment, what is
the Constitutional remedy when the US President dupes the Republic into
war? If you won't impeach for duping the Republic, for scamming the
polity, into war, when would you impeach? If not for this, then for
what? Article II, Section 3 of the US Constitution calls for the President
to give to the Congress information of the state of the union. The
President lied to Congress. Can Congress pass this institutional deficit
down to future generations? Can Congress surrender the impeachment power?
Congress is acting squeamishly about impeachment, femalely about
impeachment. Congress has slight institutional identity, slight
institutional respect. The difference between GWB and Ollie North is a
difference of degree. Congress is afflicted by pusillanimity. Congress is
prostrate.
***
On the following days, which are all the Friday before
election day in the particular year, the S&P 500 closed at:
11/02/90
311.85
10/30/92 418.68
11/04/94
462.28
11/01/96 703.77
10/30/98
1098.67
11/03/00 1426.69
11/01/02
900.96
10/29/04 1130.20
