tp219.xml

tp219.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-03-10

The Bush agenda was not interrupted by the attack upon America's symbols of power and wealth last year. Indeed, that event provided pretext for the
expedited continuity of its planned agenda, which required in great part any
entry into Central Asian hegemony. There was collateral damage. But the
agenda remains intact.

The implicit terms of the Bush agenda were to levy executive power into
service for the contracting wealthy sector, and correspondingly to vitiate
resistent Congressional and Constitutional processes by whatever means
necessary.

The Bush agenda began with one such means, unConstitutional corrupt
connivance in the election process.

Once in ""office"", the Bush agenda required withdrawal from any treaty
limiting to its power, and systematic reversals of prior advances towards
human safety, health, equity, civil protection, and employment.

It required limitations on U.S. intelligence services not to pursue Al Qaida
and bin Laden. Preparatory defensive tactics were contrary to righteously
conquering Afghanistan, and also to family loyalties--i.e., the Carlyle
Group--towards the bin Laden clan.

In aggressive preparation for war, the Bush agenda endorsed the ransacking
of five trillions promised for Social Security, and even telegraphed their
immediate use, on August 24, 2001, by the words that the Social Security
trust fund would only be reduced in times of war. (NY Times)

In further preparation, the Bush agenda shipped munitions to Diego Garcia,
just off Pakistan, (NY Times, August 30, 2001) as needed for (a yet
unannounced) war. There was also the order to keep U.S. jets on the ground
in case of hijack, contrary to prior practice.

The Bush agenda needed one thing more, a blood-curdling pretext for war--and
its corollary, dictatorial power. That pretext happened eerily, though not
innocently, beyond the Bush agenda's greatest expectations.