t r u t h
o u t | Sunday December 16, 2001
Radical in
the White House
by Marc Ash
George W.
Bush has embarked on perhaps the most radical course of any president
in US history. Without consulting or even informing Congress, Mr.
Bush this week terminated the landmark 1972 Antiballistic Missile
Treaty that has been the cornerstone of global nuclear arms control
for three decades. And that was just for openers. While the entire
country was obediently watching the Osama bin Laden video Mr. Bush
was quietly invoking for only the third time in U.S.
history Powers of Executive Privilege.
Surprised?
Don't be. Amidst the chaos, destruction and distraction of the past
year Mr. Bush has set about, by "whatever means necessary," reshaping
America to conform to a vision that is -- his to know -- and ours to
find out. A fundamental redefinition of the entire U.S. tax
structure, fast track authority to unilaterally formulate U.S. trade
agreements world-wide, plans to privatize social security, a sweeping
overhaul of the entire U.S. justice system... and this is only the
ninth month.
Any one of
these social and political developments in years gone by would have
set off a whirlwind of controversy. Today, while TV broadcast news
keeps the nation transfixed on the hunt for bin Laden, Mr. Bush is
presiding over a truly radical 180 degree reversal of America's
fortune. In little more than a year we have gone from enjoying peace
and the most prosperous economy in our history, to a nation plunged
into war, recession and fear. This is a nation being transformed
before our very eyes.
Democratic
resistance to the Bush agenda is not surprising, but to put into
perspective the enormity of these events, consider the reaction from
many prominent republicans: Dan Burton, the Republican Chairman of
the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, said in reaction to Mr.
Bush's invocation of Executive Privilege, "This is not a monarchy."
Arch Republican conservative New York Times columnist William Safire
titled his essay on the subject of Mr. Bush's order authorizing
secret military tribunals: "Seizing Dictatorial Power." Senate
Republican Stalwart Arlen Specter titled his Op-Ed in the New York
times; "Questioning the President's Authority."
Questioning
the President's Authority indeed, now might be a very good time --
while the opportunity still exists.
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