Bush's Miserable Vacation
    By Larry C. Johnson
    t r u t h o u t | Perspective

    Wednesday 30 August 2006

    Love him or hate him, President Bush is having a terrible week while trying to catch some downtime in Maine. Watching the self-immolation of the Bush Presidency is certainly a spectacularly sad show. When this week is over and opinion polls are taken, we are likely to see Bush close in on the low thirties or high twenties in terms of public support for his Presidency. The drumbeat of bad news is incessant. Consider the following:

    TV screens are filled with documentaries about the Federal debacle in failing to effectively respond to hurricane Katrina. The images of bodies slumped in chairs surrounded by weeping crowds seeking refuge outside the New Orleans Convention Center are searing themselves into the souls of Americans who take time to watch Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke," or the other retrospectives provided by NBC, CBS, and ABC. I'm reminded of the old Navy saying, "you can't polish shit." Americans watching these shows also are reminded in the most graphic terms that President Bush was on vacation when his leadership was needed most. A National Geographic documentary, "The Final Report: Osama's Escape," hit the airways this week focusing on the Bush administration's failure to catch Osama bin Laden. Gary Berntsen's terrific book, JAWBREAKER recounts this debacle in detail. This was preceded by a film recounting the story of Ali Mohamad (Triple Cross), an Egyptian military officer who was a spy for bin Laden and fooled the FBI for years. "Inside 9/11" also was on. Taken together, these films paint an ugly picture of Bush's incompetence in managing the highly touted "war on terrorism."

    The violence in Iraq spiked despite repeated assurances by US Commanders that things were getting better in Baghdad. US soldiers are dying at a rate of 2 per day (as of 29 August 2006) compared to the 1.48 per day that died last month, and the month is not over. You shouldn't be surprised by this since the US Commanders decided to increase counterterrorist operations in and around Baghdad. Temporary success in quelling violence in some neighborhoods is being countered by escalating violence in other sectors. To make matters worse, US troops inadvertently killed innocent civilians yesterday. This only fuels the desire for revenge among Iraqi citizens. The Taliban - the militant Islamists who controlled Iraq and protected al-Qaeda - have recaptured southern Afghanistan and are intensifying operations in the Northern portions of Afghanistan. The Taliban are doing this with the direct assistance of members of the Pakistan Intelligence Service (ISI). So far, most folks in the United States are blissfully unaware of this brewing disaster. The success of the CIA and the US military in helping oust the Taliban in 2001 is coming apart at the seams. Hezbollah remains firmly entrenched in southern Lebanon and is busy consolidating its defenses against an expected next round of Israeli attacks. Hezbollah has demonstrated that sometimes the best defense is a good defense. Taken as a whole, these stories are harbingers of ugly days ahead for the United States and its overmatched president. George Bush may be having fun racing around in a fishing boat, but his policy agenda has sprung leaks and the ship of state is sinking. Put on your lifebelts.

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    Larry C. Johnson is CEO and co-founder of BERG Associates, LLC, an 0ainternational business-consulting firm that helps corporations and 0agovernments manage threats posed by terrorism and money laundering. Mr. 0aJohnson, who worked previously with the Central Intelligence Agency and US 0aState Department's Office of Counter Terrorism (as a Deputy Director), is a 0arecognized expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, crisis and 0arisk management. Mr. Johnson has analyzed terrorist incidents for a variety 0aof media including the Jim Lehrer News Hour, National Public Radio, ABC's 0aNightline, NBC's Today Show, the New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC. 0aMr. Johnson has authored several articles for publications, including 0aSecurity Management Magazine, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. 0aHe has lectured on terrorism and aviation security around the world.