It’s 33 days to go, and I’m not sure I’m going to make it. Yesterday, I listened in shock as George W. Bush said his biggest achievement as President was “Keeping America Safe.” I guess if you accept the republican premise that everything that happens during a republican presidency is the fault of Bill Clinton or some other democrat (soon to be Barrack Obama) you can write of 9/11 as somebody else’s fault. Of course, when you look at the evidence closely, the Bush administration was overwhelmingly “sleeping at the wheel” prior to 9/11 and there are even those who suggest they wanted something like that to happen so they could invade Iraq. The reality, to me, is that even to suggest that we are safer is further evidence of how delusional this man really is. I harken back to the advice I got several years ago as a teacher when stuggling with the issue of students lying – a psychologist told me, and as I’ve observed people since I believe he was right on, that once someone who is constantly lying reaches about 14 it becomes part of their character. And the worse part is, they start believing their own lies – I’m convinced that George W Bush believes his own lies – even in the face of millions of Americans just shaking their collective heads as he says them.

When you get past the 9/11 tragedy and all the evidence that it should never have happened (read “The Shadow Factory”) you can turn your eyes toward Iraq. I can’t imagine how anyone can say that the Iraq war has made us safer. It is true that things are getting safer, at least temporarily, in Iraq (although I believe it could “explode” at anytime because the Shia still hate the Sunni), but the reality is that the “war” never should have been in Iraq. The people who have made us “unsafe” are in Pakistan and Afganistan and they, al Qaeda, are probably stronger than ever. In fact, one of Osama bin Laden’s goals was to get the U.S. bogged down in an “unwinnable” war in the Middle East (well, actually, they want us completely out of the Middle East, but knowing that aint going to happen this is the next best thing for them) so Iraq has served them well. It has depleted the resources of the US, it has turned the rest of the world, not only Arab countries against the US, and it has weakened our military so that if there was a real threat to our national security we would be in a tough spot trying to respond to it. Additionally, our involvement in Iraq has been a recruiting “boon” to al Qaeda and they are supposedly in better shape for another attack than they were at the time of 9/11. I don’t call that safer!

I guess Bush doesn’t factor in the economy when he talks about keeping us safe. Based on his performance in managing the economy this shouldn’t be too surprising. However, in my mind the fact that we are possibly going into the most severe economic downturn ever – including the thirties – it’s hard for me to say that keeps us safe. And today, Bush is quoted as saying a bankruptcy with a “gentle” landing might be good for GM. The guy, and his republican buddies, just can’t avoid the opportunity to possibly destroy one of the largest unions in the nation – this has nothing to do with keeping us safe. Keep in mind that during WW II GM played a huge role in building the things we needed for that war. WE NEED SOME KIND OF INDUSTRIAL BASE – AND IT NEEDS TO BE AMERICAN!!! I believe they are figuring out that this “crunch” is going to be huge no matter what they do, so they might as well try to get rid of the United Auto Workers in the process.

Let me summarize, 9/11 happened on George W Bush’s watch and there were plenty of opportunities to stop it. The NSA knew the whereabouts of the two original “plants” who facilitated the whole thing and due to the “bickering” among the different agencies once Bush/Cheney took office these guys were allowed to roam free for almost a year making call afte call on cell phones that the NSA should have been monitering (of course now they’re monitering your calls and mine to make up for their blunder). Our government has been torturing people, even Vice President Cheney admitting on national TV that he authorized it, which doesn’t keep us or our troops safer. Our economy is in the tank, which makes us all unsafer. And, worst of all, our military has been stretched to the breaking point in an illegal occupation of another nation, which really makes us unsafe. The truth is that any attack will most likely come after Bush is out of office, but make no mistake about it – George W Bush is the person who has made this country UNSAFE!