bush jr. was trying to sound like the guy in charge, saying that rumsfeld should've told him sooner about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Nonetheless, rummy will remain in ["my"] cabinet.A more honest press conference:
"Mr. President ..."
"Who are you talking to?"
"I'm sorry ...?"
"I'm not the President. I lost the popular vote. I even lost Florida, in spite of using every dirty trick I could think of. I needed the Supreme Court to install me, and the whole thing was supposed to have been decided by Congress anyway."
"Uh, ... okay. Mr. Bush ..."
"That'll do."
"Okay. Why didn't Secretary Rumsfeld inform you of the torture investigations months ago? Why aren't you asking for his resignation?"
"Thanks for your question. Good question. I understand the importance of your question. Well, Rumsfeld probably didn't feel like telling me about the abuses because I'm a figure-head president, see? The Cabinet calls the shots, and I try to look presidential carrying everything out. I mean, I can't get it together enough to read the goddam morning paper. ...
The other thing is, see, I would've approved of all of these abuses anyway. If I'da been told about this, I'd've been involved in trying to keep it all hush-hush. Then it'd be my neck on the chopping block right?"
"You say you approve of this behaviour?"
"Well basically. Look, most imperialist governments are pretty barbaric. Look, we're talking about the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi children under the UN sanctions during my father's and the Clinton administration.
Think about the Highway of Death. Think of the hundreds of thousands of cancer deaths from depleted uranium ... that's including the US service folks working in the areas of spent DU as well.
Think of all the Iraqis starvin' and dying because of the corruption and negligence of Halliburton's "reconstruction" scam. You know, garbage in the streets, untreated drinking water, hospitals with no medicine or cleaning supplies. Irregular power delivery. Every city in Iraq is a breeding ground for disease and death.
Think of the hundreds of civilians I'd killed everytime some nobody told me that Saddam was in some building in Baghdad somewhere. We'd drop a huge bomb on a populated neighbourhood and there'd be no bunker there. Did we care? Of course not.
Look at the deaths of prisoners in Afghanistan. Hundreds of Taliban fighters surrendured on the promise of good treatment. We stuck 'em in overcrowded, closed metal containers, and let 'em bake to death.
I'm surprised you even have to ask the question."
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posted 08 May 2004 12:59 PM
