Bush's Words On Liberty Don't Mesh With Policies

Bush's Words On Liberty Don't Mesh With Policies (washingtonpost.com)

Another example of the disjoint between George W. Bush's words and reality. In his inaugural address, the President told the nation and the world that the United States was committed to spreading freedom around the globe. "All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors," he insisted, framing the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq within a noble context of liberation. But US realpolitik has demanded (not just under this administration) that some of our closest "allies" be some of the world's worst offenders of human rights.

Frankly, I thought the inaugural speech was more honest when I re-read the transcript and replaced every mention of "democracy," "freedom" and "liberty" with "free-market capitalism." For example:

"The survival of free-market capitalism in our land increasingly depends on the success of free-market capitalism in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of free-market capitalism in all the world." "When you stand for free-market capitalism, we will stand with you." "So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of free-market capitalism and its institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world." "We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and free-market capitalism, which is eternally right. " "A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause -- in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy, the idealistic work of helping raise up free-market capitalist governments, the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies." "Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our free-market capitalism."

Indeed. I remember working as a videotape editor for NBC News' TODAY program in 1989 watching East German "refugees" driving across the newly opened border with West Germany in Mercedes Benzes, and popping open bottles of champagne to celebrate. I would like to be this type of refugee!

Something that the President said in his iaugural speech rang very, very true to me, though, although I am sure it is for very different reasons than his handlers intended. He said:

"For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny -- prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder, violence will gather and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom."

As long as whole regions of the world, backs buckling under the weight of poverty, in need of decent housing, healthcare, and education, their governments saddled with enormous debt so that they are unable to supply crucial basic services, are exploited for their cheap labor and resources, violence will gather and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. That's what happened to the United States of America on September 11, 2001. And there is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of justice, mercy, and love.

It's time to reign in the exploiters of human weakness. We need to re-regulate business, and do it on a blobal basis.