Twin Towers - The Bush Legacy

While I am greatly appalled at the destruction of the Twin Towers, I am also astounded by the circumvention of our system of justice, a cornerstone of the American way, as it is presented to the world by the Bush Administration. We are no better than the President of Zimbabwe if we are to allow this sort of injustice to prevail.

I include this excerpt from an article written by Mr. Horton of Harper’s Magazine which conveys my interest in the outcome of the political travesty that is the imprisonment of a group of men at Guantanamo under such bizarre circumstances.

Sabotage at Gitmo

By Scott Horton, Harper’s Magazine – December 9, 2008

“They warn that if the trials move to federal court, defendants might actually be acquitted (an outcome which they apparently believe can be foreclosed entirely in a military commissions process, which notoriously was the view of Goldsmith’s erstwhile boss, Jim Haynes) or get short sentences. The pair disclose a distinctly low level of confidence in the federal criminal justice system.”

Americans ought to be outraged that the Bush administration did not locate and bring to justice the one person that is deeply responsible for September 11 – Osama Bin Laden. America should be profoundly concerned that the man lodged in the White House, in this case – George W. Bush, having recited the following oath, in accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" has failed to even come close to upholding the Constitution of the United States".

Mr. Bush, as President promised to pursue Bin Laden to the gates of hell if necessary to avenge an American tragedy – he didn’t! He should have tried harder over the eight year period that he was in office to keep his promise to you and me. His promise to get Bin Laden is just another reminder of just how inept he and his administration have been when it comes to the welfare of America. During the Bush-Kerry presidential election, Osama Bin Laden challenged America “saying that the safety of America is not in Bush’s hands, but in the hand of America”. This tape was carried on Al-Jezeera and broadcasted to the free world four days before the election. Many wonder if this was not by design to ensure that Bush gained another four years in office! Surely we can say that we were not protected.

Of late, Mr. Bush has been saying in interview after interview that the intelligence that was used to justify the invasion of Iraq was faulty, and as such, should be considered when historians are writing entries into the history books concerning his presidency. Mr. Bush reminds us that Congress voted overwhelmingly to support his decision to invade Iraq. I remember it differently. I remember the skewed and clumsy attempts to present evidence that an educated public could see readily through. I remember the lies that were pressed into the hands of Congress that persuaded them to give carte blanche permission to the ‘Commander-in-Chief to invade another country – contrary to any precedent in American history. With some degree of authenticity we can say that Mr. Bush abused the Constitution.

President-elect Obama is inheriting all of the problems that have been caused by the Bush Administration. Obama is being urged to disregard the Constitution and assume more control of the economy, of the situation in Iraq, of all the things that should be addressed daily by Mr. Bush. There are those that say that Obama is not moving fast enough with his cabinet selections – untrue; he is moving faster than any President- elect before him. Many say that Obama is not keeping promises made during the run up to elections – he is; he continues to adjust to the changing situations in our economy and the many other things that will confront him on DAY ONE.

Mr. Bush is attempting to rush to completion the task of punishing the prisoners at Guantanamo and that will be part of his legacy. All of us should keep in mind that each President has the legal right to readdress anything that his predecessor did. Mr. Obama can pardon, commute, or rescind any part of anything that Mr. Bush has done. In my opinion, the individuals incarcerated at Guantanamo have not been given due process. If they are guilty as charged, then try them, convict them, and send them to prison, but by all means get rid of Guantanamo and the constant reminder of American injustice represented there.