C. GATSBY'S Weblog: "you will learn the truth and the truth will make you free. John 8:32

Bush blamed Democrats of partisanship in the House for backing a timetable for an American withdrawal in Iraq. Cheney also blamed Democrats of undermining U.S. troops in Iraq and of supporting terrorists.

Bush, frightened to fight in Vietnam, and Cheney, a five time draft dodger, both bullies at best, are prone to name-calling and playing the fear card to hype up popularity for their made-up war. However, their rhetoric and scare tactics have failed and an overwhelming majority of Americans do not support the war and want an American withdrawal.

With no end in sight, over 3200 American killed, 25000 Americans wounded, over 100,000 innocent Iraqis slaughtered, $419 billion appropriated--cost will soon surpass the estimated $600 billion cost of the Vietnam War, Bush wants to continue sending troops and spending billions of dollars, even though he has no exit strategy.

Challenging the stubborn, unrealistic Bush, Democrats passed legislation entailing the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq in 2008. Ignoring Congress, Bush, has falsely stated that he alone has the right to wage and end the Iraq war. This is not true. Congress will always have a say in time of war…checks and balance. As Republican Sen. Hagel stated, Bush is not a monarch. It’s time to put an end to Bush’s war and show him that we live in a democracy and not a dictatorship.


Christian Gatsby

Bush, just after the conviction of top aid Scooter Libby in Plame-gate (the outing of a covert CIA agent), now finds himself embroiled in yet another scandal, the politically-motivated firings of U.S. attorneys.

Bush, like Nixon during Watergate, is trying to prevent his people from testifying truthfully under oath and documented, by threatening “executive privilege.” Unlike Franklin Roosevelt who was not afraid to let his top aide testify under oath to Congress on some irregularities, Bush, similar to Nixon, would rather stonewall the people’s Congress.

White House Press Secretary Snow, a hypocrite, defends his boss’s decision to stonewall. But in 1998, Snow sung a different tune and condemned then President Clinton for invoking executive privilege-- “The administration‘s (Clinton) ongoing effort to use executive privilege as a way of concealing the truth.” According to Snow, Bush is concealing the “truth.”

If Bush really wants the truth to come out, what‘s wrong with a transcript? What‘s wrong with oaths? Any decent lawyer would declare that no legal proceeding is worth a damn unless there‘s a transcript, unless there‘s sworn testimony.

Democrats have started to stop the abusive powers of Bush by advancing to kill the provision in the PATRIOT Act permitting the administration to bypass Congress in replacing federal prosecutors. Democrats need to continue to apply pressure, investigations and subpoenas, and stop the free-ride given to this corrupt administration by the former controlling Republicans.

by Christian Gatsby

Four years ago, Bush attacked Iraq based on deception, lies, and grossly distorted intelligence. Now, after 3200 American soldiers killed, over 100,000 innocent Iraqis murdered, al-Qaeda entering Iraq only after Bush’s invasion, the Abu Ghraib abuses, a growing civil war, and no firm plan for victory or exit strategy, Bush stated, “There's been good progress.” Someone forgot to tell the Iraqis.

Bush, the master of rhetoric, continues to state, “If you think things are bad now, they will be worse if we leave.” He says if the U.S. troops leave Iraq, the terrorists will follow them back to America‘s shores. This is Bush’s contention for staying the course in Iraq. Bush and his White House continue to play the fear factor card to incite American support.

Nonetheless, Americans are finally wising up. Six out of ten Americans support a U.S. withdrawal and an overwhelming majority our pessimistic about Bush’s war and believe that his invasion of Iraq was not warranted. Also, a majority of Iraqis want the U.S. to end its occupation of their homeland, and also credit America as the main cause of violence in their country.

Bush, however, disregards the majority in our democracy. “Presidents care about whether people support their policies,” Bush stated recently. Then he added, “I’m going to do what I think is right and if people don’t like me for it, that’s just the way it is.”

Bush has committed the sin of all sins by dragging America into another quagmire and repeating the mistakes of Johnson and Nixon. It’s time for Congress to use its constitutionally granted powers of oversight and funding power and put an end to this unpopular, open-ended Bush war.

Christian Gatsby

Bush, not a pragmatist, but an idealist, is lost in his own spin cycle of lies and delusions. Beginning with his words of mass deception on the Iraq war; to the Abu Ghraib abuses; to warrantless phone taps; to the horrid conditions at Walter Reed Medical Center for returning wounded soldiers; to Scooter Libby, the highest-ranking White House official convicted in two decades; to the lies about the U.S. attorney firings orchestrated by the top echelons of the White House; Bush has sought to spin, lie, or cover-up his enormous mismanagement, abuses, and crimes.

Now the perplexed Bush is flip flopping on most of his previous held views. He was against sending additional troops to Iraq only to change his mind. Bush stated emphatically that he will not communicate with Tehran until it suspends its uranium enrichment and Damascus ends interfering in Lebanon, and both cut support for terrorist groups. Well, Tehran and Damascus have not altered their views, yet Bush is speaking with them. Finally, on North Korea's nuclear program, Bush refused for years one on one talks and concessions, then conceded.

Bush, flip flopping through crisis after crisis, has illustrated to the world and America that he is very indecisive and bewildered. A man lost in his own spin-cycle.

It’s time for Congress to use its constitutionally granted powers of oversight and subpoena power to insure that Bush and his corrupt administration no longer mislead the American public and act more responsibly.

Christian Gatsby

In a challenge to Bush, House Democrats drafted legislation entailing the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the fall of next year. Ignoring Congress, Bush, however, has falsely stated that he alone has the right to wage and end the Iraq war.

This is similar to what happened in 1971 when Congress passed a measure rescinding the Tonkin Gulf Resolution--Vietnam War. President Nixon at the time, even though he did not veto it, refused to respect the measure and continued to conduct the war, citing presidential power to do so as commander in chief of the military. Congress then decided to end the Vietnam War by closing the federal purse strings.

Bush, like Johnson and Nixon, has dragged America into another quagmire. This time in Iraq. With no end in sight, over 3100 American killed, 25000 Americans wounded, over 100,000 innocent Iraqis slaughtered, Bush, himself a coward during the Vietnam War, wants to keep sending troops and spending billions of dollars, even though he has no exit strategy.

An overwhelming majority of Americans are pessimistic about the Iraq war and Bush’s leadership. Most want an end to the war. It’s time for the people to be heard in this democracy, and it’s time to stop the reckless Bush. Hooray for the House Democrats who are honoring the majority’s views by trying to put and end to the killing grounds of Iraq.

Christian Gatsby

It should be no surprise that The Wall Street Journal is calling for the pardon of convicted felon Libby. The editor states that “…he (Libby) has been convicted of telling the truth about Mr. Wilson and Ms. Plame to some reporters but then not owning up to it.”

The one-sided Journal does not think it is a crime if a “Republican,“ Libby, lies to the FBI or obstructs justice after exposing a CIA operative. Remember the leak of Plame caused her cover to be shattered and a covert company was destroyed. Intelligence resources that were concerned with attempting to identify and shield America against weapons of mass destruction, were ruined in the White House leak.

The Journal then condemns Joe Wilson as a liar. However, he was correct in his 2003 editorial in stating that Iraq was not procuring uranium from Nigeria. When the CIA received a report from Italian intelligence in November 2001recounting a public visit by an Iraqi diplomat to Niger in 1999 and telling that the diplomat's covert purpose was to procure yellowcake uranium, the American intelligence rejects the report as "amateurish and unsubstantiated," but it is nevertheless sent to Dick Cheney.

As numerous commissions have revealed, Bush and his White House used "both reliable and unreliable" intelligence and ignored dissenting intelligence. Also, Bush and company “greatly exaggerated” the threat of Iraq.

Like the Bush administration, the Journal likes to spin its issues, ignoring rock-solid facts.

Christian Gatsby

Like the dark and sinister ways of Nixon, his enemy lists and Watergate break-in, George Bush and Dick Cheney have an ongoing effort to intimidate detractors. All who do not support his immoral invasion of Iraq, his illegal domestic spying program, or his rendition program (gulags) are smeared and disgraced in public.

Ex ambassador Wilson, CIA agent Valerie Plame, ex CIA officer Paul Pillar, various members of the press, have all been victimized by Bush for exposing the truth.

Bush’s leak of Plame caused her cover to be shattered and a covert company was destroyed. Intelligence resources that were concerned with attempting to identify and shield America against weapons of mass destruction, were ruined in the White House leak by Libby, Cheney, Rove, etc.

Now justice has been served and the Bush White House is finally being held answerable for lies and disinformation. Vice President Cheney’s former chief of staff, Lewis Libby, was convicted of lying and obstructing an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative’s identity.

Sen. Majority leader Reid stated it best: “It’s about time someone in the Bush administration has been held accountable for the campaign to manipulate intelligence and discredit war critics.”

Bush, who campaigned on bringing ethics and morality to the White House, has failed miserably. Bush is part of the problem and not the solution.

Christian Gatsby