My heart sank yesterday evening, as I watched former President Bill Clinton speak his mind on many of the issues surrounding the war on terror and the American place in the world today. Watching Peter Mansbridge interview him on The National, listening to his sensitivity, his logic, his compassion...the contrast between himself and George W. Bush couldn't have been clearer. It makes me hate the idea of Presidential term limits, especially since I have no doubt that Clinton would still be President without them, and the world would be a much different place. It would certainly be less fractious, more united, and without much of the antipathy that Bush seems to attracted like out of control cat hair.
And now it looks as if the world is going to get even more complicated. It isn't enough for George W. Bush to push ahead with missile defence -- now he wants new missles to go with it! Look at this excerpt from a story about the 59th anniverasry of the Hiroshima nuclear blast:
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Hiroshima mayor denounces new U.S. nuclear research
Last Updated Fri, 06 Aug 2004 07:57:34 EDT
HIROSHIMA, JAPAN - The mayor of Hiroshima rebuked Washington for a new round of nuclear weapons research on Friday, the 59th anniversary of the United States' atomic bomb attack on his city.
Tadatoshi Akiba said President George W. Bush's administration is being "egocentric" in resuming research on making smaller nuclear weapons that would be easier to use.
The weapons include so-called "bunker busters" capable of hitting targets deep underground, and "mini-nukes" less than a quarter of the size of the ones that leveled Hiroshima.
Though the U.S. has adhered to a self-imposed ban on nuclear testing since 1992, the Senate approved funding for research on the newer devices in June.
Akiba charged that the Americans are ignoring the United Nations and international law by conducting such research.
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I'm quite convinced that Bush is determined to alienate each and every one one of his allies throughout the world. For some reason, he has decided it is better to have more enemies than friends...probably because he wants to raise the threat alert to RED and keep it there indefinitely.
Meanwhile, last night CNN had a phone-in poll question which asked (and I'm paraphrasing): "Do you think there are terrorists living or operating in your home town?"
As I stared at the TV, open mouthed, I began to wonder if Joe McCarthy had somehow achieved multiple reincarnations throughout the United States...!
