KUDOS & BOO’s for 2007 - Eric Margolis
KUDOS
- America’s intelligence community, which refused to let itself be used any more to fabricate lies or promote wars of aggression. In December, they revolted against the Bush/Cheney rush to war against Iran and told Americans the truth: Iran was not making nuclear weapons. It took a lot of courage for America’s spooks to defy their masters in the White House. We salute these patriots.
- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. That rarest of things, a principled political leader who has modernized Turkey, advanced democracy and human rights, pressed for better relations with Kurds and Armenians, normalized relations with Greece, and stared down Turkey’s neo-fascist generals. Erdogan, and close ally, President Abdullah Gul, have shown how a moderate Islamist government can successfully combine democracy with Islamic principles of social justice and law.
- Pakistan’s Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. This courageous jurist stood up to Pakistan’s military dictator Pervez Musharraf and ignited national opposition to his rule. Chaudhry’s defiance marks the emergence for the first time of the institution of law in Pakistan. The general quickly had Chaudhry and 36 other senior justices arrested. They have now been dismissed. The United States, Britain and Canada, who loudly call for democracy in the Third World, remained mute over Musharraf’s criminal behavior.
BOO’s
-Of course, George W and the real US President, Dick Cheney again get the booby prize. But add in this year the pathetically inept Condoleeza Rice, `don’t worry be happy’ Alan Greenspan and the administration which presided over the Enronization of the US finances. The gargantuan Ponzi scheme based on peddling mortgages to the poor and uneducated, run by Wall Street’s shyster financers, has finally collapsed, taking down the US dollar.
Afghanistan, Iraq, maybe Iran, Somalia, and now mortgage mayhem and who knows what else.
-The US Congress. It has utterly failed to restrain the run amok president, stop his wars abroad, or protect the constitutional rights of Americans. Recalling the old Soviet Presidium, 90% of Senate and House Republicans slavishly voted for Bush’s policies. Cowardly Democrats, led by the slippery Hillary Clinton, voted for war, then ran for cover when things went terribly wrong. `America’s only native criminal class,’ quipped the great Mark Twain.
-Pakistan’s military dictator turned civilian dictator, Pervez Musharraf. A mean, spiteful man, he humiliated and debased his once proud nation, abandoned old allies for money, and licked Washington’s hand. Now, he’s leading Pakistan over a cliff.
- America’s intelligence community, which refused to let itself be used any more to fabricate lies or promote wars of aggression. In December, they revolted against the Bush/Cheney rush to war against Iran and told Americans the truth: Iran was not making nuclear weapons. It took a lot of courage for America’s spooks to defy their masters in the White House. We salute these patriots.
- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. That rarest of things, a principled political leader who has modernized Turkey, advanced democracy and human rights, pressed for better relations with Kurds and Armenians, normalized relations with Greece, and stared down Turkey’s neo-fascist generals. Erdogan, and close ally, President Abdullah Gul, have shown how a moderate Islamist government can successfully combine democracy with Islamic principles of social justice and law.
- Pakistan’s Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. This courageous jurist stood up to Pakistan’s military dictator Pervez Musharraf and ignited national opposition to his rule. Chaudhry’s defiance marks the emergence for the first time of the institution of law in Pakistan. The general quickly had Chaudhry and 36 other senior justices arrested. They have now been dismissed. The United States, Britain and Canada, who loudly call for democracy in the Third World, remained mute over Musharraf’s criminal behavior.
BOO’s
-Of course, George W and the real US President, Dick Cheney again get the booby prize. But add in this year the pathetically inept Condoleeza Rice, `don’t worry be happy’ Alan Greenspan and the administration which presided over the Enronization of the US finances. The gargantuan Ponzi scheme based on peddling mortgages to the poor and uneducated, run by Wall Street’s shyster financers, has finally collapsed, taking down the US dollar.
Afghanistan, Iraq, maybe Iran, Somalia, and now mortgage mayhem and who knows what else.
-The US Congress. It has utterly failed to restrain the run amok president, stop his wars abroad, or protect the constitutional rights of Americans. Recalling the old Soviet Presidium, 90% of Senate and House Republicans slavishly voted for Bush’s policies. Cowardly Democrats, led by the slippery Hillary Clinton, voted for war, then ran for cover when things went terribly wrong. `America’s only native criminal class,’ quipped the great Mark Twain.
-Pakistan’s military dictator turned civilian dictator, Pervez Musharraf. A mean, spiteful man, he humiliated and debased his once proud nation, abandoned old allies for money, and licked Washington’s hand. Now, he’s leading Pakistan over a cliff.
posted by temporal at 1/02/2008
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