Talking Points (Fact Sheets) for Democrats: Sources: Except for those with specific citations, each of the Talking Points was widely reported in the American press, and none of them has been seriously disputed by the Bush administration. Updated to December 20, 2003 ***If you receive this email with extensive underlining, try copying, and pasting into a Word document. The underlining should vanish. Please use the Talking Points as handouts wherever crowds gather, when registering voters, when walking precincts, or in one-on-one discussions. Use them when drafting speeches, as mass-mailers, or in any way you see fit. The Regime of Bush II: A Global Tragedy in the Making “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be.” – Thomas Jefferson “Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.” – Benjamin Franklin “I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country…corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.” – Abraham Lincoln “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders, that is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.” -Hermann Goering (Nazi planner) 1. Bush Lied about Whether or Not He was Forewarned about 9/11 and Should Have Prevented the Attack: Bush lied to the American people by repeatedly telling us that he had received no warnings that a 9/11-type attack was imminent, when, in fact, there were numerous warnings from numerous credible sources. Bush launched his 2004 presidential campaign with a doctored TV ad that portrays him as the nations’ protector against terrorism when it was his inept leadership and heavy vacation schedule that failed the American people on 9/11. Bush has logged more vacation time than any other American president. Recently, former Republican governor of New Jersey Tom Kean said that with real leadership, 9/11 would have been prevented. Governor Kean, chairman of the official 9/11 investigating commission, said publicly that 9/11 could have and should have been prevented. “This was not something that had to happen.” – Excerpted from an interview with Governor Kean by Randall Pinkston for CBS Evening News, December 17, 2003. Why did Bush and his national security advisor ignore numerous credible warnings that an attack on 9/11 was imminent? Why was Bush spending so much time vacationing in Texas just prior to 9/11? Why did he fail to alert the American people that the attack was imminent? Governor Kean promised additional revelations in the near future, but in a follow-up interview on ABC’s Nightline, he appeared far more cautious; you could almost see Rove’s and Cheney’s heel prints on his face. 2. Bush Reneges on His Promise to Cooperate with the Official 9/11 Investigation Commission: Bush, even though he had personally pledged the cooperation of the executive branch of government to the chair of the official 9/11 investigation commission, refuses to cooperate, forcing the commission to resort to its subpoena power. Instead of fully cooperating, Bush has issued specific orders restricting the flow of vital documentary evidence to 9/11 commission. - See Eric Boehlert’s interview of Senator Max Cleland, a member of the official 9/11 congressional investigating commission, for details of the Bush 9/11 cover-up, Salon, November 21, 2003. Just what is Bush trying to hide? Does the documentary evidence show that Bush knew much more about 9/11 than he has thus far admitted? 3. Bush Actions upon Learning of the 9/11 are Suspicious: Bush continued reading to Florida schoolchildren for a full ½ hour after being informed by his chief of staff that America had been attacked on 9/11 and has obstructed an investigation into whether or not NORAD received orders to stand down and ignore the 9/11 attack. Why did Bush fail to take immediate action when informed that America was under attack? Is it possible that Bush had foreknowledge the 9/11 terrorist attack, and thus the specifics of the attack came as no surprise to him? 4. Bush Stonewalls the Families of the Victims of 9/11: Bush, showing utter disregard for family vales, refuses to respond to the inquiries of the families of the 9/11 victims, calling their probing questions unimportant and unnecessary. With much of the mass media either asleep at the wheel or cowed by the Bush regime, most the important questions about 9/11 remain unanswered. Why is Bush, a self-proclaimed compassionate conservative so unresponsive to the question of the families of the 9/11 victims? Why do hundreds of key 9/11 questions remain unanswered by the Bush administration? What ever happened to family values? 5. Bush Concern for America’s National Security is Bogus: Bush created the largest governmental bureaucracy in U.S. history and he named it the Department of Homeland Security (homeland is what the Nazis called their country). Why, if Bush is really cares about our national security, did he fail to fully fund this new department, thus rendering it the Department of Homeland Insecurity? Why did he promise to increase funding for first responders, our first line of defense and then try to cut $1 billion from existing grants? 6. Bush Stonewalls the Justice Department’s Criminal Investigation of the White House: Bush or a member of his staff intentionally leaked the name of an undercover CIA agent (a felony) to ultra-conservative press pundit Bob Novak, and he has refused to cooperate in the continuing criminal investigation of White House personnel to find the leaker. Why would Bush, the most secretive president in U.S. history, obstruct efforts to determine whom it was that leaked? Did Bush himself do the leaking? 7. The Bush-led Neo-con (neoconservative) Agenda: Bush and his neo-con cohorts have set out to implement an anti- democratic, anti-worker, anti-environment agenda. Under the ruse of exporting democracy and freedom, the neo-con agenda includes: - world domination by military and economic means; - replacing democratic rule with corporate/neo-con rule; - increasing the power of the president to that of dictator; - reducing civil and human rights to pre-Bill of Rights levels; - exploiting labor and the environment to the fullest; - exporting American jobs to cheap labor markets abroad; - consolidating the media to reflect a single voice, the neo-con voice; - eliminating unions and driving wage rates, overtime, and benefits ever lower; - destroying our meager social safety net including Social Security and Medicare. – See, Project for a New American Century at www.newamericancentury.org. Does anyone believe the American middle class benefits from any of this? 8. Bush Public Policy Favors Only Wealthy Special Interest Groups: Bush has sought to enrich heavily bankrolled special interest groups and giant multinational corporations by doling out lucrative no-bid contracts, creating numerous tax loopholes, and failing to prosecute corporate criminality. Meanwhile, federal spending as a percent of GDP, which decreased under Clinton, has soared under Bush who has failed to veto a single appropriations bill and has increased military spending to record levels. – Washington Post, December 6, 2003. Why is a so-called fiscal conservative on a spending spree that endangers the health and security of all Americans? 9. Bush has Set Out to Destroy Social Security and has Failed to Protect the Pensions of Working People: Bush is waging war on the elderly and on future generations of Americans with efforts to destroy Social Security. He has failed to do anything to protect the pension plans of retirees from unscrupulous employers and Bush has conspired with Senator Lindsay Graham to draft legislation that will begin privatizing Social Security in 2005. - Los Angeles Times, November 30, 2003. Why doesn’t Bush realize that his plan to privatize Social Security will lead to “Social Insecurity?” Why is the further enrichment of the wealthy more important to him than guarantying retirement for our seniors with at least modest financial security and dignity. 10. Bush Seeks to Fool Seniors and Destroy Medicare with a Phony Drug Bill: Bush rammed a prescription drug bill through Congress that will provide zero benefits for most seniors and actually serve to drug costs higher by encouraging the drug companies to raise prices as they see fit. Such practices as seeking lower prices in Canada have been deemed illegal. The Bush drug bill is intentionally designed to destroy Medicare by providing windfall profits to the drug, managed-care (HMOs), and the health insurance industries, the very industries that provide Republicans with windfall campaign contributions. Bush fooled AARP into supporting the bill, an action they now wish they could reverse. Why is Bush on a mission to fool seniors into thinking his phony prescription drug will benefit them? 11. Bush is Anti-Choice and Anti-Women’s Rights: Bush is waging war on women by aggressively appointing judges who seek to overturn Roe vs. Wade, and by supporting legislation that would narrow a woman’s right to choose. Why does Bush feel justified in substituting his will for that of all women? Do we elect presidents so that they can impose their religious beliefs on us? 12. Bush and Giant Corporations are Pursuing a Policy of Economic Class Warfare in America: Bush and his giant corporate campaign contributors are aggressively pursuing economic policies that are nothing but blatant economic class warfare. Bush trade practices are driving Americans out of jobs and manufacturing companies out of business and giving large trade advantages to China and other countries. - New York Times, August 18, 2003. Under Bush: - well over one million people have been added to the poverty rolls; - three million people have lost their jobs; - over $2 trillion has been hijacked from Social Security; - those who are already wealthy received over $2 trillion in tax giveaways; - social programs for the needy have been slashed; - the fifty states have been pressured to slash vital programs; - over one million people have lost their health insurance; - about 45 million people are without access to necessary health care; - more bankruptcies have been filed than under any other president; - wage rates, overtime pay, and employment benefits for low and middle income earners are under increasing downward pressure and are being slashed; - job growth in America is the slowest in 50 years. Recently, IBM announced it will export close to 5,000 high paying jobs to India and China. By the end of 2003, 10% of U.S.-based computer services jobs and 5% of all technology jobs will be exported to cheap labor markets overseas. If this trend continues, by 2010 well over 50% of Americas high tech jobs will have vanished and America will have completed its transformation from am advanced to a Third World economy. - Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2003. Why is Bush trying so hard to destroy American jobs, American wage rates, the social safety net, unions, and the American middle class? 13. Bush has Looted the U.S. Treasury to Enrich His Wealthy Friends: Bush looted the U.S. Treasury to the tune of $3 trillion to provide political payoffs to wealthy neo-con special interest groups. Meanwhile, his political operatives are straight-arming these same special interest groups to raise $200-$400 million for his 2004 campaign. Why has it taken so long for the American people to say enough is enough? When will Americans rise up and demand an end to end blatant political bribery? 14. Bush Tax Refunds are Nothing but a Scam on Working Families: Bush describes his looting of the U.S. Treasury as a tax cut for all Americans. Actually, the zero to $200 in tax relief that many middle-income earners did receive was more than offset by increases in local property and state taxes, tuition hikes, and increased energy costs. Meanwhile, the average millionaire (mostly Bush campaign contributors) received political payoffs (called tax cuts) averaging over $90,000. Amongst many other useful things, this taxpayer money could have been used to: - provide health insurance for over 9 million children currently uninsured ($13 billion). - provide universal access to necessary health care for the 45 million Americans, including children, not presently insured ($98 billion). - close state budget gaps ($78 billion). - fix our nation’s public schools ($300 billion). - eliminated homelessness by constructing 150,000 housing units ($1.3 billion). - clean up toxic waste sites ($92 million). - provide Head Start to an additional 1.8 million children ($25 billion). - fund AIDS research and provide community-based services ($2-5 billion). - fund first responders to terrorist threats ($12 billion). - fund countermeasures against bio-terrorism ($5.6 billion). - fund 1.5 million affordable housing units ($5 billion). - fund special education services for children with disabilities ($8.9 billion). - Salon, May 29, 2003. Why does this greatest theft in U.S. history go unpunished? Much of what is wrong in America, primarily our poverty, our militarism, our racism, our environmental neglect, and much more was ignored by Bush who chose to pay back his campaign contributors instead of protecting an providing for America and its citizens. 15. Bush Lied When He Promised to Leave No Child Behind: Bush promised to “leave no child behind” (educationally speaking), and then delivered nothing but an unfunded mandate that thwarts all efforts to level America’s educational playing field. Bush is waging an all-out war on America’s children, particularly those that live in poverty or are mentally or physically challenged. Amongst many other things, under Bush, - the premier early childhood program for disadvantaged preschoolers (Head Start) is threatened and under-funded. - comprehensive health care services (CHIP) for children living in poverty is under-funded and threatened. - after-school programs for children are under-funded and threatened, this even though over 7 million children are left home alone without supervision on a regular basis. - welfare-to-work programs (TANF) are under-funded and threatened. - literacy programs (Even Start) and pre-school grants for children with disabilities are frozen (IDEA). - child counseling, dropout prevention, migrant high school equivalency, juvenile offender rehabilitation, and safe and drug free schools programs are all under-funded and threatened. Cuts in the above and many other social programs result from the Bush administration’s shifting of tax receipts from social programs to America’s richest corporations and individuals. – For a detailed accounting of the Bush War on Children see current and archived press releases at the Children’s Defense Fund, www.cdfactioncouncil.org. Why does Bush regularly promise one thing to the public and then do precisely the opposite thing in private? 16. Bush is Contributing to the Spread of AIDS amongst our Youth: Bush has come out against comprehensive sex education programs for our youth, leaving many children without adequate knowledge to make good decisions about their sexual health. Inadequate knowledge unnecessarily elevates their vulnerability to disease, unwanted pregnancies, and wasted lives. Why is Bush pushing social policies that harm our children? 17. Bush has Failed to Provide Promised Funding to Fight: Bush promised to fight the spread of global AIDS but failed to provide the necessary funding. Meanwhile, 14 million people will die from AIDS next year. For the fiscal year 2004, the Bush administration has committed only $200 million to the global fund to fight AIDS. Meanwhile, it is spending $100-200 billion to rebuild and export democracy to Iraq. “These are grotesquely distorted priorities.” – Miami Herald, October 1, 2003, USA Today, September 14, 2003. Why does Bush always promise one thing publicly and then secretly do the opposite thing? What motivates his withholding funds so desperately needed to combat this devastating worldwide epidemic? 18. Bush is Waging War on the Environment: Bush elevated the sophistication of political rhetoric by calling environmentalists “green, green, lima beans.” He refuses to enforce environmental law, he is waging war on our environment by dismantling sections of landmark environmental legislation, including the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, and he is supporting oil and mineral exploration in environmentally sensitive areas. He practices double speak by calling his anti-environment programs things like “healthy forests,” and “clear skies,” when, in fact, these programs are intentionally designed to destroy our wilderness areas and pollute our air and water. Other than a few giant corporations, no American benefits from Bush’s efforts to destroy our environmental standards. Under Bush, environmental violation notices have dropped 50% from the monthly average under Clinton, and punishment by fine or prosecution has fallen 28%. –Knight Ridder/Tribune, December 9, 2003. - See www.nrdc.org for a comprehensive view of the Bush War on the Environment. Why does Bush favor the interests of environmental polluters over those of the vast majority of the American people? Why does Bush expect that the American people will continue to allow him to poison our air and water and destroy our wilderness areas? 19. Bush Foreign Policy has Heightened Global Instability: Bush was right about one thing. While campaigning he said he was a uniter, not a divider. Well, he has surely succeeded. He has united most of the world against us. Bush, with his global war on terror (which is actually a war of terror), has substantially heightened global instability and insecurity with his global war on terror, with his pre-emptive war strategy, and by withdrawing America from many important longstanding treaty obligations, far more than any other president in U.S. history. In most European countries 80-90% of the people and most heads of state were against the Bush-led invasion of Iraq. Most of the world now considers America the greatest threat to world peace. – BBC, February 11, 2003. Why doesn’t Bush get it? Why doesn’t he understand that acts of terror are the acts of desperate people and not the acts of nations. Finding and punishing terrorists requires police action, not military action. As long as there are desperate people there will be terrorists. To reduce global terrorism we must reduce global desperation, and not, as Bush does, incite and inflame it. To reduce global terrorism requires a concerted effort with our allies and not America, standing alone, as the world’s police force. 20. Bush Lies Often and Lied Big-Time about His Reasons for Invading Iraq: Bush lies about his reason for invading Iraq are a substantial stain on America. Bush squandered America’s entire stock of global empathy and goodwill following 9/11 by invading Iraq under false pretenses, in violation of international law, and without the approval of the United Nations. Bush has repeatedly lied to the American people. At first, following the lead of Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz (who acts more like a Mossad agent than a protector of America’s security), Bush said Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) posed an imminent danger to America. When no WMD were found, he said we invaded Iraq so that we could install democracy there, as if democracy were just another American export product. – Washington Post, September 11, 2003. – For a comprehensive list of Bush lies see hundreds of them at www.now.org. Why does Bush need to lie to the American people? Why did Bush use 9/11 as a pretense for invading Iraq? Why did he not concentrate instead on crushing Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda terrorist network and on shoring up America’s domestic defenses, ports, reactors, chemical plants, and the like? 21. Bush Intentionally Spreads Fear and Loathing in America: Bush, through the Department of Homeland Security, has repeatedly announced a series of false terrorist threats that unnecessarily spread fear and loathing throughout America for the sole purpose of promoting Bush’s elective wars and fooling the Americans into thinking their government was working hard to protect them. Why does Bush think the American people are so easily hoodwinked? 22. Bush Seeks to Rescind the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights: Bush has said that the terrorists want to take away our freedoms. Our course, it would be impossible for foreign terrorists to do that. But Bush, Ashcroft, and their neo-con cohorts have done just that; they have soiled our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. These anti-democrats, posing as super-patriots, have even sent secret service agents to interrogate high school students for wearing anti-war t-shirts. Bush rammed the USA Patriot Act (that authorizes domestic spying, warrantless searches and seizures, and long-term detention without being charged with a crime or the right to counsel) through a 9/11-numbed Congress, thus dealing the greatest blow to civil and human rights ever experienced in America. - See www.aclu.org for a detailed elaboration of the Bush war on our civil rights. Why does Bush think the American people will allow him another four years to finish the job of transforming America into a full fascist state run by neo-cons for the sole benefit of the wealthy? 23. Bush Iraqi War Planning was Disastrous: Bush preemptively invaded Iraq, a nation that had not attacked America, under false pretenses and without an exit strategy, catastrophic blunders (or were they intentional) that are now costing hundreds of American lives, thousands of American casualties, thousands of Iraqi lives, and hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars. A recent poll taken by an Iraqi research center shows fewer than 15% of Iraqis view the U.S. as a liberator, down from 43% six months ago. Ever since Vietnam American war planners were under strict orders to establish clearly defined war objectives, to minimize risks for American soldiers, to minimize civilian casualties, to avoid nation building, and to plan a clearly defined exit strategy. - USA Today, October 2, 2003. Why did Bush ignore long-established war planning priorities in the case of Iraq? Why did it take 150,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of deaths and casualties to capture Saddam Hussein? 24. Bush War Talk is Schoolyard Bully Boy Arrogance: Bush told all other nations “you are either with us or …with the terrorists,” thus reducing the art of American diplomacy to a catchy sound bite characteristic of the language used by schoolyard bullies. If Bush really believed what he said, he would have attacked Saudi Arabia and not Iraq. It was predominantly Saudi’s who planned and executed 9/11, and there is much evidence linking the Saudi royals to the financing of global terrorism. Of course, long-standing Bush family ties to the Saudi royals had nothing to do with Bush’s decision. – St. Petersburg Times, May 9, 2002. Why is Bush letting his family’s oil connections affect his decision making? Why is Bush, who attended Andover (an elite prep school), Yale, and Harvard, using the language of thugs, and why has he set out to destroy America’s long-standing relationships with our major allies? With his arrogant war talk, Bush plays on and contribute to the dumbing-down of America. 25. Bush Failed to Capture Osama bin Laden and Defeat al Qaeda: Bush handed global terrorists victories by failing to capture Osama bin Laden and failing to defeat al Qaeda. These failures and the unnecessary placing of our troops in harms way in Iraq have led to needless death and suffering, and an ever-mounting federal deficit. Meanwhile, al Qaeda has regrouped; it is deploying more terrorists and launching more terrorist attacks than ever; and it is poised to topple the neo-con installed puppet governments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why doesn’t Bush come clean about his family’s ¼ century business relationship with the bin Laden family and other Saudi financiers of terrorism? 26. Bush Helps the bin Laden Family Flee America: Bush, with the help of the U.S. State Department, secretly spirited approximately 140 Saudis, including members of the bin Laden family, out of the U.S. one day after 9/11, a day when all commercial aircraft in the U.S. were grounded. Why did Bush aide and abet some of the very people who may have played a role in planning and executing the 9/11 attack on America? Why weren’t these people at least held and questioned? 27. Bush Undercuts our Soldiers by Slashing Veteran’s Benefits: Bush has slashed funds for veterans’ health care and raised the eligibility requirements for active duty soldiers and their families to receive benefits. Former POW’s from the 1991 Gulf War sued and won damages from Iraq. Now Bush is trying to rescind the damages award, saying the money is needed to rebuild Iraq. – Washington Post, July 30, 2003. Bush has also proposed shrinking the number of military personnel who qualify for disability benefits. – Associated Press, September 12, 2003. Why does Bush treat our veterans like so much cannon fodder? If Bush were a real veteran, instead of a deserter, his empathy for the soldiers whose lives he places in harms way would be greater. 28. Bush is Highly Antagonistic to Working People and their Unions: Bush, responding to giant corporate contributors, issued anti-worker, anti-union executive orders that end protections covering the “working poor;” that abolish labor-management partnerships between federal workers and the government; that bar project labor agreements on federally funded construction projects; and by requiring government contractors to post notices telling employees they need not join unions. - AFL-CIO, September 15, 2003. Bush also raised the pay of 2,100 Republican political appointees and froze part of the pay raise of 1.8 million federal civilian employees. – Washington Post, December 5, 2002. Why does Bush treat working people with such animosity and how could he justify freezing the pay of federal workers while at the same time granting enormous tax giveaways to his wealthy campaign contributors? 29. Bush Elective Wars are Ungodly: Bush and other neo-cons posture as deeply religious Christians and Jews, yet they daily disrespect religious doctrine and the teachings of Jesus by pursuing war instead of peace. Targeting the Iraqi leadership, U.S. Air Force and Army units fired over 13,000 cluster bombs on Iraq, containing nearly two million sub-munitions. The cluster bombs led to the death or maiming of over 1,000 innocent people without achieving the main objective. – USA Today, December 11, 2003, BBC, December 15, 2003. Why are we allowing natural born killers posing as religious fundamentalists to soil our nation and destroy our reputation abroad by fighting elective wars that murder countless innocent women and children? Bush has Intentionally Created Huge Federal Deficits: Bush has transfigured the huge federal budget surplus created by Democrats into an endless sea of Republican red ink (federal deficits), thus saddling taxpaying families with an approximate federal debt of $125,000 a family, a debt that could rise to $250,000 or higher by 2015. Economists at neo-con think tanks have figured out that saddling the middle class with massive debt will drive down wage rates and further enrich the already wealthy. The latest figures issued by the Congressional Budget Office show Bush deficit-financed spending is the highest since World War II. - Citizens for Tax Justice, June 11, 2003. Why are we giving Bush carte blanche to drive America to the verge of bankruptcy and to transform our economy into that resembling a banana republic? 30. Bush is Intentionally Starving State and Local Governments: Bush has made draconian cuts in federal funds for vital state and local services to disadvantaged and needy people, deviously labeling the cuts as necessary to reduce the Republican-created deficit. Bush promised $7 billion to help hard-pressed state and local governments for costs related to 9/11 but has yet to deliver a single penny. - Seattle Post Intelligencer, February 10, 2003. Why are we spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to install unwanted democracies in Iraq and Afghanistan while Bush, Ashcroft, and their neo-con cohorts destroying democracy in America? 31. Bush Deserted from His Own Military Obligations: Bush, it is alleged, avoided his military obligations, including serving in Vietnam, by deserting from the Texas Air National Guard (a “champagne unit”), and then used his father’s connections to evade prosecution. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Bush could have received the death penalty. Why is an alleged military deserter serving as our commander-in-chief? 32. Bush Favors Political Fundraisers Over the Funerals of His Soldiers: Bush has attended over 40 political fundraisers in 2003, but did not attend any of the funerals of the hundreds U.S. soldiers who lost their lives fighting his elective wars. Bush will raise $300-$400 million in campaign funds to finance the cover-up of his failed elective wars, his failed domestic and foreign policies, and his failed presidency. Why doesn’t he try acting like a real president and run on his real record instead of using TV ads to spread fear, loathing, and lies? 33. Bush as Lord High Executioner: Bush, as governor of Texas, presided over more executions than any other governor in American history did. His elective wars are responsible for the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of American soldiers and countless thousands of innocent Iraqis and Afghanis. Bush has many fundamental character flaws and unresolved issues from his pre-political life, but none is as serious or as threatening to America’s national security and achieving a peaceable world as his penchant for mass murder. Why does Bush think that Americans will continue to support the mass murder of thousands of innocent people for the sole purpose of further enriching his already campaign contributors? 34. Bush Anti-Science Policies are Retarding Scientific Research: Bush is hindering research into finding cures for major diseases by overly restricting stem cell research. He lied to the American people by saying there were 60 stem cell lines available to researchers when there were actually only 11. About the Bush obstructions of scientific research, The House Government Reform Committee concluded, “these actions go far beyond the typical shifts in policy that occur with a change in the political party occupying the White House.” - Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2003, American Medical News, September 1, 2003. Why has Bush let his personal religious beliefs interfere with scientific research that could lead to cures for many major diseases? 35. Bush Stole One Election: Is He Planning to Perpetrate Yet Another Fraud on the American Electorate? Bush and his neo-con cronies removed thousands of likely Gore voters from Florida’s voter rolls, a crime that enabled him to win Florida and steal the 2000 presidential election. Bush has also encouraged anti-democratic campaign fundraising and special interest lobbying practices, practices that are really nothing but the flagrant bribery of government policy and decision makers by special interest groups. One such heavy Bush contributor is Diebold, makers of highly flawed paperless voting machines. These machines are easily manipulated, and could be used by Bush to steal another election. The Diebold voting machines were honored by Fortune Magazine as the worst technology of 2003. – Fortune Magazine, December 15, 2003. Recently, Bush Attorney General John Ashcroft was fined for improprieties that occurred when he campaigned and lost his bid to become governor of Missouri in 2000. As Attorney General, he has whittled 11,000 election fraud complaints down to five potential lawsuits. USA Today, July 9, 2002. Why did Bush ever think that his miserable career as a Texas oilman and disastrous reign as governor of Texas qualified him to run for the U.S. presidency? Why have so many special interest groups rallied behind Bush? Will Bush attempt to steal yet another election in 2004? 36. Bush Uses our Soldiers as Backdrops for His Campaign Stunts: On Thanksgiving, 2003, Bush sneaked into Baghdad Airport to share a meal with our soldiers. The soldiers he visited were deemed off limits to the press and ordered to vocalize support for Bush. As matters turned out, the turkey he posed with was as plastic as the campaign stunt, and many soldiers refused their meals. Bush spent only 2 ½ hours filming this taxpayer financed pre-election propaganda stunt and then sneaked back into America without even a glance at the devastations his elective war has wrought on the Iraqi people. In an earlier episode, in May 2003, Bush staged a chauffeured landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier anchored just off California. There he prematurely announced victory in Iraq when, in fact, we have lost more soldiers after his announcement than before it. When Salon reporter Eric Boehlert asked Senator Max Cleland (a real war hero) what he thought of the Bush stunt he responded, “I’ll tell you the truth, I thought, oh my God, a man who deliberately got out of going to Vietnam by hiding out in the National Guard and who did not even complete his National Guard tour of duty, now walks onto an aircraft carrier in a flight suit with helmet under his arm, as if he’s Tom Cruise in Top Gun and Mission Impossible.” Why did not Bush behave like a real president and use the many millions he spent on these propaganda stunts to fight AIDS, or help the homeless, or bring the survival equipment that our soldiers need up-to-date? 37. Bush is Losing His Self-Proclaimed Global War on Terror: Bush promised to protect the world from terrorists but has accomplished precisely the opposite. Since he initiated his global War on Terror, terrorist attacks have increased over 500%. For every terrorist that is captured or killed, ten new terrorists rise to take their place. Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries are overflowing with terrorists who are now more desperate than ever and more committed to killing innocent people to achieve an end to the oppression they perceive emanates from America and its allies. Why is Bush spending hundreds of billions of dollars fighting a ridiculous war that he cannot win? As Bush raises military spending, our national security drops. Who, but Bush, could accomplish that? 38. Bush War Spending is Counterproductive: Bush spending for his global War on Terror and the invasion, rebuilding, and occupation of Iraq is bankrupting America, but it does enrich his family and campaign donors who reap enormous profits from American military adventurism. Spending on Iraq alone could have been put to far better use in America where it could have provided medical care for 30 million children, a real prescription drug benefit for seniors, 1.5 million housing units for the poor, or 1.4 million new schoolteachers. Why does Bush not realize that terrorism was never targeted at the American people. Terrorism is a tactic used by people, not nations, who develop an extreme hatred for those nations and leaders of those nations they come to believe are oppressing them and their beliefs. 39. Bush will do Anything to Avoid Defeat in 2004: Bush refused to comment when General Tommy Franks, the man he appointed to plan and execute the invasion of Iraq, said that any future terrorist attacks on the U.S. would lead to the suspension of our Constitution and to military rule. Bush has issued Executive Orders that will allow him to take total control of all modes of mass transportation, shut down the mass media, take control of the electric grid an our natural resources, take over our farms and supermarkets, what your children are taught in their schools, and plenty more. Why did General Franks make that comment? What does he know that we do not know? Is Bush planning to invoke martial law if he appears headed for defeat? Even worse, is he capable of staging a terrorist attack to help prevent defeat in 2004? Or even worse, did he stage a terrorist attack to justify launching his invasion of Iraq and the Middle East? 40. Bush seeks to Crush Dissent in America # 1: Bush uses the USA Patriot Act to chill dissent and our right to freely assemble by directing the FBI to investigate individuals and groups who oppose his elective wars. He uses TV ads to smear as unpatriotic anyone who protests his blatant militarism. Bush has expanded the role of the U.S. military to include domestic spying on American citizens, a mission unprecedented in America’s history, and he has created a U.S. Northern Command whose primary mission is fighting on American soil. Why has Bush set out to destroy democratic dissent in America? 41. Bush seeks to Crush Dissent in America # 2: Bush is suppressing the First Amendment right to peaceful protest by forcing peace protestors into so-called “Free Speech Zones.” Citizens carrying pro-Bush signs are permitted to line the streets and gather in public places, while those who protest Bush militarism are forcibly moved to “Free Speech Zones.” These zones are selected to hide the protesters and their anti-Bush messages from public view, TV cameras, and the press. - Billings Gazette, November 29, 2003 Why is Bush so fearful of peaceful protest? Does he know that when Americans learn his true motives they will drive him from the presidency with more vigor than ever experienced in any prior presidential election? 42. Bush sends U.S. Reserve Units into Action without Proper Equipment: Bush ordered American reserve units into action in Iraq without upgrading their equipment to the level of protection afforded regular Army units. Why has Bush pushed tax giveaways for the wealthy when the soldiers he orders into harms way are ill equipped? 43. Bush has Appointed a Cabinet of, by, and for the Wealthy: Bush has installed the wealthiest cabinet in U.S. history and has devoted his presidency to attending to the affairs of those who are already wealthy. To thank Bush for his efforts on behalf of the oil industry, Chevron named an oil tanker after his top national security advisor, Condoleeza Rice. Why is Bush ever concerned with pleasing the wealthy and unconcerned about the needs of working people, retirees, veterans, women, the physically challenged, the unemployed and underemployed, and those who are otherwise suffering? 44. Bush Lied to the American People about Why He Decided to Invade Iraq: Bush lied to the American people about his real reasons for invading Iraq, falsely claiming that Saddam Hussein posed an imminent threat to America, possessed weapons of mass destruction, and would soon have nuclear weapons. On May 28, 2003 Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz (a self-proclaimed neo-con hawk and leading proponent of the invasion) said, we settled on weapons of mass destruction as justification for invading Iraq because it was the one reason we could all agree on. -U.S. Department of Defense, May 28, 2003. Some of the evidence Bush used to support the invasion was forged; for example; the document purporting to prove that Iraq was attempting to purchase uranium from Nigeria is dated October, 2000 and bears the signature of a Nigerian foreign minister who had not been foreign minister since 1989. – ABC News, July 16, 2003. Why did Bush lie to the American people about his reasons for going to war? Should the American people reelect a president who intentionally lies to the American people in matters as important as war and peace and fails to accomplish his objectives? Do Bush lies about his reasons for invading Iraq constitute a criminal act, possibly treason), and an impeachable offense? Bush lies about Iraq fooled over 50% of the American people into thinking Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11, and that is why so many Americans thought the invasion was justified. 45. Bush Spends Big for Bombs while Slashing Vital Programs for the Needy: Bush expanded weapons spending (including vast new funding for the research and development of new nuclear weapons) beyond anything needed for real national security for the sole purpose of enriching family and friends. Why doesn’t Bush realize that real national security includes economic security and expanding instead of contracting our civil and human rights? 46. Bush Denies Access to Necessary Medical Care to Millions of Americans: Bush ignores the needs of 45 million Americans, mostly women and children, who cannot afford health insurance and has presided over more foreclosures than any other president in U.S. history. Recently, he relaxed rules that require hospitals to examine and treat people who require emergency medical care regardless of their ability to pay, making it easy for hospitals to turn away anyone who is uninsured. - New York Times, September 2, 2003. 47. Why does Bush, and Republicans generally, fail to grasp the reality that America can never be considered a great nation, when, unlike every other modern industrial nation, we deny access to necessary medical care, prescription drugs, and housing to those amongst us who need help? Bush Anti-Science Policies are Retarding Scientific Research: Bush curtailed the development of cures for major diseases by overly restricting stem cell research. He lied to the American people by saying there were 60 lines for stem cell research when there were actually only 11. The House Government Reform Committee concluded “these actions go far beyond the typical shifts in policy that occur with a change in the political party occupying the White House.” - Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2003. Why has Bush let his personal religious beliefs interfere with scientific research that could lead to cures for many major diseases? voter 48. Bush has Set Out to Destroy America’s Middle Income Earners: Bush economic policy is a page out of the Wal-Mart playbook, full-time jobs with livable wages and benefits are increasingly replaced with low-paying jobs with no benefits and more and 7.5 million Americans must work two or more jobs just to stave off homelessness. –Seattle Times, December 10, 2003. America has shed over 3 million jobs, many of them exported by giant corporations to cheap labor markets, since Bush took office. This makes him the worst jobs president in U.S. history, in percentage terms twice as bad as Herbert Hoover. - AFL-CIO, August 5, 2003. Why does Bush find it necessary to transform America into a banana republic? 49. Bush Prematurely Boasted of Victory in Iraq: Bush staged a chauffeured landing on an aircraft carrier anchored just off the coast of California to announce victory in Iraq, thus falsely portraying himself as a hero when in fact no such victory was achieved. Why did Bush spend millions of taxpayer dollars and risk the lives of our soldiers ands sailors for the sole purpose of portraying himself as having achieved a military victory in Iraq? Why did Bush announce a victory in Iraq when there was no victory? 50. Bush Announced a Roadmap for Peace between Israelis and Palestinians: Bush upon assuming the office of the presidency declared he would not get involved in the Israel/Palestine conflict but later changed his mind and announced that he had developed a Roadmap for Peace to resolve the conflict. Why did he change his mind, and why has his Roadmap for Peace inflames an already tense situation, making matters worse for everyone involved? 51. Bush has Set Out to Destroy What is Left of Our Free Press: Bush aided and abetted the consolidation of the mass media so that a few billionaires now control what is euphemistically called America’s “free press.” Recently, a Washington Post reporter confessed to being duped into believing that Bush’s invasion of Iraq had anything to do with protecting our national security. Why does Bush want our media controlled by a few right-wing billionaires? 52. Bush has Set Out to Destroy the Separation of Church and State: Bush has engaged in a continuing war against the bedrock American principle of separating church from state by attempting to transform our public schools into houses of worship and funding faith-based organizations with taxpayer dollars. Why does Bush believe, as he has often stated, that he is doing God’s work? 53. Bush Regularly Violates International Law: Bush violated two international laws (The Hague Regulations of 1907 and the Geneva Convention of 1949), as well as the U.S. Army Code of War, by ignoring the Iraqi Constitution, which forbids the privatization of key state assets and bars foreigners from owning Iraqi firms. - Los Angeles Times, October 5, 2003. Why did Bush transform America from a nation that respected international law to a nation that ignores international law? 54. Bush has Failed to Prosecute Giant Corporate Crime: Bush is actively aiding and abetting the expansion of the anti-democratic powers of giant multinational corporations, and he has repeatedly failed to prosecute gross corporate criminality, criminality that has cost millions of Americans their jobs, their pensions, and made major dents in their investment portfolios. Why does Bush think Americans will forget that he has failed to punish giant corporate criminality? 55. Bush has an Energy Bill that only Energizes Energy Company Profits: Bush had Cheney craft an energy bill that entirely failed to address America’s strategic need to become energy independent but does provide $18.7 in tax breaks to the full array of Republican-run energy companies. Fortunately, the bill, crafted by Cheney in collusion with representatives of the energy industry, failed to win Senate approval. Amongst other things, the Bush/Cheney energy bill provides no scientific basis for the continuing expansion of fossil and nuclear fuel supplies; it also fails to address the potential for energy efficiency from renewable energy sources, and fails to provide incentives for the development of energy-efficient technologies. - Seattle Post Intelligencer, April 15, 2003. Why did the Republican dominated Congress turn against the Bush/Cheney energy plan? Why…because even Republicans could not condone yet another looting of the U.S. Treasury by Bush. Cheney is still stonewalling federal investigators who seek to learn the details of the collaboration between Cheney and energy industry representatives. 56. Bush Enters the California Gubernatorial Recall Election: Bush aided and abetted the recall of Governor Gray Davis in hopes of winning California’s 55 electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election. Why Bush and Rove engineered the recall election is no secret. Bush knows he cannot win re-election in 2004 without help from California. 57. Bush—Rugged Individualist or Spoiled Brat: Bush promotes himself as a self-made rugged individualist when, in fact, his entire education and career were built on the use of his father’s name to gain entry into Harvard and Yale and to attract large sums of investment capital. Bush portrayed himself as a Texas rancher when even his wife refers to him as a “windshield cowboy.” Why did any American ever cast a vote for such a complete phony? 58. Bush Prefers Rebuilding Iraq to Rebuilding America: Bush destroyed the infrastructure of Iraq, then he committed hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to rebuilding it; meanwhile, the rebuilding of America’s crumbling infrastructure is all but ignored. Why did Bush destroy so much of Iraq’s infrastructure, including thousands of schools and hospitals? Did Bush drop 13,000 cluster bombs on the Iraqi people to protect our troops or so that billions of dollars in no-bid contracts could be awarded to war-profiteers like Halliburton? 59. Bush Friends Stuff their Pockets with War Profits: Bush has created numerous opportunities for Republican-run companies to profit from his disastrous pre-emptive war policy. An example of Republican war profiteering is Halliburton (Cheney’s old company), which charges the U.S. Army in Iraq nearly $2.64 a gallon for gas that they could purchase from Iraqis for five to ten cents a gallon. Early government audits have already uncovered about $70 million in overcharges. - New York Times, December 10, 2003. Why does the U. S. Department of Justice not file charges against the Bush regime, and Halliburton, and why are impeachment proceedings not immediately commenced? 60. Bush Secrecy Exceeds All Reasonable Bounds: Bush is making government as secretive as the CIA by removing millions of pages of important information on health, safety, and environmental matters from public view. By tightly controlling information throughout government, Bush hopes to shield himself from the rightful criticism his dangerous policies and actions deserve. When his Council of Economic Advisors showed that his so-called economic stimulus plan would actually kill far more jobs than it created, it was removed from the White House website. - U.S. News and World Reports, December 12, 2003, New York Times, Op-ed, William Safire, December, 17, 2003. Why is Bush, who as president is responsible for protecting our security, covering-up the information we need to know to protect ourselves? He does it to protect the interests of his campaign contributors. His actions are consistent with his ongoing cover-up of illegal White House activities, and his participation in the most massive White House campaign to obstruct justice in U.S. history. Please continue to email your great suggestions, modifications, new talking points, modified talking points, comments, and criticisms to: bobzimmerman@usa.com. A continuing public interest project initiated by Bob Zimmerman, author of The American Challenge: Twenty-One Winning Strategies for the 21st Century. www.theamericanchallenge.com.