I don’t know who put this together, but someone did a great job. Thanks to Lamar for sending it on to Bearded Ole Guy. If we had a genuinely free press, this historical account of Bush's Presidency would be front page news...but it ain't, and we don't.
"How will America's first appointed chief executive be remembered? Only time will tell, but here are a few highlights for the history books:
Bush begins his presidency in poor taste, making a quote that would foreshadow the expansion of executive power under his administration, "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." (Dec 00)
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0012/18/nd.01.html
While the Kyoto Protocol is considered largely symbolic by many, Bush rejects the treaty, alienating US allies. (Mar 01) http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/03/29/schroeder.bush/
Bush is given an intelligence report entitled Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US. The report outlines how Al-Qa'ida members in the United States are preparing for airplane hijackings and are conducting "surveillence on federal buildings in New York." This knowledge was not obtained through domestic spying on phone lines by the NSA or through a CIA rendition process, but by the domestic FBI investigating known Al-Qa'ida members inside the United States. One month later, roughly 3000 Americans are killed in the worst attack on US soil since Pearl Harbor. (Aug 01) http://www.cnn.com/2004/images/04/10/whitehouse.pdf
Bush spent an estimated 13 to 42 percent of his first 8 months in office on vacation, depending upon the source cited. 13 percent of 8 months is approximately 6 weeks and 5 days. http://moorelies.com/news/archives/display.cfm?newsID=119
, http://www.michaelmoore.com/warroom/f911notes/
Bush's treasury secretary Paul O'Neill resigns due to differences over Bush's irresponsible tax cuts and later claims Bush planned on invading Iraq "days after entering the White House." (Dec 02) http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/10/oneill.bush/
Mission Accomplished. Three years later, Bush states "I know we're going to win." (May 03) http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/05/01/bush.carrier.landing/
, http://www.cnncom/2005/POLITICS/12/06/dean.iraq/
Republicans cut benifits to the military at a time when soldiers are dying in Iraq at the rate of about one soldier per day. (Jul 03) http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292259-1989240.php
Bush calls for a constitutional ban on gay marriages. The language of the amendment could also prevent the later formation of civil unions. An MSNBC poll showed one month after the proposal that a majority of Americans approve of legal civil unions and dissaprove of a constitutional ban on gay marriages. (Feb 04) http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/24/elec04.prez.bush.marriage/
, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4496265/
Bush uses 911 as reelection material. (Mar 04) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26575-2004Mar3.html
The color-coded terror-alert system used by Bush's Department of Homeland Security is criticised as a political tool. Later, Tom Ridge admits that at times he was instructed by the Bush administration to raise the alertness level when little evidence was supplied indicating a forthcoming terrorist attack. (Aug 04/May 05) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37954-2004Aug3.html
, http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/08/04/cheney.dean/
, http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-05-10-ridge-alerts_x.htm
United Nations Secretary-General Koffi Annan describes the invasion of Iraq as "an illegal act that contravened the UN charter." (Sept 04) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3661134.stm
The US military faces its deadliest month in Iraq approximately one year after Mission Accomplished. (Apr 04) http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june04/iraq_4-19.html
The Bush administration declares that it should be above international law. (Jun 04) http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/6/17/173027.shtml
No Child Left Behind is underfunded by at least 9.5 billion dollars. (Jul 04) http://www.nea.org/newsreleases/2004/nr040714.html
Bush's education secretary, Margaret Spellings, effectively censors PBS for featuring lesbian parents in the show "Postcards From Buster." (Jan 05) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6869976/
Vice President Cheney's top aide, Scooter Libby, is indicted on 5 counts of perjury and making false statements with the investigation ongoing. (Oct 05) http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/28/leak.probe/
Bush endorses teaching the pseudo-science of intelligent design in school science classes despite the research of intelligent design being rebuked by nearly all members of the scientific community. (Aug 05) http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8792302/
Cheney makes his "last throes" remark, describing the insurgency in Iraq. (Jun 05) http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/30/cheney.iraq/
Capitol Hill Blue, a blog that's been compared to Drudge, reported that Bush referred to the Constitution as a "goddamned piece of paper." (Dec 05) http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7779.shtml
Bush orders the NSA to conduct domestic eavesdropping on telephone lines. The NSA operates without warrants despite the existance of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court, which was created in part to issue such warrants in secrecy. The legality of these operations is still in disupte with a majority of Americans in favor of impeachment. (Dec 05 - Feb 06) http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/17/bush.nsa/
, http://www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID=12528
The now infamous lobbyist Jack Abramoff agrees to fully cooperate with federal authorities on charges that he may have bribed or had otherwise illegal dealings with as many as two dozen Washington officials. Three quarters of those investigated are Republicans. Bush donates $6000 of the $100,000 donated to his campaign by Abramoff to charity. Other officials take similar actions, including former House Majority Leader Tom Delay, who was indicted on conspiracy charges in September. (Jan 06) http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/04/lobbyist.fraud.ap/
, http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/05/abramoff.fallout.ap/
, http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/28/delay.indict/
The Bush administration was forewarned about the potential deadliness of hurricane Katrina but did not act on the information. (Hmmm... deja vu?) Currently, the administration is holding up papers that are important to the Katrina investigation. (Jan 06) http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-24-katrina-warnings_x.htm
, http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-24-katrina-congress_x.htm
"A political party, in order to be viable, is one that professes peace, in my judgment, in order that it will keep the peace," the President said, after an apparently strong showing by Hamas in Palestinian parliamentary voting. Apparently "spreading freedom" for this self-described "wartime" president = peace OR the current Republican party is not viable. I'll go with the latter. (Jan 06) http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=127432006
Torture continues, and is in fact sanctioned, despite the fallout surrounding the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The Defense Department created the special military unit to operate in secrecy and allows its members to forge identifing documents, impeding any investigation. A placard from Camp Nama in Iraq, where some detainees were used as paintball targets proclaims, "No blood, no foul." (Jan 06 - Mar 06)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/19/international/middleeast/19abuse.html?_r=1&t h&emc=th&oref=slogin
, http://www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/gen/23442prs20060112.html
, http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10833342/from/RL.5/
That's all for now. We still have 2 years left with this president (maybe), so I'm sure there will be more posted later. Until then, hang in there. Oh, and urge your representatives to do something about this stuff. Not a single one of the items mentioned has been corrected, apologized for, or officially and publicly been admitted to as wrongdoing. The Democrats are just as much to blame if this administration is allowed to get away with this crap. :-)"
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