Tag: George W. Bush

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Conflict & disaster Earthly Strip

[1094] Of Earthly Strip: Four years of credible intel

There has been talk that the Bush administration might conduct an airstrike — or something greater in force — against Iran. I do think that the President is building a case in that direction. In the New York Times earlier:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 — President Bush said Wednesday that he was certain that factions within the Iranian government had supplied Shiite militants in Iraq with deadly roadside bombs that had killed American troops. But he said he did not know whether Iran’s highest officials had directed the attacks.

Mr. Bush’s remarks amounted to his most specific accusation to date that Iran was undermining security in Iraq. They appeared to be part of a concerted effort by the White House to present a clearer, more direct case that Iran was supplying the potent weapons — and to push back against criticism that the intelligence used in reaching the conclusions was not credible.

I think:

Some rights reserved by Mohd Hafiz Noor Shams. Photo of President Bush by NYT. Copyrights by NYT. Fair use.

Pardon me while I burst…

Categories
Economics Politics & government

[1083] Of passing the buck too quickly

Earlier at BBC News, I read on how President Bush is planning to reduce the US budget deficit:

US President George W Bush has said his forthcoming budget plans will seek to curb domestic spending.

“Cutting the deficit during a time of war requires us to restrain spending in other areas,” Mr Bush said in his weekly radio address.

He said his plans for the next fiscal year would show that his aim of erasing the deficit by 2012 could be achieved without giving up tax cuts.

I beginning to notice the in trend right now. Reduce fossil fuel consumption, reduce carbon emission, reduce budget deficit, etc, etc, after he steps down as the President.

I realize that there are issues that demand attention that spans several generations. Nevertheless, I cannot help but wonder if that is the case or it is simply Bush passing the buck.

Regardless, I think President Bush is trying to cut the wrong corners:

Mr Bush said the budget for the year starting in October 2007 would underline the need to tighten spending on domestic programmes – including on education, energy and health.

The Washington Post newspaper said domestic spending would increase by 1% – less than inflation.

Meanwhile military spending in Iraq and Afghanistan would increase.

Certain areas, especially education, are too critical to see spending tightening. At time when globalization is at nearly full steam, I do not think anybody could afford to cut spending on education. Not Malaysia. Not Egypt. Not the Netherlands. Not the United States.

If I were Bush, I would slow down on the military spending instead. The first step in reducing military spending is to avoid too many military conflicts.

Some might call this a gun and butter model. Maybe it is, to some extent.

Categories
Economics Politics & government

[1061] Of global warming in the 2007 State of the Union

After years of denial and under pressure from growing green presence in the Congress, the Bush administration is expected to finally give global warming the attention it deserves:

George Bush is preparing to make a historic shift in his position on global warming when he makes his State of the Union speech later this month, say senior Downing Street officials.

Somehow however, I feel Bush is only happy to touch on global warming instead of discussing further on Iraq. Iraq has been such a failure that it has become a good policy to divert public attention away from Iraq.

Nevertheless, finally, perhaps this is the way forward. This u-turn by the Bush administration might set the momentum we all need to formulate an globally inclusive post-Kyoto plan to combat global warming. Bush’s proposal might be insufficient but a change is still a change.

Earlier this week, ExxonMobil of whom had developed a reputation as the staunch denier of global warming, abandoned its denial stance and joins the fight against global warming. Also, this week, major companies called for a carbon trading system, putting President Bush under pressure just hours before his address:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Chief executives from such major corporations as General Electric and DuPont teamed up with environmental organizations Monday, urging U.S. lawmakers Monday to pass sweeping legislation that would ultimately cut greenhouse gas emissions.

This will be an exciting address for us, the greens. The snowball is now an avalanche.