Kevin Phillips - The Anti-Bush - MUST READ!

[Cassandra]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-op-phillips10aug10,1,824683.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

" Dean is correct about the administration's 9/11 and war-related vulnerabilities. After four decades of Bush ties to the Persian Gulf, the family is so interlocked with the local royal families, banks and big-money crowd that duplicity and conflicts of interest abound. The result is White House secrecy and deceit. Key Saudis seem to have had dealings with some of the 9/11 hijackers, but the White House, pulled both ways, can't push. One reason for invading Iraq, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz, was to be able to base U.S. forces there to get them out of a shaky Saudi Arabia. Obviously, that wouldn't have flown with U.S. public opinion, so the weapons-of-mass-destruction line was emphasized instead.

Meanwhile, keep in mind that when Bush's father was president, his policies in the Middle East were so two-faced that, by 1992, his military success in the 1991 Gulf War didn't do him much good. It was no longer convincing. Evidence and discussion of three separate GOP Middle East scandals in which the elder Bush was believed involved — the "October Surprise" that the Reagan campaign, including Bush, had made a deal with Iran not to return U.S. hostages until the 1980 election was over; the 1984-86 Iran-Contra scandal; and the 1984-90 "Iraqgate" scandal about how Bush had armed Saddam Hussein before he fought Iraq — converged in 1991-92. After the military success of 1991 was submerged, the elder Bush was defeated.

The younger Bush, in turn, may find that by 2004, the 2003 advance on Baghdad has been superseded by two emerging scandals — the cover-up of Saudi participation in 9/11 and the false representations made about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Florida Sen. Graham, with experience chairing the Senate Intelligence Committee, will play at least as important a role as Dean (and if Dean catches hold, Graham would be a prime running mate).

The Bush tax cuts of 2001-03, flagrant in their tilt toward investors and the top 1% of income earners, echo, albeit far more dangerously and at far greater cost, the elder Bush's insistence on cutting capital gains taxes for investors. Four generations of Bushes have been heavily in the securities, banking and investment business. They think that investment, however redundant or gimmicky, is the be-all and end-all of economics.

The result of this favoritism, in 1991-92 and again today, is a jobless recovery. Investors get some gains, but ordinary folk lose their jobs. Any member of the party of Andrew Jackson, FDR and Harry S. Truman who can't explain that over the next 15 months has no business being in politics. And this isn't lefty stuff; it's capital-C "Centrism" that would cut like a scythe from Long Island to La Mirada."

I hope he's wrong about Dean, or another Democrat, being unable to beat *, but there's a lot of great stuff in here, by someone that swing voters are willing to read. This, along with Gore's speech, is a campaign, for anyone who can run with it.

[LostInAmerica]

1. Asking an obvious question

Why the hell aren't any of the Dems using this man as a campaign advisor? In a previous life, this man created the GOP's heinous Southern Strategy. Now that he has converted, couldn't he do something similar for our side? C'mon, DNC, give this man a call!

[RichM]

5. He hasn't "converted." He is clear on the evils of the Republicans, but

knows perfectly well that the Democrats are not much better; & if they are a little better, it's only by virtue of being the lesser evil.

[sduncang]

2. The ANTI-BUSH

Thanks. I agree. Great article. Wouldn't it be interesting to have our broadcast media begin similar discussions? But, instead we'll get yet another interview with Anne Coulter.

[ilpostino]

3. Must read, indeed

Thanks for posting. Philips is always thought provoking (and largely on the mark) going back to his emerging Republican majority days. Any Dem who's running and not using him as a resource (at least his writings) is a fool.

[sam sarrha]

4. maybe it is to have a base to defend Saudi against civil war..

[MarinCoUSA]

6. Thanks for post ,C. KP can be heard on NPR/Morning Edition Fridays

( I think that's the right day)

Man has he ever come a long way since the Nixon years!

[Cassandra]

7. I think that nowadays...

Phillips would be considered a "liberal" Republican, and he's probably wondering where his party, and his country, went. He's still a Repub because he's fiscally conservative, and hasn't quite admitted to himself that his party no longer is.