Attorney General Al Gonzales stalks Al-Quida in the field.
Among the damage the Bush administration has done in their years in office is shattering what little credibility the government has with the public. The announcement this morning of the uncovered plan to blow up London-to-U.S. bound airliners would normally be a cause for relief — a testament to excellent U.S. and foreign intelligence work. But the subsequent elevation of threat levels for U.S. and British air carriers — while probably prudent — smacks as always as politics.
It’s just hard to believe anything the government tells us anymore, the administration’s credibility being so shot to hell. This morning’s televised news conference about the discovered plot was made even more incredible by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff being joined by Weasel General Al Gonzales. The latter being — whose infuriating smirk rivals only that of Veep Dick Cheney — just has zero credibility as far as I am concerned.
Was the timing of this announcement politics as usual? We may find out some time. But looking at the political landscape sure gives one cause to be suspicious. For instance, the big news on the TV networks yesterday was Bush pal Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman’s defeat in a Democratic primary. Lieberman, who was Al Gore’s running mate in 2000, has made many Dems furious by his continual support of Bush on the Iraq war. The media stories about the veteran senator’s defeat suggests ominous clouds ahead for other congressional candidates who support the war.
But this couldn’t be politics because the U.K. uncovered the plot, right? Well, maybe and maybe not. These revelations have been known for awhile. Tony Blair is a Bush man when it comes to Iraq, so who is to say Blair might not have helped ol’ Gee Dubya?
Not being a great fan of most conspiracy theories, I dislike coming off like some nut for even raising such questions. But I think we have George W., Tricky Dick Cheney, Alberto and some of their staunch supporters to thank for such paranoid thinking. And I think that is a real discredit and threat to our democracy.