Fenian Notes

BEING the lone world superpower focuses undue attention on the United States. Image, therefore, must be of paramount concern. Dignity and respect must be sought around the world by the US to enhance its collective character, but it does not always happen.

There is jealousy among many nations that the US is so successful and has so much in a material sense that political daggers are aimed in the direction of Washington. Because of its unique status, the US has developed a certain arrogance in foreign relations.

It is better to be a friend of America than an opponent or dissenter and even better to have a special relationship that the British have been able to maintain since World War I with its former colony. The US has made it a general habit to follow Britain’s lead in foreign policy.

When the US came upon the world scene with power, but no direction, the declining British Empire saw its advantage and embraced the vacuum supplying a sense of direction and security to America emphasising the common western English-speaking background.

While providing direction to the US, the British rely on the same for a crutch on which to lean for material support in wars and the minor conflagrations that beset us as revolts flare up worldwide. Image is everything and substance won’t buy you a pint in a pub.

George W Bush has tried to portray himself as a tough guy, a strong leader, but he just does not cut it. Like his father he emits an image of a weak wimpish man who is utterly insecure.

He is utterly dependent on other strong-willed types who do in fact bully their way into leadership roles and Bush will rule on their coattails. George Bush is the pampered son of a pampered father, both of whom were given everything. When the younger Bush, no budding genius, wanted to go to the prestigious Yale University, the influence of his family assured his entry. The same is true when Bush sought entry into the equally prestigious Harvard Business School.

Any “normal” student with the inferior grades of Bush would have had his application used as toilet tissue, but Bush went through Harvard and became a businessman.

Three of his businesses went belly-up, but each time he was bailed out by wealthy friends and family. Investor friends finally assisted him by buying a US professional baseball team called the “Texas Rangers”.

George Bush was surrounded by talented individuals who helped build up the franchise and had him sell out at the appropriate time, earning him millions, and making him an independently wealthy man.

He was surrounded by ultra-rich Texas oil magnates who saw him as a controllable stooge they could utilise for their own ends. They seized on Bush and financed his run for Governor of Texas which he won. They dictated his administration which was friendly to oil interests.

When it came time for him to run for President, these same oilmen got other big business people involved to privately finance the Bush campaign so there would be no government controls like the other potential candidates.

Joining oilmen were the pharmaceutical giants who make billions controlling the price of prescription drugs. For instance what would cost $100 for a drug in Texas would sell for $3 over the border in Mexico.

You can imagine the US profits and how lucrative having a paid-for friend in the White House ensuring further astronomical profits. Oil barons and prescription drug cartels own George W Bush. They led the private financing of his election – successfully. That is no mean feat when you consider the people who must be bought to win an election, and the TV, radio and other media sources must be paid. They are not cheap.

Whoever planned George W Bush’s presidential run was a political genius without qualms or conscience. Because of private financing, Bush was his own master, or better put the willing pawn of his financial masters,

Now that he is in office, Bush must deliver to his super wealthy benefactors and must make no policy offensive to them, especially in monetary terms.

Having done this as Texas Governor, George Bush will have no problems enlarging the area of his beneficence. It’s all about the money.

Just imagine if we true Irish Republicans had bottomless funds we could utilise for political bribery, we could force a British withdrawal from Ireland.

George W Bush would like the world to believe he is a tough Texas cowboy who is to be held in high respect. He is all image, self-contrived, without any substance and the true Bush is not the purported image.

The cowboy was born in the north-east into a family of old-line Yankee establishment. When it came to schools, it was all elite schools of the East from a top prep school to the previously mentioned Yale and Harvard. Bush was anything but a cowboy.

KNOWING his father had been a war hero, the younger Bush in planning his career needed a military record, but his timing was during the Vietnam War, and this prompted an issue of risk.

Certainly, no one likes risk and George Bush is no exception, so instead of enlisting in the regular military forces, Bush enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard. This assured he would never be put in harm’s way.

Many people sought the National Guard route to avoid the prospect of Vietnam. During the campaign Bush used his military service to suggest he was ready to go to war and was next to be called but the war ended.

If he was not a hypocrite, he would have told the truth that he wanted a military record he could cite, but one where it was more like the Boy Scouts. Truthful intentions would have been a nice touch.

But the real downer regarding a manly image is the fact that in college he was a cheerleader. Yes, you heard that right – a cheerleader, George W Bush, a cheerleader, now President. This is certainly a first to my knowledge.

The connotations about male cheerleaders may well be unfair, but people will laugh at the dear boy. I admit to having chuckled when I saw a picture of Georgie in his little outfit holding a megaphone.

Like one of his predecessors, Ronald Reagan, Bush has created a plastic image of himself. Both men are similar in that they lack depth and do not possess high calibre brains.

When leaders do not think for themselves, they have others who do it for them. Those others are guided by their own agendas which they impose on the unsuspecting leader and a few who have a conscience and do help lead.

We know from a purely Irish issue perspective, the Bush Administration had no priority in this regard. The first statement is to place it completely in the jurisdiction of the Department of State, blood brothers of the British Foreign Office. Colin Powell, decorated by Queen Elizabeth, is the Secretary of State.

It seems to me that an individual decorated by a foreign government is suspect in his impartiality in relating to other countries.

Powell has indicated this issue is not an issue. He will rubber-stamp all British policy. Bush will never question his first-appointed Cabinet member.

Powell, the foreign policy czar, has a past that is not too encouraging and, in fact, suspect. During Desert Storm, he deceived Congress and he ignored war crimes in the Balkans.

Powell left the Bosnians at the mercy of Milosevic for two years and allowed CIA-financed goons to guide him in Haiti. He has now militarised the State Department and while he worked under Clinton, he continually undermined him.

Presidents want to please Powell because he has captured a favourable image, and he is African-American. Conversely, Powell himself has survived because he is known as a butt-kisser.

This is the new foreign policy magnate. His parting gesture to Clinton was to suggest that he replace Les Aspin, the Secretary of Defence – his boss. That is gross insubordination.

Bush is going along with Reagan’s Star War missile defence system and a general at State will negate many objections.

This is, in effect placing the military over the civilian, something the late General Douglas MacArthur was fired for doing to President Harry S Truman.

The one to truly watch in the Bush II Administration is Vice-President Cheney. He has the real power and as Vice-Presidents go, he will top all. He is Co-President and the brains.

The President’s Cabinet was picked by Cheney, not Bush. Bush makes no move, no intelligent move without Cheney’s go-ahead. In addition to controlling Bush Cheney was the tie-breaking vote in the 50-50 political split in the Senate.

AS a former Congressman, Cheney knows that institution as well and Speaker of the House Hariert, has given Cheney a palatial office in the House, quite unprecedented.

Cheney is close to President Bush’s father, former President Bush and together they have placed a lot of the old guard in positions of power.

The former President has regained a power role as well. On Queen Elizabeth of England’s roll, he is Sir George Bush. This is a glimmer of the new power structure.

If you are pro-military and pro-British, you are in because that is a lot of what US Republicans are all about, and that is what Cheney, Powell, Bush II and Bush wish to portray.

Funny enough, these gentlemen all claim the same hero, namely Winston S Churchill. This ensures that the special relationship with Britain continues and in fact is enhanced especially if the Tories somehow return to power.

Historically, from Roosevelt/Churchill covert activity before and during World War II the deal has been the US gives material support to the British for their intelligence. Today, this holds for the most part with even greater intelligence-sharing between US and “UK” spies. US/“UK” eavesdropping posts for spying worldwide are based in the “UK”. E-mail, computer transmissions, telephones and all technology is monitored by the US/“UK” partnership. Each nation allows the other’s agents to operate freely in its borders.

In the coming weeks there are to be reciprocal visits by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W Bush. Since Bush feels no personal commitment to the US Irish, Blair will get less US interest in the Six Counties. He will touch base with Bill Clinton.

When Bush invades England, he will be officially welcomed by Blair and Labour, but the real mission of Bush is to meet privately with the Conservative Party leaders. Bush wants to help them back to power to compliment his own accession in the United States.

With Tory leaders will be British intelligence people who will put themselves at ready co-operation with the new Administration which is more to their liking. No great mind, Bush will welcome their proffered support.

Former President, Daddy Bush, is well ensconced with the Tories and British Intelligence. He, we know well, was once the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Well, the Clinton party days are gone, so where will the big bash be this year. There must be something because access receptions and the like are what former Irish Republicans and their US supporters sold out for.

There has to be some face-saving gathering and certainly George W Bush is giving no indication he wants to be involved. However, the former cheerleader just might feel up to a “rah rah” performance on a purely social level as long as no substantive policy is brought.

Funny enough, Bush needs Kennedy’s support of education and other issues and has gone out of his way to befriend him. Teddy Boy might just ask Bush to buy a round for the Senator and his friends on March 17.
-- Peadar Mac Fhínín