Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill is now backtracking from some of the statements he made in a new book. One assertion that he is not backing away from is that the Bush administration was trying to find a way to go to war in Iraq as early as February 2001.
The administration has stated that this was the Clinton administration's plan that they inherited. This is a common response when our current president finds himself in trouble. In the past, Republicans have said that Clinton's booming economy was inherited from the elder Bush and the younger Bush inherited the recession from President Clinton. Republicans have also stated that Clinton is to blame for everything from Enron to 9-11. I believe that Bill Clinton also left a pretzel in a bowl that G.W. Bush choked on.
Harry Truman must be rolling over in his grave, does "The buck stops here" ring any bells? George W. Bush has in three short years turned a surplus into a record deficit, lost more jobs than all of the last 11 presidents combined, expanded the size of government, and most importantly has sent our troops to a land that had no WMDs or direct ties to 9-11.
If you are still one of the sheep that believe that there were ties between Osama and Saddam, open your eyes. Bush and Collin Powell have admitted as much in the past few weeks.
If you long for the days of a President Truman like I do, you have a candidate that would fit the bill -- a president that will balance the budget, help small business create jobs, provide more farm subsidies to family farms instead of corporate farms, really value education, and fight terrorism the right way. Your candidate is another small man who is a fighter, Howard Dean.
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The right has already started their offensive against Dean: he is too angry, he flip flops on important issues, and he is too liberal. Don't buy that bill of goods and do your duty as a patriotic American. Study the candidates on your own.
This "liberal governor" has A+ approval ratings from the NRA, balanced the budget in his state for 11 years, and yes, cut taxes twice. Dean has also stated that he will bring home the National Guard that has been overextended in Iraq. His plan is to replace the Guard with Arab speaking troops, much the way that a former president had. That president was George H. W. Bush.
If you are like me and want to have a president whose actions are based on fact and knowledge and not rumor and innuendo you can make a difference. Vote in your caucus on Feb. 3.
James O. Holm
Fargo
