What’s the Bush regime’s response to increasing exposure and
criticism of its torture of detainees and police state measures at home?
First, send Condoleezza Rice on a trip to Europe in an attempt to
patch things up over recent revelations of secret CIA detention centers
in eastern Europe and undo damage to America’s “image”.
Second, when Sen. McCain seeks to pass a ban on torture, and when
attempts to squash the ban fail, negotiate a deal that allows for
enough loopholes to continue torture, both by allowing for detainees to
be held at Guantanamo Bay on the basis of evidence obtained in
“coercive interrogations”, and by whatever vague language decided on
for the military handbook.
Third, insist that, in Bush’s words, “After 9/11, I told the
American people I would do everything in my power to protect the
country, within the law, and that’s exactly how I conduct my
presidency.” This is the repeated refrain that “protection” against
terrorism justifies whatever the Bush regime does, and “trust us – we
say it’s within the law.”
Finally, and particularly telling of the fascist direction and
tearing up of established legal norms, when Congress might not approve
it, the Bush regime can always use secret executive orders to impose
police state laws and torture. Such is the case with the recently
exposed NSA eavesdropping without warrants. The increasing use of
executive orders since 9/11 is a major change in moving away from the
rule of law, and places increasing power in an executive branch bent on
getting its way no matter how brutal and draconian its policies at home
and abroad are.
The Bush regime has clearly suffered in public opinion and in legal
setbacks this week, with the ban on torture passing, and the most
controversial provisions of the Patriot Act set to expire. But don’t
think for a minute this will stop them from continuing their disastrous
course. This is a regime unbridled by law, reality, or humanity. It can
only be stopped by massive resistance of millions of people, unbridled
by the terms set in Congress, where criticism of torture is ultimately
concerned with America’s “image” rather than the inhumanity of torture.
The Bush regime is having some difficulties, but unless they face the
difficulty of millions of people demanding “Bush: step down, and take
your program with you”, they will likely be able to continue on their
disastrous course.
The World Can’t Wait! Drive Out the Bush Regime!