Aug. 03, 2004 - 20:30 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Ain't No Opera

He doesn't want the person in the White House. "I don't think that person ought to be a member of my cabinet," Bush said. "I will hire that person and I can fire that person. I don't think that the office ought to be in the Whitehouse however." Quoting from an article in today's Rocky Mountain News, by Terence Hunt of the Associated Press. In part:

Bush unveils intel plan

President backs creation of director's job but says it's not part of the Cabinet."

"Washington -- President Bush urged creation of a national intelligence director Monday to coordinate the war on terrorism but without the sweeping powers for hiring, firing and spending at the CIA, FBI and other agencies recommended by the Sept. 11. commission."

"Bush's announcement showed his determination to keep what polls show is a substantial advantage over Democratic rival John Kerry on the issue of fighting terrorism." "Kerry's aides said Bush's announcement and a new terror warning covering financial institutions in New York, Washington and New Jersey was an example of the president's ability to control the campaign agenda."

"Kerry said Bush should act more quickly. "I regret that the president seems to have no sense or urgency to make America as safe as it needs to be," said Kerry who has endorsed all of the of the commission's 40 or so recommendations. He said it had taken Bush three years to deal with changes, "some of them very obvious."

"Brushing aside a recommendation from Kerry, Bush said he had no plans to summon Congress back into a special session this summer to address the proposed changes. "they can think about them over August and come back and act on them in September," Bush said."

"Bush rejected the panel's recommendation that the director control all intelligence budgets and have the authority to choose who would lead the CIA, FBI, Defense Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies."

"Sen. Jay Rockerfeller, D-W.Va., vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, questioned Bush's decision. "The power and authority given to these new entities will determine whether these changes actually fix the problem or make it worse," he said. "If the new director cannot control the budgets of intelligence agencies," he said, "this new position will be no more than window dressing."

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My opinions. Ridge blaring out over television the old warning, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling," trying to create a sense of panic and paranoia amongst us as well as a sense of huge urgency by posting guards and so forth around our financial centers -- which he said are part of the Al Qaida plans. And Mr. ridge inspires no confidence in me in listening to his TV appearance recently. Puppet on strings is the way it looks to me.

After quite a bit of media coverage, the administration finally admitted the intelligence they had was some of it over three years old, and they think some of it has been updated since then, yeah riiight.

It seems that on one hand the administration is trying to frighten us with a sense of impending disaster while simultaneously dragging their feet over doing something concrete about it in a reasonably timely manner.

This whole TV "show" by Tom Ridge the other day appears to me to be wholly political and scare tactics. My idea of the situation would be to quietly mount guards and establish security lines around the various establishments he named -- but not publicize what and where, nor by using the names. A quiet defense would seem to me to be the way to go. Could it be that this is another attempt to suck us in by political campaigning blather ? Again ? Deja vu all over again ? Mission accomplished, Mr. Bush welcome back to the White House ?

Wonder how soon all the calamity calling will ebb ? Probably not until after the election would be my guess. The idea to keep us scared and trembling is the push to get us to vote for him (Bush) it looks to me.

More and more as time goes on it seems that the administration is intent on a production, a drama tinged with fear. But I think what they are doing is not comic, and by golly it sure Ain't No Opera . . . . . . . . .

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