Bush's Little Black Dress
by dwight meredith

Around Labor Day, I was reading a transcript of President Bush’s remarks to a labor group when I noticed that he made reference to 9/11 during the speech. In particular, he said:

I want you to think back to that fateful day, September the 11th, and what happened afterwards…

I thought it a bit odd that Mr. Bush would bring up 9/11 in a Labor Day speech. My wife, who is far more perceptive than I, responded that it was not surprising at all because 9/11 is Mr. Bush’s “little black dress.”

I did not understand her reference. I knew that Mr. Bush liked to play “dress up” but I thought he limited it to cowboy outfits and flight suits. After some discussion and a little bit of Googling, I learned that my failure to understand was the result of having a “Y” chromosome.

The “little black dress” is a fashion icon. It is a “must for every woman's closet.” The reasoning behind its status is that it is versatile, a “no-fail option” that can be accessorized “for every occasion.”

My wife was right. Mr. Bush uses 9/11 as his “little black dress.” It is always ready and it is perfect for any occasion.

Sometimes Mr. Bush’s use of 9/11 is perfectly appropriate. His attack on the Taliban and his efforts to dry up the funding sources for Al Qaeda are just two examples of policies that were appropriate and necessary as a result of 9/11.

Other uses of 9/11 are less appropriate. When Mr. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq needed a justification, Mr. Bush turned to his “little black dress.” His administration and supporters alleged a relationship between Al Qaeda and Iraq and hinted that Iraq had involvement in 9/11. Those allegations were not based on fact.

Mr. Bush’s choice of the “little black dress” on that occasion was a stunning success. Despite the lack of evidence of a connection, about 7 in 10 Americans think that Iraq was involved in 9/11. It is amazing what a “little black dress” accessorized with the cubic zirconium of mythical weapons of mass destruction can do.

Josh Marshall notes that as late as last Sunday’s Meet the Press, Vice President Cheney was still spinning the Iraq/Al Qaeda relationship. Marshall concludes:

Even applying so low a standard as that by which we judge incidents with four-year-olds and cookie jars, Cheney's statement that "we just don't know" whether Saddam was involved in the 9/11 attacks is a lie.

Why do 69% of Americans continue to believe that Iraq may have been involved in 9/11? Many reasons. But one of the most important is that their leaders keep lying to them.

Mr. Bush’s use of his “little black dress” is not limited to the war in Iraq. When the administration wanted to insulate Eli Lilly from liability for putting mercury in childhood vaccines, the “little black dress” was perfect for the occasion. He tried to slip the legislation into the Homeland Security Bill. When Mr. Bush wanted the power to arrest any American citizen and hold them without filing charges, without the necessity of having to prove a crime and without any judicial proceeding, he invoked 9/11 as his justification. For a report on how Mr. Bush has used 9/11 and the war on terror to curtail civil liberties see this report from the People For The American Way.

When Mr. Bush needed an issue for the 2002 Congressional campaign, he took the idea of a Homeland Security Department from Democrats and put the poison pill (for Democrats) of eliminating civil service protection for employees into the bill. Mr. Bush and his allies then argued that people like Viet Nam veteran and triple amputee Max Cleland lacked patriotism because he opposed the elimination of civil service protections. That little black dress was awfully pretty and Mr. Bush gained control of the Senate.

If the social event of the season is tax cuts, you can be sure that the administration and its allies will wear the “little black dress.” Bush supporter Tom DeLay has been quoted as saying “nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes.''

The Washington Post notes that:

In the past six weeks, Bush has cited "9/11" or Sept. 11, 2001, in arguing for his energy policy and in response to questions about campaign fundraising, tax cuts, unemployment, the deficit, airport security, Afghanistan and the length, cost and death toll of the Iraq occupation.

Mr. Bush even references 9/11 when talking about football. Angry Bear reader Andrew left a comment that stated, in part, that:

I don't watch football, but I heard Bush introduce the first game this season on the radio. He invoked, yes, 9/11 and the unbreakable spirit of America - as embodied in our lovely game. He then asked, "Are you ready for some football?"

Angry Bear also found a transcript of a Bush press conference. Mr. Bush was asked about his fundraising activities. His response included the following:

Every day I am reminded that our nation is still vulnerable. Every day I'm reminded about what 9-11 means to America.

Mr. Bush, for some reason, decided to speak at a meeting of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Could he make it through that speech without relating the raising of beef to national security? No. Bush spoke to more than 5,000 cattlemen in Denver at their annual convention last week... Bush told the audience that a strong agricultural sector was vital to U.S. security…

"It's in our national security interests that we be able to feed ourselves," said Bush.

It is apparent that Mr. Bush will don his “little black dress” for any occasion. The question is why he insists on turning every occasion into an opportunity to talk about 9/11?

The answer, of course, is that there is nothing else in his closet.

Mr. Bush’s domestic agenda is in shambles. He is poised to be the first President since Herbert Hoover to preside over an economy that lost jobs over a full term. Under Mr. Bush the federal budget has moved from the largest surplus in history to the largest deficit. For the fiscal year starting at the end of the month, Mr. Bush will spend over half a trillion dollars more than the government takes in. Republicans defend the deficits arguing that they are not the largest in history as a percentage of GDP (they are likely to be the second largest as a percent of GDP in the post World War II era). At the GOP national convention next year, when Mr. Bush talks about fiscal responsibility, perhaps the delegates will spontaneously erupt into a chant of “we’re not the worst, we’re not the worst.”

As Josh Marshall notes, Mr. Bush’s poll ratings are in free fall and that loss of popularity is harming his ability to move his agenda through Congress; and Mr. Bush’s primary “compassionate conservative” issue, education, was modeled on the Texas program which, in turn, has been shown to be premised on fictitious statistics. In addition, Mr. Bush has taken to fibbing about his own education policies.

Mr. Bush’s foreign policy is also showing signs of wear. Osama and Saddam remain at large. The Iraq occupation is not going well and a majority of Americans oppose Mr. Bush’s request for $87 billion to further fund it. David Kay’s investigation into Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction seems to have uncovered no weapons, and no WMD development programs.

Our traditional alliances have been strained and perhaps broken by Mr. Bush’s hubris and lack of diplomatic skill. Events in Iraq are forcing Mr. Bush to go back to the U.N., hat in hand, to seek both financial and manpower to help with the occupation and rebuilding of Iraq. Mr. Bush’s alienating our allies may come back to haunt him in that effort.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power and Iran seems well on its way to developing its own nuclear weapons while Mr. Bush was chasing non-existent WMD in Iraq.

Mr. Bush wears his “little black dress” for a very simple reason. He has been invited to a reelection party and other than his “little black dress” he doesn't have a thing to wear.

(UPDATED: By to clean up the formatting and make a little more readable -- content is unaltered.)

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