Historians of the administration of George W. Bush thus far can
sum it in one word: "Negligent."
Negligence at law is a failure to perform duties.
The major failure so far resulted in 9/11. Despite warnings from
its own field agents, the Bush administration failed its duty of
counterterrorism. Its incompetent national security "advisor"
failed to inform Mr. Bush until 8/6/91 of the threat of terrorists
flying aircraft into buildings. Even after that late advice, Mr. Bush
chose to do nothing and continued his long vacation.
After 9/11.Mr. Bush confined his action to shouting into a
bullhorn and later showing that he understood what his new duty was.
Having failed to act to prevent the disaster, he knew he had to, in his
words, smoke out those who had financed and directed 9/11, run them
down and bring them to justice. He still hasn't done so. He
distracted us from this frightening failure by invading a country that
had nothing to do with 9/11.
In regard to natural disasters, Mr. Bush, though warned of the
vulnerability of Gulf Coast levees, not only did nothing to bolster
them, but in 2001 actually withdrew Federal participation and funds
from SELA, the ten-year project started in 1994 to strengthen New
Orleans' 17th Street Canal Levee. That's what failed in 2005, and
inundated the city.
The administration further failed its Gulf Coast duty through its
inadequate response not merely to the warnings of Katrina's deadly
potential, but to its actual lethal and destructive effects. Go to New
Orleans, even now, more than six months after Katrina, and see some of
the results of negligence.
Bush administration negligence is not only observable in huge
terror-related or natural disaster-related failures of duty, but in
smaller matters as well, such as one official's negligent use of a
firearm.
And now there is the failure to vet the effects of transferring
port operations in six major U. S. harbors to a country whose banks
financed 9/11, laundered money for its perpetrators, and facilitated
illegal purchases and sales of weapons-grade nuclear materials.
How can these failures to act continue to plague the United States
of America? Because the Bush administration is negligent.
--Russ