It Isn't the Good Lord Speaking to 'Neo-Moses' Bush

Has God spoken to President Bush, directing him to attack Iran, just as the Good Lord did in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan? According to this op-ed article from Pakistan's Frontier Post, which serves the area where Osama bin Laden is thought to be hiding, it wasn't God telling Bush to 'enslave whole nations and intimidate the world,' but another celestial character with a less savory reputation …

By Ghulam Asghar Khan

April 23, 2006

Pakistan - Frontier Post - Home Page (English)    

Since February, a wave of sectarian violence has killed hundreds of Iraqis, and there is a sudden upsurge of U.S. casualties. The number of American soldiers and Marines killed halfway through April already exceeded the casualties in the month of March.

Americans are growing increasingly pessimistic about the conflict, which has devoured 2,373 U.S. military personnel since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

And what an anomaly; both President Bush and his hawkish Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, keep pointing to signs of progress that are visible only to them, while at the same time American troops have been beset by attacks from insurgents and terrorists.

President Bush, believing that all will believe as he does, has often been blinded by the reality of power. It was perhaps for Bush that Coleridge once said, "Until we understand a man's ignorance, we are ignorant of his understanding."

[Editor's Note: Actually, Coleridge write in reference to writers, "Until you understand a writer's ignorance, presume yourself ignorant of his understanding] ]."

In October 2005, The [U.K.] Guardian reported that Bush had claimed he was on a mission from God when he launched the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. He revealed the extent of his religious fervor when he met a Palestinian delegation during the Israeli-Palestinian summit at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, four months after the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

One of the delegates, Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian foreign minister at that time, said that Bush had told them that he was driven by a mission from God, who had told him to go and fight the terrorists in Afghanistan. And he did.

And then God told him, "George, go and end tyranny in Iraq." And again he did. Once again the self-acclaimed visionaries declared, "And now I feel God's words coming to me, go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security and get peace in the Middle East. And by God, I'm going to do it."

As for Iran, this neo-Moses has not so far claimed that God has directed him to destroy it.

With the passage of time [he will have] another such vision, calling on him to destroy Syria, which would complete American designs to control the oil-rich belt.

And the emergence of Israel as the strongest state in the region would twist the tail of any country that dares defy U.S. hegemony in the expanse.

As to Bush's claim that God spoke to him to destroy the world, he must realize that God only speaks to his prophets and not to Don Quixote, an impractical idealist who champions hopeless causes and is a daydreamer, for he might act out his dream with open eyes to make it possible.

All the messengers of God came to spread love and peace, not to destroy humanity. It is not God's messenger but the devil that carries such delusory hallucinations. Bush and his cabal are following a radical ideology with unalterable objectives to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world.

The U.S., because of this jackboot policy, is hardly winning friends or influencing people, except negatively. Anti-American feeling has never been as rife or on such a global scale, despite the fact that Washington is spending billions of dollars on TV and radio propaganda, directed at altering the perceptions of people in the Middle East.

The Pentagon has actually paid journalists in the region to append their bylines to U.S.-generated stories. But can such a strategy work while American troops still occupy Afghanistan and Iraq; with Palestinians being punished for making a wrong political choice against the wishes of Israel; and the war drums are beating against Iran?

Anti-American feeling is so widespread that during the recent visit of U.S. Secretary of State [Condoleezza Rice] to England, antiwar protesters had the perfect opportunity to vent their spleens.

A long-arranged visit to a mosque was cancelled at the last minute and parents of schoolchildren objected to Rice's being taken on a tour of their school. Rice's new buddy, Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who acted as her page during the visit, could do nothing.

This was not the end of the humiliation: in another incident, U.S. ambassador to Britain Robert Tuttle was singled out by London's outspoken antiwar Mayor Ken Livingstone for refusing to pay mandatory tolls on Embassy cars that entered the capital. The Mayor reacted sharply by labeling the ambassador a "chiseling little crook" better suited to being a car salesman. This certainly was anti-Americanism, as there are several other embassies refusing to cough up, and which haven't elicited a similar undiplomatic tirade.

And all of this took place in the country of Tony Blair, Washington's strongest ally in prompting the war on Iraq. Another high-profile incident occurred in Venezuela, and highlighted the intense anti-American feelings that are gradually spreading throughout the Southern Hemisphere.

U.S. ambassador to Caracas, William Brownfield, also bore the brunt of anti-U.S. feeling, when his car was pelted with tomatoes, onions and eggs. This was after another incident several months ago, when anti-American protesters forced him to hole up in a hotel for several hours. Venezuela's strongman, President Hugo Chavez, threatened to throw the ambassador out of his country if he didn't stop political mongering in Venezuela.

Currently, the Bush Administration is worried about the wave of anti-Americanism throughout the Western Hemisphere that has resulted in a string of left-of -center governments' coming to power. Hugo Chavez, together with Cuba's Fidel Castro and Bolivia's Eva Morales, are touting the new "Axis of Good." Chavez is also reaching out to develop ties with Iran and other foes of the United States, so abundant around the world because of Bush's badly conceived actions.

Gone are the days when American citizens were revered around the world for their love of democracy, justice and human rights. They were once models to be emulated. Now the same models have got to the point where Americans invariably say they're Canadians when asked where they come from.

But to sustain public optimism, the Bush Administration struggles to keep old lies alive until new ones roll off the assembly line.

If Washington is serious about fighting terrorism and dampening anti-Americanism, it is going about it the wrong way. No matter how much it spends on propaganda, unless it changes the way it treats the rest of the world, anti-Americanism not only stays, but will certainly increase.

There is a sudden upsurge of public frustration and anger against Bush's delusions that his war-mongering will end terrorism and make Americans more secure.

The latest Washington Post/ABC News polls show that 60% of the people disapprove of his performance. A closer look at the numbers reveal something more remarkable: A full 47% of Americans "strongly" disapprove while only 20% strongly approve. In other words, more than half the country doesn't only condemn him; they are just furious with him. It seems that Americans don't listen to him any longer. The odds are now stacked against the U.S. president. Now that he has lost all credibility in his own country, it will be exceedingly hard for him "to bring peace to the world" by launching another catastrophic war against Iran.