A Vindictive Farewell

Never in the history of the United States of America have the few weeks between the election of a new President of the republic at the end of the first week of November and his inauguration into his constitutional post at the end of the third week in January been as sensitive, important, or even as dangerous as they are now.

Despite Democratic candidate Barack Obama’s victory in the presidential elections over his Republican rival John McCain, the president of the United States is still George W. Bush. And he felt the defeat more than McCain. And he knows that those who voted for Obama did so in retaliation against him rather than from a desire for Obama himself. He knows better than anyone that the project of change that Obama came to preach will bring a tragic end to his project of imperialism, which he promoted as a measure of divine intervention from his direct communication with God.

Some believe that Bush, who accepted reclusion during the presidential election campaign, would prefer a peaceful withdrawal, recognizing that what remains of his legitimacy is limited. Although he is the actual president, the popular vote went to Obama and the Democratic Party. Americans were roused by the invitation to change heralded by Obama, beguiling what remains of Bush’s legitimacy. He will not find anyone stranding beside his work; the votes for Obama demonstrate his lack of legitimacy.

But there are those who believe that Bush is not someone who accepts defeat or has the ability to adapt to it, and more importantly, that he is a person that sees sanctity in his project, which he will defend until his last breath. Hence, Bush is expected to undertake one or more actions aimed at getting revenge on all those who were unable to hide their joy over Obama’s victory on the one hand, while meanwhile also “mining” the land for Obama, entangling him in crises that he will be unable to get out of easily, and imposing on him the same road upon which he drove.

If madness does not have to ask permission from anyone, then Bush may do without abiding by Congress’ consent. What still remains of his powers allow him to establish a “vindictive farewell,” bringing him some gratification that he has been seriously lacking these days. He sees the spotlight receding all around him, towards the newly elected president declaring a new era of “change.”

In front of Bush are three hot spots in which he can persist and expand in order to achieve what he wants from the continuation of his U.S. policy approach. In particular this includes the “strategy of preemptive strikes” and the excessive reliance on brute force in order to impose American hegemony, such as the necessity to maintain momentum of advocacy for the American imperial project to which he sees no alternative for the US. These hot spots are Lebanon, specifically Hezbollah, Iraq, and Iran.

In Lebanon and Iraq, Bush may resort to using military action to open hot military fronts in the Middle East for the new president. If Bush chose to freeze the military option against Iran in an attempt not to disturb the election climate for the Republican candidate McCain, he now sees that the conditions are more favorable than ever to strike the Iranian nuclear power plant, leading to the postponement of the Iranian nuclear program for an indefinite period. A volcano of Iranian anger is erupting before the new American president so as to prevent him from engaging in unconditional talks with Iran, as promised in his campaign. This eruption of anger also pushes him into involvement in the swamp of the Middle East and drags him into the policy of confrontation and the use of military force to defend U.S. interests.

In Iraq, Bush succeeded in forcing the Iraqi government to sign the security agreement, ensuring the long-term presence of the U.S. military and preventing the president-elect from fulfilling his promise to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months.

Bush has resorted a policy of “revenge by implication” in order to force Obama to carry out what he hoped McCain would. But this ambition will be governed by his ability to implement it. This is what George Bush is occupied with now.