-- George W. Bush
5 June 2007
Prague, Czech Republic
US President Bush delivered a speech on democracy yesterday in Prague. It was in many respects a "legacy speech", full of ideals and historical references, waving the principles on which America was founded. It would've been a good speech, if only the speaker weren't so morally bankrupt on the matter.
Bush should be the last person to lecture the world on democracy. His government has been attacking the very values that democracy needs to survive: transparency, human rights, rule of law.
Everything is a state secret with the Bush government these days, and he's viewing congressional oversight as an inconvenience to be shunned. Just last March, he ignored subpoenas from Congress, saying his advisers can only speak behind closed doors and off the record. And this is just over the firing of eight US attorneys because they were not "loyal Bushies". Talk about transparency.
"...every human life has dignity and value that no power on Earth can take away."
Gitmo. Unlawful combatants. CIA renditions. Legal limbo. No access to attorneys or consulates. Wholesale wiretaps. Talk about human rights and the rule of law.
"...freedom is timeless. It does not belong to one government or one generation. Freedom is the dream and the right of every person in every nation in every age. "
Everyone loves the concepts of freedom and democracy embodied in the Stars and Stripes. Everyone loves the libertarian ideals and principles on which the founding fathers grounded the United States. Everyone hates the hypocrisy with which it is preached.
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