Flipping the bird

In a little-noticed presidential initiative on July 27th,
the putative leader of the free world flipped the proverbial bird at a group of
reporters as he happened by while strolling through the White House. The
extended middle digit of his right hand was raised high as he turned his back
on these accredited White House journalists.

            It was
caught on tape, and the gesture was unmistakable. That night it was featured on
the Jay Leno Show to garner a few laughs. The next day, throughout our vast
newsgathering establishment: silence, except for Air America’s
Randi Rhodes show, which put it on her web site.

            What would
have happened if Bill Clinton had flipped the bird? I would imagine a great
clamor from the talking heads on MSNBC and Fox, not to mention the vast
right-wing radio empire. One can almost imagine charges of immorality and the
ruination of America’s
children.

            As I
recall, President Bush specifically promised during his campaign to bring honor
and dignity back to the White House. On July 27th, he showed us what he
apparently meant by that. And the White House press corps, the target for the
obscene gesture, appears to have rolled over.

Bush seems to enjoy flipping
the bird, not only literally but also metaphorically, at whomever he wants. A
few examples of metaphoric bird flipping:

            • The John Bolton recess appointment. It
was abundantly clear that Bolton was an inappropriate
nominee to be UN ambassador, and that he wouldn’t be confirmed. The White House
refused to release documents relating to Bolton’s
activities, making it impossible to bring the vote to the Senate floor. Since Bolton’s
testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, we’ve learned that his
sworn statement denying involvement in the uranium-from-Niger controversy was
false. Several more senators, including Republican John Chafee, now indicate
that they would never vote to confirm Bolton. So right
after the Senate adjourned this summer, the president sent Bolton
to the UN, as a recess appointment.

            • Stem cell research. This promising new
medical technology has great potential to fight numerous diseases and prevent
some of the most devastating human genetic maladies. In 2001, Bush decided to
allow a few lines of stem cell research to continue but prevented any new
openings. Since then, it has become clear that more extensive development must
be allowed to enable the full benefits of this medical breakthrough.

            Due to the
restrictions in the US,
the advancement of this science is moving to other countries, and many
Americans will suffer needlessly. Bush’s religious-right constituency
has insisted that genetic material from fetal tissue, even if it’s about to be
thrown away, is off limits to medical science. Measures supporting expansion of
stem cell research are expected to pass both houses of Congress soon, but Bush
says he will veto them.

            • A ban on torture. The United
States has endured a public relations
disaster due to the disclosures about torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo,
Bagram, and other locations. These revelations and
subsequent world reactions have greatly hindered efforts to fight terrorism and
have hurt our efforts to induce allies to assist us.

            At the same
time, they have greatly aided the recruitment efforts of those opposing America.
It would seem prudent to do whatever we could to counteract these images and
insure that we’re on track to eliminate this black eye.

            Many in the
Senate have felt the same way, and with the leadership of prominent Republicans
with military backgrounds — Senators McCain, Warner, and Graham — and most
Democrats, the Senate added language to the defense spending bill. It stated
that America
rejects prisoner abuse as a policy and would insist on procedures in the Defense
Department to prevent it.

            The White
House was so adamantly opposed that it ordered the Senate leadership to stop
the progress of the bill until the offending language could be expunged. So to
those in the outside world waiting to see how America
will respond to the torture issue, it’s this from the president of the United
States: middle finger, right hand, pointing
skyward.

            Many
additional examples could be enumerated, but the philosophy is clear. This
president doesn’t give a damn about what others think. He doesn’t want input
from anyone with a different mindset. Those who disagree within the
administration are soon history. Those outside the administration are smeared.
Information will never be provided except under self-serving conditions. Error will
never be admitted.

            And if you
don’t like it, well, you know the gesture.

This article appears in Aug 17-23, 2005.