Who still believes Bush?

In listening to President George Bush’s speech about prisoners at Guantanamo, today, I was struck with one thing, again and again -- all of what he said only made sense if the listener trusted him.

Reading about the speech the news has seemed focused on the admission of the secret prisons and Bush’s call for legislation. To me, the story ought to be -- why should we believe anything this prevaricating president says? The way he has used secrecy and propaganda, to hide what’s been going on with those suspected terrorists at Gitmo and other locations, there’s just no telling what the truth is.

The proof that what Bush told us today was true can’t be offered, as usual, because that sort of information would help the terrorists still out in the field, somewhere.

How many times have we heard that one before? So, once again, a president who has been caught time and again torturing the truth is asking that he be trusted.

Well, for what I consider solid reasons, I don’t trust President George Bush. In truth, I can’t remember trusting a president less until I get all the way back to Richard Nixon, who assured us many times he was not a crook.

No, I don’t know how much of what Bush said today was made up out of thin air. Still, in my gut I know too much of it was. That’s what happens when trust dies -- you don’t know what to believe.

So, my hope is that Congress will restore some of its dignity by forcing Bush to prove what he says is true. That, or be denied what he has asked of it in the way of legislation.

Art by F.T. Rea