America’s war time so-called leaders don’t inspire confidence - Vladimir McTavish
As the madness in the Gulf continues, many of us are feeling events becoming similar to 2003 And indeed increasingly like 1991. Particularly reflective of the most recent of those Middle East escapades, the USA has a total idiot in charge.
The one major difference this time is that George W Bush now appears dignified and statesmanlike when compared to Trump. Let’s not forget that this was a guy incapable of eating a pretzel or riding a bicycle without falling off.
However, there was a certain security in trusting the fact that he was in charge of people who knew what they were doing. We may not have agreed with Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, but they were knowledgable.
Different now when there is semi-senile, allegedly incontinent narcissist in the White House who is surrounded by zealots and yes men.
Take Pete Hegseth, for example. He is the current holder of the post formerly know as Secretary of State for Defence. He now styles himself as Secretary of State for War.
If you are unfamiliar with the man, he is that angry, belligerent brylcreemed ex-TV presenter who is constantly ranting at the press for being unpatriotic.
Aside from his obvious anger management issues, he is clearly very stupid, he was thrown out of the military and allegedly has issues with alcohol. Last year, he took part in a photo opportunity which involved throwing axes at a very large target.
Not only did the axe miss said target by a mile, it ended up hitting the leg of a nearby member of a military marching band. The worst case of friendly fire on record? Probably.
And this half-sozzled lunatic claims to be fighting a Christian war. At least good old George W’s faux pas only involved failing to control a bike, rather than randomly chucking large, sharp weapons at unsuspecting passers-by.
Looking back, if the first Gulf War of 1991 had happened in 1992, the major concern would have been that Bill Clinton would lose interest in the conflict whenever a female White House staffer sat down next to him in the Oval Office.
OK, it wasn’t ideal to have a president who was pathologically incapable of keeping his genitals inside his pants, but I reckon we would prefer a Commander-in-Chief unable to control a metaphorical weapon not someone who sprays genuine weapons around without prior notice.
Ronald Reagan likewise. He was the president from 1980 to 1988 and a big chum of Margaret Thatcher. And also a former Hollywood B-movie star whose most famous role had required acting alongside a monkey.
It has been widely reported since that he was suffering from dementia during his later years in office, but it was even commonly known at the time that he clearly did not know what day of the week it was. But he was surrounded by some very smart aides, whose advice he never questioned.
Meanwhile, Glaswegian football fans attempted to re-create the 1980 Scottish Cup, which ended with an on-pitch battle between Rangers and Celtic supporters. At full-time, Sunday’s Old Firm game witnessed a smaller re-creation of that event.
Enough nostalgia for one week. Back next Saturday, which is March 21 1999 unless I am very much mistaken.