By Eric Groves
In oil we trust
Can you believe it? As tired and overused as any cliché might be, one certainly is becoming of our nation at this moment in history: the inmates are running the asylum. At a time when our nation is reeling from the most corporate scandal and corruption since the 1920’s–Fortune magazine called the recent calamity on Wall Street “a crisis of investor confidence which hasn’t been seen since the Great Depression”– some of the biggest crooks of all are steering our out-of-control capitalistic vessel: good ol’ Georgie boy, Dick Cheney and their self-serving band of oil-money totin’ cronies. Did you ever think you’d live to see the day where the national motto would be changed to “In Oil We Trust?”
Sure, we all know SOME of the dirt on the petroleum-covered crooks from Bush’s camp (including the Prez himself and his shady business dealings), but the press in general has done a woeful job of reporting on some of the worst offenders that still have enormous roles of power in our federal government. Heard about Tricky Dick Cheney’s old company Haliburton and their $73 million in oil deals with Iraq–the latest target in the “War on Terror”? Probably not. Nice how our Vice Prez was in bed with our nation’s number two supposed nemesis: Saddam Hussein.
And how about the Securities and Exchange Commission’s top cop, Chairman Harvey Pitt? Heard about him? Just a few years ago, Pitt was a prominent attorney who lobbied and argued against what big corporations considered excessive SEC regulations–the anti-SEC, if you will. Now, after being appointed head of the SEC by Dubya, he’s running the show in the SEC’s “fight” against corporate shenanigans. Laughable, isn’t it?
My personal fave is W’s current Secretary of the Army. Anyone out there heard of him? The name Thomas White ring a bell? Well, here’s the Cliff’s Notes version of what he did. White led a division of Enron (you know who they are, don’t you?) that generated over $500 million in phony profits, then proceeded to sell his own personal stock for a whopping $12 million just a few days before the company went belly up. This is the man who is in charge of the United States Army! And Dubya appointed him to do just that! And even funnier was White’s claim that he wanted to run the Army based on sound business principles!
And the sad thing about all of this: many in our nation could care less. Doesn’t this all add up to anyone else outside of a few opinion columnists? Why isn’t anyone other than Michael Moore clamoring for Dubya’s resignation letter? Is the entire American populace really so apathetic about these kinds of crooks running this country? If recent Newsweek polls are any indication, apparently so.
Despite the recent revelations of the corporate malfeasance that has run–or perhaps is still running–amok in Bush’s administration, his approval rating is still near 70%. What I’d really like to know is who in this country these pollsters are canvassing to net Dubya’s unwavering approval ratings. Now, I’m no social butterfly, mind you, but I’m also no hermit, and not a soul I know considers Bush’s job performance worth a diddly-crap. In my conspiracy theory, I think the pollsters are probably asking the execs at Haliburton and Enron how Dubya’s doing. Heck, it’s possible that the pollsters are even asking the very same questions to the caring souls at GOP headquarters.
One certainly would think that eventually, all of this sordid behavior will catch up with Bush and his oil-soaked chums. But then again, who knows? It’s probably just as likely that somehow the Bushies will end up blaming this mess on Bill Clinton’s administration. Oh wait, they’re already trying that too.
