President Bush Denies Civil War - and Back in Philadelphia , Brotherly Love
Unless he is posturing, George W. Bush has given us a pretty good picture of his final years in office - the possibility of more intransigence and the inablity to compromise.
His dramatic assertion that the U.S. will not leave Iraq without victory means only one thing is in store - an escalation of troop strength to try and squash the elements that are spreading the civil war. And, oh yet, the President denies there is a civil war in Iraq, and blames it all on Al Qaeda. Certainly Al Qaeda shares alot of the blame, but it is hard to believe that every act of savagery in Iraq is an Al Qaeda operation.
Once again, he may be posturing, but George W. Bush may have decided that history may judge him better by seeking victory rather than reality. We will see.
Back in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. I was not surprised at Mayor Street’s reaction to the federal indictment of his brother Milton on tax evasion and other charges pointing to an alleged use of influence to garner lucrative fees at the airport. The two are very close, and Street’s emotional support to his embattled brother is what you would expect.
But I was surprised by the Mayor’s comments that the four year federal investigation into corruption has yielded little. That statement is inaccurate. But the Mayor has been consistent in his criticism of the corruption-busting local arm of the U.S. Justice Department. Although the Mayor has never been linked to any wrongdoing, his lack of outrage over accusations and convictions within his administration, has been disturbing.
John Street is an amazing political success story. His support for his bother is as important to his family as Milton Street’s presumption of innocence should be to everyone in this community. The justice system will move forward. But as Mayor Street enters his final year in office, he should make sure that his public claims of running a clean government should be backed-up by his words as well as his actions.
A final note: The Milton Street indictment took the announcement Monday night of Jonathan Saidel for Mayor off the big headlines. Saidel could be a major factor in the 07 Mayor’s race. He has high name recognition, major labor support, and strong backing in Northeast and South Philadelphia. He just picked a crowded day of news to make his announcement.
