Norman Mailer and the Anti-Bush Bandwagon

Norman Mailer's book is a self-proclaimed explosive argument about George W. Bush's quest for empire. Included in this book is a speech that Mailer made to the Commonwealth club, a California-based club whose mission is to function as a national forum for political and social issues. During this speech, Mailer brings to light many issues with the government. The majority of these issues are with Bush himself. The most hefty of the accusations Mailer levels upon the president is that Bush seeks world domination.

Norman Mailer implies with no uncertainty that George Walker Bush seeks dominion over the entire world. Mailer offers no proof or examples of a lust for power, his only explanation being a speculation that Bush feels that the country is growing more dissolute. At this point Mailer begins to rant in what can only be seen as a ludicrous fashion. Not a shred of evidence is provided and no legitimate reasons for the behavior he accuses Bush of. I searched for some sort of justification, finding only inane logic and what-if reasoning.

From having read Mailer's book, I am almost incapable of believing that the man is being serious. His ludicrous opinions without any evidence to back them up lead me to believe that he may only be saying these things in order to elicit a shock or attention. In my experience, all it takes nowadays to fit into popular culture is a dislike of Bush. Apparently Mailer has decided that he would like to not only fit in, but to become an icon himself. For years those that dared to shock polite society have gained mass popularity. Bill O'Reilley, Ozzy Osbourne, Howard Stern and Marilyn Manson are but a few people who owe their fame to a career of shocking people with brash decisions and bold actions. I work for the Georgia Air National Guard under the title of SatCom. I recently had the pleasure of sitting in on a conference by General Mosely, commander of the Air National Guard. He brought up many issues about the war in Iraq, the conflicts in Iran, the threat China now poses to American satellites and the growing threat in North Korea. These issues are everyday concerns when there is an actual possibility of being involved in the war. According to the general, our goal in Iraq is to establish an Iraqi police force that is capable of maintaining the country by itself. Friends that I have in Security Forces that have been to Iraq have all been on local security missions to secure areas around bases or on guard detail for those bases. A little over half a year ago, I was working at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia with the Army Signal Corps. I spoke to many soldiers, Marines while there. I also spoke to several seamen while at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. From all of these people I received the same sort of stories. We are not working to expand any sort of influence in Iraq. We are working to provide the Iraqi police with the capabilities to defend themselves and secure a stabilized government under Iraqi control, not American. I believe that mistakes have been made in our government, but the blame is not to be lain solely on Bush. The president has many tactical military advisers that provide him with information on every facet of war fighting. There are financial advisers, political analysts, and intelligence specialists that help guide the president. All of these people would need to be corrupt in order to allow the president to make decisions that would lead to world domination. When 9/11 occurred, Bush found himself under tremendous pressure to find an outlet for the public's outrage. I will admit, he may have grasped at an answer, but this was not a solution that he came to all by himself. Mailer is a fool if he honestly thinks that Bush is after world domination.