The State of the Empire
Press Action
Friday, January 23, 2004
http://www.pressaction.com/news/weblog/full_article/hand01232004/
Author William Blum told the audience at last week’s OneDance Summit in Santa Cruz, Calif., that the Watergate scandal taught the world not to believe anything uttered by the White House until it has been officially denied.
President Bush’s delivery of his State of the Union address earlier this week gave us the perfect opportunity to test Blum’s Rule on White House denials. About a third of the way through his speech, Bush denied claims that his administration covets a role as world emperor. Here’s what Bush said:
"America is a nation with a mission, and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace, a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman. America acts in this cause with friends and allies at our side, yet we understand our special calling: This great republic will lead the cause of freedom."
Given that the president himself offered the official denial, I think it’s perfectly safe to conclude now, based on Blum’s Rule, that the United States IS an empire, possesses ambitions of empire and seeks to dominate the world. -- Mark Hand