Myriad Crises Loom on America’s Doorstep

US Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) (1947- ), with US Navy personnel in the state of Maine

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US President George W Bush held a press conference at the White House this week, speaking about the ailing US economy and soaring oil prices, but also on international issues such as the alleged Syrian nuclear programme, North Korea, Iran, and Zimbabwe. However, he focused primarily on the US economy, an issue that currently preoccupies the American public. In his opening statement, the US President said he expected the initial estimate for the first quarter gross domestic product, to be released Wednesday, to show a very slow economy. A news analysis provided by the New York Times this week gave a pretty pessimistic assessment of the economy. “Americans are pumping their pay cheques into their gas tanks, and the economy’s in a stall. Food scarcities threaten governments overseas and spur hoarding at home. Foreclosures are up, home sales are down”. Nevertheless, the Times said the US government isn’t doing enough to address those problems facing the nation, pointing to “inertia in official Washington, despite myriad crises on the nation’s doorstep”. The paper quoted Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), who said, “It’s incomprehensible that we aren’t grappling with the major challenges confronting the American people. People need to hear that their national leaders are working together, the president in concert with the Congress. It’s political negligence on the part of both branches and both parties”.

According to the Washington Post, “the soaring gasoline prices spilled over into Washington and the presidential race yesterday, as Congress moved toward a showdown with President Bush over legislation aimed at forcing oil companies to help ease the burden on consumers”. Democratic leaders, the Post said, “shot back that Bush is out of touch with struggling Americans, as he pours money into the Iraq war at the expense of domestic priorities. In absolute dollar terms, the US military budget is by far the highest of any country in the world. By some estimates the Pentagon spending package exceeds that of the next 25 nations combined. According to the Center for Defense Information in a recent press release, “more than 100 countries have military budgets of less than 1 billion dollars (23.501 billion roubles. 637 million euros. 504 million UK pounds), roughly what the Pentagon spends in one day”. According to the CDI report, “if you converted the current Pentagon budget into silver dollars and stacked them one on top of another, it would make a stack reaching roughly three times the distance to the Moon, and enough to circle the Earth 27.5 times”. President Bush said at his press conference this week he was no magician and could do little about the soaring oil prices. “If there was a magic wand to wave, I’d be waving it, of course”. Some in the United States might have wished away some of his poor foreign policy decisions as well.

4 July 2008

Yuri Reshetnikov

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26436&cid=87&p=30.04.2008