The Literary Divide/Dr. Paul Barrows It's steady as she sinks for the Republicans and the Bush administration
		The recent events in Iraq remind me of my studies on the history of colonialism and liberation struggles in Africa. In 1922,  Lord Frederick Lugard, long considered the master architect of colonialism in Africa, wrote the heralded book, "The Dual Mandate in Tropical Africa." In his book, Lugard argued that British colonial occupation in Africa was based on a dual mandate which meant that in exchange for the benefits of Britain's efforts to civilize the African masses, the African nations were mandated to provide their British masters cheap labor, cheap natural resources, and serve as markets for cheap goods manufactured in England. As I fast forward to what is happening today, I wonder what Lugard would say about our mission in Iraq today? Let's see, President Bush telling the Iraqi people that he is on a civilizing mission going to a place that is located on the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers and known as the "Cradle of Modern Civilization." No, that won't work. President Bush trying to "civilize" anyone just doesn't cut it! Bush however, did try to pursue the other side of the mandate idea by demanding that the Iraqi people pay for our efforts to bring democracy to Iraq with their oil. Unfortunately, this aspect of the Bush policy has also not yet been able to bear fruit.  Let me state the obvious in the manner of speech of the African American folkloric character, June Bug Jabbo Jones, "we ain't too good at this colonialism stuff."       The most recent National Intelligence Estimate on the state of affairs in the Iraq war documented the fact that Prime Minister Al-Maliki's government is rapidly losing its credibility and ability to lead the nation and the war effort. Of the 18 benchmarks created as part of the effort to justify the surge in U.S. troops, the Prime Minister has failed to meet at least 13 of them. The spin machine is now being pumped and primed with a huge dose of obfuscation in order to anesthetize the masses to prepare the nation for General      Petraeus' Status Report on the Surge later this month. Expect to hear Petraeus say that there is now stability in a few areas outside of the Green Zone and that we are defeating Al Qaeda on the ground in Iraq so that we won't have to fight them here in the U.S. There will also be talk about the dangerous consequences of a premature or rapid withdrawal and a Democratic defeatist policy. There will be little or no talk about the fact  that Iraqi politicians are on a two-month recess or the fact that the majority of the ministerial secretariats in Maliki's government  don't support him. And while Bush and Al-Maliki try to put some perfume on it, the situation on the ground continues to get worse.       There is more bad news for the Republicans and the Bush administration. The  second anniversary of the landfall of Hurricane Katrina with all of the related media attention has forced the nation to refocus on the gross incompetence and negligence in the wake of the nation's worst natural disaster. CNN, with a special documentary on Katrina by Anderson Cooper and Spike Lee, reminded the nation of the fact that President Bush didn't even bother mentioning Katrina and the devastation of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in his most recent State of the Union Address.  The pain, misery and suffering continues unabated throughout the region.       Senator Arlan Spector, in an interview on Fox News this past Sunday, urged his fellow Republican Senator, Larry Craig of Idaho, not resign and to continue to fight to save his position and his political career. Senator Craig pleaded guilty for soliciting gay sex in a      men's bathroom at the Minneapolis Airport. Given the Republican Party's extremist positions against gays and gay marriage,  the hypocrisy was too much for them to endure forcing them to launch a vicious frontal assault against Senator Craig that forced him to resign from his position in the Senate.       Alberto Gonzalez, Attorney General, finally ran out of steam from being under relentless assault from Democrats  and some Republicans, and resigned from his position last week. At the press conference announcing his resignation, President Bush used that      occasion to extol unwarranted accolades on his long-time friend and to blast the media and the Democratic politicians for a witch-hunt. Bush had nothing to say about Gonzalez' role in promoting and hiding torture in the prisons at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo; his role in promoting the illegal use of warrantless wiretapping of American citizens;  nor his role in using the Justice Department to deliver Karl Rove's and the President's political agenda.       With little or no focus on domestic issues, whether it's the lack of healthcare for so many millions, the collapse of the mortgage industry and the related severe impact on the stock market, the crumbling infrastructure of roads, bridges, dams and dikes, and the deterioration of our schools and educational system, it is steady as she sinks for the Republicans and the Bush Administration while the people languish.
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