Obama, McCain and the Bush Legacy Part 1

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Authored By  :
Bill Kochman

Published On :
November 6, 2008

Last Updated :
November 6, 2008


NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.

Purpose Of This Series, My Political Neutrality, Citizen Of
God's Kingdom, The Coming Kingdom Of God On Earth, I'm Not A
Jehovah's Witness, Who I Am, Lying Frauds And False Prophets,
Corrupt Modern Politics, Smooth-Talking "Career Politicians",
No Real Political Choice For Christians, Lesser Of Two Evils?
Obama And McCain Both Bad Christian Choices, Being Right On
A Few Issues Doesn't Make A Good President, George Bush Mess,
Bush Legacy, Two Prolonged Wars, American War Toll On Iraqis,
America's Wars & Islamic Terrorism - Neither Is Justifiable,
Biblical Teaching On War And Peace, Extraordinary Rendition,
Bush Illegally Spied On American Citizens, US Rights Crushed,
USA's Nuclear Hypocrisy, New Arms Race?, Preemptive Strikes,
New Cold War?, Regime Change, America Exports Violence & War,
Bush's Haughty "My Way" Attitude, America Hated And Despised,
George Bush's Social Record, World Gripped In Economic Crash


As I conclude writing this new series, a new day dawns in the
United States of America; not only in a physical sense -- it
is just after 12:00 PM November the 5th, on the East Coast of
the USA -- but in a political sense as well -- the eight-year
long mantle of the Republican Party has just been cast to the
ground by a disenfranchised American public. Laying claim to
a strong mandate, Barack Hussein Obama has just been chosen
as the 44th president, and as the very first Black president,
of that nation, in an electoral vote landslide of 349 to 147,
with three states, North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri, yet
to be decided.

My hope was to try to complete this series several days ago,
so that the counsel which I have written herein might have a
more direct effect on the outcome of the election. However,
it appears that I started writing it a little too late, and
I became more involved in the details than I had originally
anticipated. Be that as it may, it is my hope that whether
you voted or not, you will still take the time to read this
series; and that upon doing this, it will motivate you to
reflect upon the decisions that you may have made on this
most historic American election day. If you happen to be a
citizen of another country, and are observing the American
election campaign from afar, then I hope that you too will
derive some benefit from reading the following series.

As some of my regular readers will already be aware, I am
neither a Republican, nor a Democrat, nor an Independent. I
did not support Senator Barack Obama or Senator John McCain,
in the current presidential campaign. As I point out in my
article "The Heavenly Vision: Have You Got It?", I have for
many years now viewed myself first and foremost as a citizen
of God's Kingdom; and my allegiance is to that Kingdom; and
I will only promote that Kingdom. I won't support, promote,
or vote in any political system invented by man, because it
is my personal belief that every single one of said systems
is corrupt, imperfect, inefficient, and ultimately doomed to
failure. In fact, as I've explained a number of times before
in several of my articles, the Bible plainly tells us that
all of the governments of the world will someday be replaced
by a literal Kingdom of God on Earth, ruled by none other
than Jesus Christ Himself, the Rock from Heaven, as we see
in these example verses:

"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands,
which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and
clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay,
the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no
place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image
became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth . . .
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand for ever."
Daniel 2:34-35, 44, KJV

"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou
art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I
shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt
break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in
pieces like a potter’s vessel."
Psalm 2:7-9, KJV

"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end,
to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule
them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall
they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."
Revelation 2:26-27, KJV

"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto
God, and to his throne."
Revelation 12:5, KJV

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he
that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a
flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had
a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was
clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is
called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven
followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white
and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them
with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his
vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND
LORD OF LORDS."
Revelation 19:11-16, KJV

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven."
Matthew 6:10, KJV

For more on the topic of the coming literal Kingdom of God,
please refer to such articles as "From Armageddon To The New
Earth".

Now, to those of you who may get the impression that I am a
Jehovah's Witness because I do not participate in the voting
system, let me state plainly that I am in no way associated
with that organization whatsoever. While I concur with some
of their doctrines, they have certain beliefs with which I
am in strong disagreement. As sincere as their members may
be, it is my personal view that they are deceived by their
leaders, and their interpretation of the Bible regarding
some issues. There are plenty of websites which are devoted
to exposing the errors behind the doctrines of the Jehovah
Witnesses, if you wish to avail yourself of them. I won't be
doing that here, as that is not the focus of this current
series.

Just as I am not affiliated with any particular political
party or organization, neither am I associated with any
Christian church or religious organization. In short, no one
is pulling my strings, and I am not pushing anyone's agenda.
For over twenty years now, I have been a totally independent,
free-thinking Christian evangelist, and nothing more. All of
my views are derived from my years of personal Bible study,
and my understanding of God's Word. I am not a prophet, or a
faith healer, or anything of the like. I am just one man who
is trying to understand God's Word, just like everyone else.
And yes, I am fallible. I don't claim to know it all, or to
understand it all, and you will never ever hear me say "Thus
saith the Lord" like so many modern-day "wannabe prophets",
some of whom are eventually exposed for the lying frauds and
deceivers that they are.

But returning to the fallibility of human political systems,
whether it's communism, capitalism, socialism, dictatorship,
or any other form of human government, as I've already said,
it's doomed to eventual failure, because it's the creation of
mortal, imperfect men. Power and popularity is an extremely
lethal mixture; and no matter how honest, upright and fair a
politician may try to be, far and in between is the man, or
woman, who will not yield to, and be corrupted by them. This
is clearly evident by the political scandals which fill the
mass media on a regular basis. Some politicians become so
powerful, that they fool themselves into thinking that they
can get away with anything, and that no one will ever find
out. They become deceived into thinking that they are above
the law. A lot of them do get away with it, but a few are
eventually caught.

No matter how true to their causes and promises a politician
may try to be, eventually, many of them reach a point where
what becomes most important to them, is not what is right
and beneficial for the people who elected them, but rather
what is necessary in order for them to remain in office. In
other words, they become career politicians; and holding on
to their position of power becomes their primary focus; and
that is where political compromise, in the form of unethical
practices and questionable deals, begins to occur.

As far as I am concerned, Barack Obama and John McCain are
no different than the thousands of other politicians that we
have seen come and go over the years. They will both smooth
talk the masses, and say whatever needs to be said in order
to get elected, and they will both ultimately fail to fully
keep their word, if elected to the office of the President
of the United States of America. This has always been the
way of fast-talking politicians. They will say one thing in
order to get your vote, and then they will go back on their
word, and do something entirely different once they have
been elected. In short, they use people, they use you, and
they use Christians.

My view is that in this election, as in previous elections,
there is no real choice for true Bible-believing Christians.
To vote for either candidate, Obama or McCain, will cause us
to compromise our Bible-based beliefs in one way or another.
Contrary to the belief that is held by some Christians, and
which was evident during the previous presidential campaign,
there is really no such thing as voting for the lesser of
two evils. During the last election cycle, some Christians
convinced themselves that voting for George W. Bush was the
lesser of two evils. They didn't particularly care for Bush,
especially after the lies and deception behind the illegal
Iraq invasion began to be exposed; nevertheless, they took
the position that anything would be better than electing a
person like John Kerry. I wonder if they still feel that way,
considering the state of the United States, and the state of
the world, today.

Neither of the two current presidential candidates, Obama or
McCain, has an agenda which we Christians can or even should
fully support. You need to realize that if you decide to vote
for a particular candidate simply because they agree with you
on a few key issues which are important to us Christians, and
they win the election, that means that you've also given them
the power, and the freedom, to carry out policies with which
you may not agree. Please think about that for a minute.

As I mentioned a moment ago, a primary example of this can be
seen in the victories of George W. Bush during the last eight
years. Mr. Bush won two elections by carrying the Christian
voting bloc. He couldn't have won without the support of the
Christian Right. Many of you reading this voted for Mr. Bush
because of his stance regarding abortion, embryonic stem cell
research and the gay and lesbian agenda; but look at what the
man has done to the USA over the past eight years. If there
is one thing that can be learned from this, it is that being
right about a few key issues does not a good president make.

As I recently told our mailing list members, I really pity
the man who becomes the next president, whether it is Obama
or McCain, because George W. Bush has left the USA in such a
terrible mess. I think Obama and McCain are both crazy for
even wanting the job. The next leader of the USA is going to
have so many problems to deal with, which were created by, or
which came to a head during, the Bush Administration, that I
don't see how he will be able to be an effective president. I
imagine this picture of the next president just struggling to
the surface, gasping for a gulp of fresh air. If Obama wins,
as current political speculations are waging, I am sure that
the Republican Party will enjoy watching him struggle. But,
on the other hand, if John McCain "miraculously" wins on the
4th of November, the Republican Party won't have anyone but
itself to blame, as McCain tries to pull the USA out of its
current downward spiral.

Exactly what has the Bush Administration given us? Consider
the following, and tell me if these are truly the actions of
a God-fearing, Bible-believing, Christian leader and nation.
The following, my friends, is the Bush legacy:

The United States is currently engaged in two prolonged wars
in which many innocent civilians have lost their lives. We
often hear about the 4,000+ American soldiers who have died
in Iraq; and we are often reminded of the 3,000+ people who
lost their lives during 9/11, (as if this unrelated event
somehow justifies the invasion of Iraq); but how often does
anyone mention the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians,
as well as Afghanis, who have died as a result of American
bombing campaigns, or who have been horribly maimed, or who
have lost their homes, or who have died from starvation, or
who have died due to a lack of medical attention, or who
have lost their jobs, as a result of American war efforts?

Iraq's economy, infrastructure, political body and social
structure were obliterated during the opening phase of the
war. Is it any wonder then that some Muslims and Arabs hate
America so much, that they are willing to give their lives
in exchange for killing a few Americans? I am by no means
condoning these terrible acts of violence, but you do need
to understand what motivates these people. Under President
Bush, American forces invaded Iraq, convincing the Iraqis
that they were bringing them democracy and freedom from the
brutal years of Saddam Hussein's rule. Yes, Saddam Hussein
is now gone, but the Iraqis have endured over five years of
foreign occupation since then, and their nation has still
not recovered from America's initial onslaught. As bad as
the situation was under Saddam's rule, it is even worse now.
The level of violence is much higher, and the country may
yet still be torn apart by civil war.

The Bush Administration, and their propaganda machine, the
mass media, in their vain effort to maintain support for the
Iraq War, are ever so faithful to constantly remind us about
those violent, crazy Muslim extremists and suicide bombers,
but as Bible-believing, peace-loving Christians, we need to
stop and ask ourselves: What makes America's wars any more
justified in the eyes of God? War is war, and war is hell on
Earth, regardless of what religion happens to be behind it;
and according to Jesus' teachings, war is wrong. Consider
these sample verses:

"Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his
place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with
the sword."
Matthew 26:52, KJV

"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my
kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight,
that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my
kingdom not from hence."
John 18:36, KJV

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God."
Matthew 5:9, KJV

I am reminded of a scene from the American television movie,
"Jesus", starring Jeremy Sisto. In one part, the Devil shows
Jesus a scene where the so-called "Christian Crusaders" are
engaging in battle. As they do so, you can hear them say "In
the name of Christ!". The Iraq War, and any other war, is no
more befitting a so-called Christian nation like the United
States, than the Crusades were befitting the Christians of
that time period. War, especially the destructive wars which
are begun and fought by the United States, is the epitome of
Christian hypocrisy, and totally contrary to the teachings
of Jesus Christ, as can be seen by the previous verses. What
makes the Iraq War even worse in my view, is the fact that
it was thrust upon the American people through outright lying
and deception. There were no WMD. Again I ask: Are these the
actions of a truly Christian president?

Consider some of the other points which have characterized
the Bush Administration:

George W. Bush purposely, and secretly, condoned the setting
up of foreign interrogation and torture camps that are beyond
the reach of American law. Bush did this because he knew that
he couldn't get away with doing it on American soil. This
policy is known as "extraordinary rendition". Investigate it.

George W. Bush has illegally spied on American citizens for
years through wire-tapping, through email sniffing programs
such as Carnivore, and by other methods. Through fear and
paranoia, he has used 9/11, the Patriot Act, and other bills
and executive orders, to trample upon the rights of American
citizens with impunity. By his very actions, he appears to
consider himself above the law.

While the U.S. Government condemns other nations for their
interest in acquiring nuclear weapons, and actively works to
prevent other nations from acquiring nuclear technology, (as
is evident from the highly-publicized news concerning North
Korea and Iran), as has been reported in the American news
media since 2007, the U.S. Government currently has plans to
build a new nuclear warhead. The design of this new nuclear
warhead has been awarded to the Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory in California, which may draw upon work done by
its competitor, Los Alamos Laboratory, in the state of New
Mexico.

Taking into consideration the fact that plutonium pits have
a life span of at least eighty-five years or more, we should
all question why a new nuclear warhead is even necessary. Of
course, it is rather obvious that other nuclear powers, such
as Russia and China, are not just going to stand idly by as
America upgrades its nuclear capabilities. Thus, we may now
be seeing the beginning of a new nuclear arms race, due to
the belligerent attitude of the Bush Administration.

Let us also not forget that this is the same country that
dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting
in over 330,000 deaths and injuries in less than a week's
time, most of them being civilians. As is common knowledge,
the U.S.A. is the possessor of one of the largest nuclear
stockpiles in the entire world. Due to the obvious secrecy
maintained by the government, the exact number of nuclear
warheads possessed by the American Government is unknown;
however, the Wikipedia website states the following:

----- Begin Quote -----

The exact number of nuclear weapons possessed by the United
States is difficult to determine. Different treaties and
organizations have different criteria for reporting nuclear
weapons, especially those held in reserve, and those being
dismantled or rebuilt:

* As of 1999, the U.S. was said to have 12,000 nuclear
weapons of all types stockpiled.

* In its Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)
declaration for 2003, the U.S. listed 5,968 deployed
warheads as defined by START rules.

* For 2007, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists listed
the U.S. with about 5,400 total nuclear warheads: around
3,575 strategic and 500 nonstrategic warheads; and about
1,260 additional warheads held in the inactive
stockpile. Other warheads are in some step of the
disassembly process.

In 2002, the United States and Russia agreed in the SORT
treaty to reduce their deployed stockpiles to not more than
2,200 warheads each. In 2003, the US rejected Russian
proposals to further reduce both nation's nuclear stockpiles
to 1,500 each.

----- End Quote -----

It is also interesting to note that the 1996 Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, or CTBT, which bans all nuclear
explosions in all environments, for military or civilian
purposes, has never been ratified by the Government of the
United States of America. According to information found on
the Wikipedia website:

----- Begin Quote -----

The CTBT has now been signed by 180 states and ratified by
145. On 16 January 2007, Moldova ratified the CTBT,
completing the ratification of the treaty by all the states
of Europe. India and Pakistan, though not nuclear weapons
states as defined by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
(NPT), did not sign; neither did the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (North Korea). India and Pakistan
conducted back-to-back nuclear tests in 1998, while North
Korea withdrew from the NPT in 2003 and tested a nuclear
device in 2006. Fifteen other states have not signed. The
treaty will enter into force 180 days after the 44 states
listed in Annex 2 of the treaty have ratified it. Nine of
these have not yet done so, including two nuclear weapon
states under the NPT (the United States and the People's
Republic of China) as well as all four states outside the
NPT (India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea).

----- End Quote -----

It is interesting to note that much of the resistance to the
aforementioned treaties has occurred under George W. Bush.
Isn't it being rather hypocritical for Bush to be pointing
the finger at North Korea and Iran, when his administration
has refused for eight years now, to ratify the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty? Equally alarming, and as was widely
reported by the American mass media, President Bush publicly
stated that he would consider a preemptive strike against
another nation. In his June 1, 2002 speech before the cadets
of West Point, George W. Bush stated in part:

----- Begin Quote -----

We cannot defend America and our friends by hoping for the
best. We cannot put our faith in the word of tyrants, who
solemnly sign non-proliferation treaties, and then
systemically break them. If we wait for threats to fully
materialize, we will have waited too long — Our security
will require transforming the military you will lead — a
military that must be ready to strike at a moment's notice
in any dark corner of the world. And our security will
require all Americans to be forward-looking and resolute, to
be ready for preemptive action when necessary to defend our
liberty and to defend our lives.

----- End Quote -----

In later speeches, George W. Bush further expanded upon his
so-called "Bush Doctrine", by declaring that that the United
States has the right to act unilaterally in its own security
interests, without the approval of international bodies such
as the United Nations. In short, George Bush stuck his nose
up at the world, which is one of the primary reasons why the
United States is now so hated around the world. While he has
talked all about respecting the "rule of law", under Bush's
leadership, the United States has defied International Law,
and international opinion, and declared that it will do as
it pleases, regardless of what anyone else thinks.

As a result of "The Bush Doctrine", other nations have since
made similar declarations regarding preemptive strikes. In
short, George W. Bush has really done nothing to advance the
cause of peace around the world. Bush's actions and attitude
have only filled the world with more uncertainty, paranoia,
and fear. As retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Buzz Patterson
sadly stated in 2007, the USA appears to be heading towards
another Cold War with Russia, thanks to "The Bush Doctrine".

In a June, 2001 New York Times article, after President Bush
had made known his intentions to abandon the Antiballistic
Missile Treaty of 1972 in order to build his missile shield,
then Russian president, Vladimir Putin, (who is now Russian
Prime Minister), made the following remarks, which clearly
reveal that a new nuclear arms race has in fact already been
in progress for the past seven years. Thus, Patterson was in
essence speaking after-the-fact:

----- Begin Quote -----

"When we hear statements that the programs would go with us
or without us, well, we cannot force anyone to do the things
we would like them to," he said. "We offer our cooperation.
We offer to work jointly. If there is no need that such
joint work is needed, well, suit yourself."

However, Mr. Putin added, "we stand ready" to respond to any
unilateral American action, even though Russia does not see
an immediate threat from a missile shield.

"I am confident that at least for the coming 25 years"
American missile defenses "will not cause any substantial
damage to the national security of Russia," he said. But he
added, "We will reinforce our capability" by "mounting
multiple warheads on our missiles" and "that will cost us a
meager sum." And so, he said, "the nuclear arsenal of Russia
will be augmented multifold."

He said both the Start I and Start II treaties would be
negated by an American decision to build missile defenses in
violation of the Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972. Such
a step would eliminate verification and inspection
requirements, he said, reviving an era in which Russia would
hide its abilities and intentions.

----- End Quote -----

While the US Government claims that it is for peace, freedom
and democracy, it secretly foments violence, revolution and
war in foreign nations, in order to topple governments which
are not supportive of America's global objectives. Clinton
and Bush have referred to this as "regime change", as if the
USA is the policeman of the world and has some "divine right"
to do this. Such was the case with the CIA-supported attempt
to overthrow President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, (it failed),
the downfall of Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia, the ouster
of Saddam Hussein of Iraq, etc., and the Shi'ite mullahs of
Iran will probably be next.

In addition to the USA's covert attempts to stir up trouble
around the world, it is also an indisputable fact that the
U.S. Government earns billions of dollars every single year
through the sale and export of weapons of war to foreign
governments. Military sales are in fact the most profitable
foreign business venture of the American Government. Is this
really exporting peace, freedom and democracy? Is this what
real Christians do? If you voted for Bush, then you helped
to support all of the unscrupulous activities of the Bush
Administration.

As I mentioned a moment ago, George W. Bush has snubbed his
nose at the rest of the world when it has come to important
global issues, whether it is arms control treaties, or other
important issues, such as Global Warming. Since George Bush
assumed the presidency, his administration has adamantly and
repeatedly refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Bush just
doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks, and he certainly
doesn't care about the environment. Bush's actions over the
past eight years clearly reveal that his allegiance belongs
to his rich oil, gas and coal friends, and to other leaders
of Big Business and the elite clan to which he belongs.

As I have noted a number of times before, as a direct result
of Bush's haughty attitude, his blatant war-mongering, and
his unilateralist policies, the U.S.A. has become more hated
and despised around the world than it has ever been before.
Sadly, Mr. Bush continues to push forward his programs and
policies through fear, paranoia and intimidation. Just dare
to disagree with him and his cohorts, and you'll be branded
as being unpatriotic. There is no room for dissent under
George W. Bush . . . or is that freedom of speech?

What about social issues? Jesus and the Bible teach us that
pure religion, and true Christianity, is to help the needy,
to assist the downtrodden, to comfort the afflicted, and to
lighten the burden of those who are oppressed. Has George W.
Bush met this requirement as the Christian that he claims to
be? Sadly, his public record leaves a lot of room for doubt.

During the past eight years of the Bush Administration, the
situation has only gotten worse for the poor, for the sick,
for the elderly, for working class families, and for young
people who are interested in obtaining a higher education.
Furthermore, George W. Bush, and the greedy money-mongers
who pull his strings, are responsible for the current global
economic meltdown which has only made other nations hate the
USA all the more. Banking institutions and businesses large
and small are failing the world over like a row of dominoes,
as their national governments try to prop them up through
any means possible. Trillions of dollars have already been
pumped into the global economy, in an effort to stabilize
it, but will it work? Thus far, the answer has been "No!".

At this moment, hundreds of thousands of American citizens
are losing their jobs as the recession deepens, and the U.S.
economy shrinks. A lot of people are also being forced out
of their homes and off of their farms. Large businesses and
small family-run businesses are also being forced to declare
bankruptcy. The sick and the elderly are having a difficult
time getting their medical needs met. Life savings are just
disappearing between people's fingers resulting in great
despair. Many students are losing hope of ever being able to
attend college. This same scenario is playing out in other
parts of the world as well, and economists are saying that
we haven't yet seen the bottom of this economic downward
spiral. In fact, some of them are now saying that it will be
years before the global economy fully recovers, thanks to
"good" old American greed.


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