McCarthy Takes Bush Administration to Task

Former U.S. Sen. Eugene Mc-Carthy delivered a critical but frequently humorous speech on U.S. politics before 70 people at the Kennedy School of Government last night.

McCarthy, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, focused his speech on criticism of the Bush administration and of the Reagan legacy, often employing lessons from political history.

The speech was part of a presidential candidate series sponsored by the Institute of Politics.

McCarthy was introduced by IOP Director Charles T. Royer as having "changed the character and face of politics" in America. Royer referred to McCarthy's challenge to President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1968 primaries. McCarthy's campaign called for an end to expansion of the Vietnam War and eventually forced Johnson to end his reelection bid.

In the address, entitled "The Failures of the Bush Presidency and the Role of the Press," McCarthy outlined three "levels of respect" in politics: academicians, the media, and politicians.

He termed Bush "the incarnation of Yale deconstructionism" and ridiculed the President for his misuse of the English language. Referring to famous Bushisms like "not gonna do it," McCarthy discussed the impact of such ambiguous speech.

"George doesn't like to say `I'...he doesn't like subjects--just predicates...You don't know if it's an order or a question," he said.

McCarthy said he was running for the Democratic nomination because "we've never had an opportunity like this since World War II," referring to inadequacies in Bush's leadership and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

McCarthy stressed the importance of reducing the national debt and proposed several policies, including higher duties on imports. He also stressed the need for an increase in income tax for the wealthiest Americans, a move which he said would force the rich "back into the market."

If his policies were to be enacted, McCarthysaid, "the Japanese wouldn't know what hit 'em".

The former senator said he realized that someof his ideas may be unpopular, But McCarthy tooksolace in the example of Julius Caesar, who wasassassinated after establishing policies thatbenefitted Rome.

McCarthy focused the bulk of his criticism ofBush's policies on "a growing disregard for theinstitutions of government. . .and disdain anddisrespect for the Constitution." Bush's supportfor an amendment to outlaw abortion indicates "alack of understanding of the Constitution orwillingness to exploit it for political purposes."

McCarthy also blamed the Bush administrationfor creating a "serious conflict" between theexecutive and legislative branches due to thepresident's "abusive use of the veto." Such apolicy inevitably leads to "bad legislation andbad government," McCarthy said.

The former senator also targeted Bush'sbehavior in the Persian Gulf War. "Bush proposed aresolution before Congress had enoughinformation," he said. This action represented "anintrusion of the Senate's responsibility to dealwith foreign policy."

McCarthy described the conflict as a war foroil and "an exercise to see how many people wecould deploy for the New World Order."

Bush 'Disrespect'

Speaking on what he sees as Bush's "disrespect"for American institution, offering Bush's choiceof Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas andVice-President Dan Quayle as prime examples.McCarthy also expressed concern over what he saidwas Bush's use of religious and racial prejudicefor political purposes.

In response to a question from the audience onthe need for greater participation in politics,McCarthy replied, "I don't even know what cando...It's awfully difficult to the system."

McCarthy expressed regret that his campaign hasbeen snubbed by the national media, and admittedthat his efforts to engage the national attentionhave so far been "without much success.

If his policies were to be enacted, McCarthysaid, "the Japanese wouldn't know what hit 'em".

The former senator said he realized that someof his ideas may be unpopular, But McCarthy tooksolace in the example of Julius Caesar, who wasassassinated after establishing policies thatbenefitted Rome.

McCarthy focused the bulk of his criticism ofBush's policies on "a growing disregard for theinstitutions of government. . .and disdain anddisrespect for the Constitution." Bush's supportfor an amendment to outlaw abortion indicates "alack of understanding of the Constitution orwillingness to exploit it for political purposes."

McCarthy also blamed the Bush administrationfor creating a "serious conflict" between theexecutive and legislative branches due to thepresident's "abusive use of the veto." Such apolicy inevitably leads to "bad legislation andbad government," McCarthy said.

The former senator also targeted Bush'sbehavior in the Persian Gulf War. "Bush proposed aresolution before Congress had enoughinformation," he said. This action represented "anintrusion of the Senate's responsibility to dealwith foreign policy."

McCarthy described the conflict as a war foroil and "an exercise to see how many people wecould deploy for the New World Order."

Bush 'Disrespect'

Speaking on what he sees as Bush's "disrespect"for American institution, offering Bush's choiceof Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas andVice-President Dan Quayle as prime examples.McCarthy also expressed concern over what he saidwas Bush's use of religious and racial prejudicefor political purposes.

In response to a question from the audience onthe need for greater participation in politics,McCarthy replied, "I don't even know what cando...It's awfully difficult to the system."

McCarthy expressed regret that his campaign hasbeen snubbed by the national media, and admittedthat his efforts to engage the national attentionhave so far been "without much success.