Andrei Krushinski: The hole of the pretzel, or a black hole?

The baked product that almost caused lethal outcome for Bush J. just the day before his inauguration’s first anniversary reminded to everybody: the first year of the Bush’s presidentship was the period of different emergencies. January 20, 2001 he swore on the Capitol’s steps in Washington he would honestly execute duties of US President and would do his best to protect, to guard and to defend US Constitution. World mass media did not fail to notice the coincidence of the Bush’s oath’s with bicentennial of inaugurations on Capitol Hill: in 1801, Thomas Jefferson, the third US President, also took his oath here. Though, it is appropriate to remember Jefferson’s words: “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever." Such crimes of the US as robbery and genocide of American Indians, barbarian treatment of Negro slaves were added after Jefferson’s government with predatory wars in Latin America, atom bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, annihilation of million Koreans, Vietnamese, Cambodians. George Bush J. also hastened to contribute his mite. Though, as Russian proverb says, God marks rascals: the 43rd US President is being pursued by different misfortunes. In three weeks after his inauguration, a scandal between the US and its closest Asian ally took place: February 9, a US submarine sank a Japanese training ship with teen-age cadets on board. April 1, a huge EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft full of spies and electronic equipment landed in Hainan Island, after the ram attack of a Chinese small fighter. September 11, an unprecedented emergency event for a technically powerful state: the same day and the same hour, three civil airliners were hijacked and terrorist acts were committed. After such an event, any serious president, who is “Constitution’s guarantor” would think of sending in his resignation, while special services’ officials would be discharged. Though Bush knows Americans very well and likes himself too much: while promising to combat against terrorists he turned his weakness into his power and got ovation unusual for US history. His failure served his triumph. So, what Jefferson would have said if had been alive! The recent accident with pretzel finished successfully for the 43-year-old president. Apropos, he had experienced much worse events: during his pre-election campaign, a truck with rubbish was overturned upon him, though everything turned out all right. Though from the view of true interests of the US and of the world, this year’s results could be characterized as zero, that is very similar to the hole of the above-mentioned pretzel or even with a black hole. This year will remain in historians’ memory as the time of artificial supercharging of war atmosphere and of barbarian bombing Afghanistan and as the time of US withdrawal from ABM treaty. Andrei Krushinski PRAVDA.Ru Beijing

Photograph: Reuters, Kevin Lamarque Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/01/16/35635.html