George H.W. Bush: War Criminal, CIA Spy, Oil Tycoon, Embodiment of US Elite
Summary
TLDRThe video script critiques the legacy of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, arguing against the mainstream portrayal of him as a moderate statesman. It highlights his involvement in war crimes, from the Iran-Contra scandal to the Gulf War, and his family's ties to the oil industry and the CIA. The script also suggests that Bush's actions set the stage for the rise of right-wing extremism and the current political climate, emphasizing his refusal to apologize for U.S. actions and his commitment to capitalism and empire.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ George HW Bush, despite being portrayed as a hero, is accused of leaving behind a legacy of war crimes and imperialism.
- 🗣️ The media's depiction of Bush as a statesman is challenged, with the script suggesting his patriotism was more about capitalism and empire than the average American.
- 🕊️ Bush's infamous quote 'I'll never apologize for the United States of America ever, I don't care what the facts are' is highlighted as emblematic of his imperial hubris.
- 🛑 The script outlines Bush's family history, including ties to the CIA, oil industry, and controversial actions such as grave-robbing and profiting from the Holocaust.
- 📜 Bush's political career is detailed, from his involvement with the CIA to his presidency, where he is said to have facilitated the Iran-Contra scandal and supported right-wing military dictatorships.
- 💥 The invasion of Panama and the Gulf War under Bush's presidency are described as brutal, with the latter causing significant civilian casualties and long-term damage to Iraq's infrastructure.
- 🗝️ The script suggests that Bush's actions set a precedent for future presidents, including his son George W. Bush, in terms of foreign policy and military engagements.
- 📉 The economic policies of Bush's administration are criticized for leading to 'shock therapy' neoliberal reforms that caused significant suffering and death in the former Soviet Union.
- 🔍 The script argues that Bush's presidency was not just about setting the stage for his son or Trump, but also about establishing the neoliberal era that has had lasting global impacts.
- 🚫 The portrayal of Bush as a principled moderate is contested, with the script highlighting instances of racism and exploitation of fear during his 1988 presidential campaign.
- 🌐 Bush is presented as a key figure in the establishment of American global hegemony and the promotion of capitalism, with his actions having far-reaching implications for the world order.
Q & A
When did former United States President George H.W. Bush pass away?
-Former United States President George H.W. Bush died on November 30th, 2018.
What is the criticism against the portrayal of George H.W. Bush by the corporate media after his death?
-The criticism is that the corporate media lionized Bush as a statesman who committed his life to his country, while ignoring his involvement in war crimes and his role as an elite custodian of capitalism and Empire.
What infamous statement did George H.W. Bush make regarding the United States never having to apologize?
-George H.W. Bush made the infamous statement 'I'll never apologize for the United States of America ever, I don't care what the facts are' in response to the U.S. shooting down an Iranian civilian plane in 1988.
What is the historical significance of Prescott Bush's actions during the Holocaust?
-Prescott Bush, George H.W. Bush's father, was reported to have profited from the Holocaust by working for and profiting from companies closely involved with German businesses that financed Hitler's rise to power.
How did George H.W. Bush's involvement with the CIA and the oil industry influence his political career?
-George H.W. Bush's involvement with the CIA and the oil industry helped him build a fortune and establish political connections, which he later leveraged in his political career, including his role as Vice President under Ronald Reagan and as the 41st U.S. President.
What was the Iran-Contra scandal, and how was George H.W. Bush involved?
-The Iran-Contra scandal involved the Reagan administration selling weapons to Iran to fund right-wing Contra death squads in Nicaragua. George H.W. Bush, as Vice President, was implicated in the scandal and later pardoned the conspirators, preventing an investigation into his own activity.
What was the impact of the U.S. invasion of Panama under George H.W. Bush's administration?
-The U.S. invasion of Panama led to the overthrow of dictator Manuel Noriega and resulted in the destruction of thousands of homes and mass civilian casualties, with bodies of dead Panamanians reportedly shoveled into mass graves.
What false testimony was used to justify the Gulf War against Iraq under George H.W. Bush's presidency?
-A 15-year-old Kuwaiti girl falsely testified before the U.S. Congressional Human Rights caucus about Iraqi soldiers removing babies from incubators, which was later revealed to be a PR stunt orchestrated by a PR firm on behalf of the Kuwaiti monarchy.
What were the consequences of the Gulf War for Iraq's civilian infrastructure?
-The Gulf War led to the deliberate targeting and destruction of Iraq's civilian infrastructure, reducing the country's power generation level by 96%, and causing widespread devastation and a humanitarian crisis.
What is the 'Highway of Death,' and how is it connected to the Gulf War?
-The 'Highway of Death' refers to the massacre of thousands of fleeing Iraqi soldiers and civilians on February 26th and 27th, 1991, during the Gulf War, as they tried to escape Kuwait and return to Iraq under heavy bombing by the U.S. and its allies.
How did George H.W. Bush's policies contribute to the rise of far-right movements and the current state of global politics?
-George H.W. Bush's policies, including his war crimes, support for right-wing dictatorships, and neoliberal reforms, set the stage for the rise of far-right movements and the current challenges in global politics, including the election of Donald Trump.
Outlines
🏛️ George HW Bush: The Controversial Legacy
The script discusses the complex legacy of former US President George HW Bush, who passed away in 2018. While the corporate media portrayed him as a statesman and a hero, the narrative argues that his presidency was marked by war crimes and imperial ambitions. It highlights his refusal to apologize for the US's actions, exemplified by the downing of an Iranian civilian plane in 1988, and his family's deep ties to the American ruling class, including the CIA, the oil industry, and Ivy League institutions. The paragraph also touches on Bush's early life and his family's controversial history, including alleged profiteering from the Holocaust.
🌍 Bush's Role in International Conflicts and the Cold War
This paragraph delves into George HW Bush's involvement in international politics, particularly during the Cold War. It describes his tenure as the Director of Central Intelligence and his alleged support for right-wing military dictatorships and death squads in Latin America. The script also discusses Bush's relationship with Saudi Arabia, including ties to the bin Laden family, and his role in the Iran-Contra scandal. The paragraph further details the 1989 invasion of Panama and the subsequent human rights abuses, setting the stage for Bush's most significant military action: the Gulf War against Iraq.
💥 The Gulf War and Its Devastating Aftermath
The script provides a critical account of the Gulf War initiated by President Bush in response to Iraq's annexation of Kuwait. It accuses the Bush administration of using fabricated stories to justify the war, resulting in extensive civilian casualties and the destruction of Iraq's infrastructure. The paragraph describes the use of depleted uranium weapons, the targeting of civilian areas, and the 'Highway of Death' incident, where retreating Iraqi soldiers were bombed. The aftermath of the war is portrayed as catastrophic, with long-term health and environmental effects, and the continuation of economic sanctions that led to further suffering for Iraqi civilians.
🔄 The Neoliberal Era and Bush's Lasting Impact
This paragraph examines the broader implications of George HW Bush's presidency, particularly his role in establishing the neoliberal order following the end of the Cold War. It discusses the economic reforms imposed on the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries, which led to significant social and economic upheaval. The script also connects Bush's policies to the rise of far-right movements and the election of Donald Trump, suggesting that Bush's actions set the stage for current global political challenges. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on Bush's commitment to US imperialism and capitalism, and his refusal to apologize for the consequences of his policies.
🗣️ The Media's Portrayal and the Reality of Bush's Presidency
The final paragraph addresses the disparity between the corporate media's portrayal of George HW Bush as a principled moderate and the reality of his controversial presidency. It criticizes attempts to distance Bush from the political horrors that followed his tenure, including the rise of Trumpism and the use of racist tactics during his 1988 presidential campaign. The script also highlights Bush's involvement in counter-revolutions in Eastern Europe and the establishment of capitalist oligarchs, emphasizing that Bush's legacy cannot be separated from the current state of the world.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡George HW Bush
💡War Crimes
💡Imperial Hubris
💡Iran-Contra Scandal
💡Operation Condor
💡Neoliberalism
💡Shock Therapy
💡Washington Consensus
💡Racism and Dog Whistling
💡New World Order
💡Capitalism and Empire
Highlights
George HW Bush's legacy includes war crimes and controversial actions rather than being a moderate hero.
Bush's patriotism was more about maintaining capitalism and empire rather than devotion to the working class.
Bush's infamous quote about never apologizing for the U.S. reflects his imperial hubris.
Bush's family history is deeply intertwined with the CIA, oil industry, and elite Ivy League institutions.
Prescott Bush's involvement with companies that profited from the Holocaust and his political career.
George HW Bush's early life and career in the oil industry, and his covert work with the CIA.
Bush's tenure as CIA director involved close collaboration with Latin American death squads.
Bush facilitated the Iran-Contra scandal and later pardoned the conspirators to prevent investigation.
The 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama under Bush's administration had severe civilian casualties.
False testimonies and propaganda were used to justify the Gulf War against Iraq.
The Gulf War led to extensive destruction of Iraq's infrastructure and severe humanitarian crisis.
The 'Highway of Death' refers to the mass killing of retreating Iraqi soldiers and civilians.
Post-war sanctions on Iraq resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands due to Bush's policies.
Bush's administration continued to support right-wing groups in the Middle East, including extremists.
Bush's presidency saw the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the neoliberal era.
Bush's policies contributed to the rise of far-right movements and the current global political climate.
Bush's racism and dog-whistling tactics during his 1988 presidential campaign.
Bush's role in the neoliberal reforms post-Cold War that led to significant suffering in Eastern Europe.
The commemoration of Bush as a skilled leader despite his controversial and impactful policies.
Transcripts
[Music]
former United States President George HW
Bush died on November 30th 2018 and
while leaning Democrats joined the GOP
and celebrating the Republican leader as
a hero honoring him in a bipartisan
ceremony the real Bush left behind a
murderous legacy full of war crimes
across the planet the corporate media
lionized Bush a former oil tycoon and
director of the CIA as a statesman who
committed his life to his country but
Bush's patriotism was not rooted in
devotion to the average working-class
American people instead he was an elite
custodian of capitalism and Empire from
Iraq to Panama George HW Bush was
responsible for countless deaths and far
from being the moderate voice of reason
he is now being presented as in the era
of trumpism bush paved the way for
right-wing extremists to take control of
the US Empire he's so carefully
preserved if one had to succinctly
summarize George HW Bush in a single
moment it would be in the eve of his
presidency in 1988 on July 3rd of that
year the US government shot down an
Iranian civilian plane killing all 296
t6 children the United States adamantly
refused to apologize for this horrific
atrocity Bush was then vice president
under Ronald Reagan and was in the
middle of his own campaign for president
at a GOP event just a month later in
August Bush indirectly responded to the
u.s. massacre of Iranian civilians with
the following infamous words I'll never
apologize for the United States of
America ever I don't care what the facts
are this lone quote says so much about
the 41st US president it is a concise
representation of the imperial hubris
and chauvinism that Bush was the
physical embodiment of he refused to
apologize for the crimes of the US
Empire and did not give a damn
about the facts George HW Bush's family
life and world were the textbook
representation of the American ruling
class combining together the CIA the oil
industry elite Ivy League universities
and even Nazi Germany Bush was born in
1924 into an elite capitalist family his
grandfather Samuel Bush was a corporate
steel and railroad executive who oversaw
US government contracts with weapons
corporations during World War one hhw
father Prescott Bush was an even more
notorious figure in 1918 as a member of
Yale University's elite secret society
skull and bones Prescott and his peers
dug up the grave a former Native
American leader Geronimo and stole his
skull Prescott Bush then went on to
become a bank executive on Wall Street
and during the Holocaust the Bush family
patriarch even profited from the
genocide all Hitler regime as the
newspaper The Guardian reported in 2004
even after America had entered the war
and when there was already significant
information about the Nazis plans and
policies he worked for and profited from
companies closely involved with the very
German businesses that financed Hitler's
rise to power it has also been suggested
that the money he made from these
dealings helped to establish the Bush
family fortune and set up its political
dynasty although the assets of Prescott
Bush's company were seized by the US
government in 1942 under the trading
with the enemy Act this did not stop him
from pursuing a political career a
decade later in 1952 Bush was elected to
the US Senate representing Connecticut
George HW Bush followed in the footsteps
of his father he went to Yale University
and was also a member of the elite
secret society skull and bones after
graduation Bush moved to Texas and
entered the oil industry in 1953 he
co-founded the Zapata petroleum
corporation
and quickly became a millionaire in the
early 1960s before Bush officially
entered politics he also secretly
started to work with the CIA journalist
Joseph McBride noted quote Bush started
working for the agency in 1960 or 1961
using his oil business as a cover for
clandestine activities after over a
decade of building up his fortune in the
oil industry Bush then moved on to
politics he was elected to the House of
Representatives in 1966 representing
Texas but that was just the beginning
Bush then became US ambassador to the
United Nations and subsequently chairman
of the Republican National Committee and
then in 1976 Bush was appointed director
of Central Intelligence after secretly
working with the CIA for over a decade
Bush a staunchly conservative cold
warrior was now the chief of it
historian Greg Grandin wrote quote Bush
helmed the CIA when he was working
closely with Latin American death squads
grouped under Operation Condor this was
the height of the Cold War and after the
CIA had already violently overthrown
numerous democratically elected
governments throughout the global South
from Iran to Guatemala to Chile the u.s.
continued supporting far-right military
dictatorships and death squads
throughout Latin America this was also
at a time when Bush was developing
deeper ties to Saudi Arabia one of the
world's largest oil producers and a key
US ally in the Cold War with u.s.
backing the Saudi monarchy supported
right-wing Islamist groups many of which
were extremists to undermine secular
socialist and communist forces in the
Middle East and through both oil and
politics Bush and his family maintained
close links to Saudi elites including
the powerful bin Laden family historian
Greg Grandin likewise pointed out that
it was Bush who helped facilitate Ronald
Reagan's
escalation of the Cold War through the
infamous iran-contra scandal
Bush served as vice president under
President Reagan during this scandal in
which the Republican administration sold
weapons to Iran in order to fund
far-right contra death squads in
Nicaragua when Bush succeeded Reagan as
the 41st president he uses authority to
pardon the conspirators involved in the
iran-contra scandal thereby preventing
an investigation into his own criminal
activity many observers have noted that
by doing this George HW Bush helped set
the precedent that Donald Trump would
later exploit as president but this
paled in comparison to Bush's most
egregious crimes in 1989 the
administration of the newly inaugurated
President Bush invaded the tiny Central
American nation of Panama in order to
out dictator Manuel Noriega who had
himself been a longtime CIA asset who
for years worked closely with the United
States helping it to fund right-wing
death squads while he was trafficking
drugs the u.s. brutally bombed Panama
burning down thousands of homes leading
to the nickname little her Oshima
historian Greg Grandin noted that the
bodies of dead panamanians were shoveled
into mass graves but Bush's bloodiest
atrocities were yet to come in August
1990 Iraq militarily occupied and
annexed its southern neighbor Kuwait the
Bush administration wanted a war and
response and in order to sell this war
it spread blatant lies in October 1990 a
15 year old Kuwaiti girl testified
before the US Congressional Human Rights
caucus and claimed while I was there I
saw the Iraqi soldiers coming to the
hospital with guns they took the babies
out of incubators
took pinkie bitters and left these
children to die on the cold floor
horrifying human rights organizations
like Amnesty International obediently
echoed the Smith and George HW Bush used
it to justify a war on Iraq they had
kids and incubators and they were thrown
out of the incubators so the Kuwait
could be systematically dismantled it
was only after this war in 1992 that it
was revealed that this fifteen-year-old
girl was actually the daughter of
Kuwait's ambassador to the US and that
the lies she spread had been
orchestrated by a PR firm on behalf of
the Kuwaiti monarchy but remember Bush
had declared just a few years ago that
he didn't care what the facts are in
1991 the 41st US president launched a
war on Iraq and it was extremely brutal
under Bush's leadership the US military
deliberately targeted civilian
infrastructure devastating the country
just weeks after the end of the war the
United Nations published a survey
analyzing the civilian damage done by US
bombing the UN found that Iraq was quote
near apocalyptic that had been bombed
back quote to a pre-industrial age and
that the country was on the verge of a
quote epidemic and famine the US
military also used depleted uranium
weapons in Iraq leading to birth defects
high cancer rates and environmental
damage that Iraqis are still suffering
from to this day even the Washington
Post which supported the war
acknowledged for months after it that
the US and its allies quote sought to
achieve some of their military
objectives in the Persian Gulf War by
disabling Iraqi society at large and the
u.s. quote deliberately did great harm
to Iraq's ability to support itself as
an industrial society precision guided
weapons were used to specifically target
electrical plants oil refineries and the
transportation grid
the u.s. destroyed more than 100 bridges
along with roads railroads factories
phone networks and TV and radio stations
the Pentagon later admitted that it
intentionally demolished Iraq's
electricity infrastructure reducing the
country's power generation level after
the war by 96% knocking it back to the
level that Iraq had in 1920 a lieutenant
general told The Washington Post that
the psychological impacts that average
Iraqi citizens would suffer from after
losing their electricity was a quote
side benefit one of the most extreme
u.s. crimes was committed on February 13
1991 when the military used laser-guided
smart bombs to destroy a shelter full of
civilians 408 Iraqi civilians were
massacred in this u.s. attack and the
Pentagon itself admitted that the
almería shelter that it bombed was being
used by civilians seeking protection
even more blood-curdling was an atrocity
that was so heinous it earned the name
the highway of death
On February 26th and 27th the US and
allies Britain France and Canada bombed
Iraqi soldiers as they tried to flee
Kuwait and return to Iraq thousands of
fleeing Iraqis were massacred
there were even reportedly some
civilians among the soldiers as they
tried to flee including foreign workers
and Palestinians who were expelled by
the Kuwaiti monarchy they were all
bombed to pieces thousands died the
exact number of victims is unknown the
aftermath of the Gulf War was beyond
catastrophic a Harvard public health
team investigated and found that Iraq
had acute malnutrition and epidemic
levels of the preventable diseases
cholera and typhoid the Harvard team
also estimated that at least 170,000
Iraqi children under age 5 would die in
the year after the war
due to the effects of the u.s. bombing
the Washington Post noted quote planners
now say their intent was to destroy or
damage valuable facilities that Baghdad
could not repair without foreign
assistance the Bush administration
deliberately made the lives of millions
of Iraqis complete hell to try to force
them into such desperation that they
would overthrow their leader and even
when the 1991 Gulf War ended the Bush 41
administration's war on Iraqi society
continued the u.s. used the United
Nations Security Council to expand
crippling sanctions on Iraq which banned
all trade with the country these
sanctions which were further continued
under subsequent President Bill Clinton
led to the deaths of hundreds of
thousands of Iraqi children and other
civilians in response to these reports
of mass civilian devastation from u.s.
bombing George HW Bush's Secretary of
Defense Dick Cheney insisted that every
target was quote perfectly legitimate he
declared quote if I had to do it over
again I would do exactly the same thing
Bush senior's Secretary of Defense Dick
Cheney would go on to become Bush Jr's
vice president on the brains behind
george w bush's foreign policy and his
own second war on Iraq a decade later
moreover HW Bush's chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell later
served as W Bush's Secretary of State
given the overlap between Bush 41's
administration on that of Bush 43 it is
no surprise that Bush jr. followed in
his father's footsteps launching another
devastating war in the Middle East which
destabilized the region and led to more
than 1 million deaths these crimes fly
directly in the face of the corporate
media's portrayal of George HW Bush as a
principled moderate and exposed the
cynicism behind the attempts to distance
him from the political horrors that
followed while Google made a doodle
dedicated to HW s passing and while
neoliberal centrist leaders of the
Democratic Party tried to rehab
Tate Bush as a resistance figure against
Donald Trump the reality is that he and
the Bush family only helps set the stage
for the rise of far-right trumpism even
the explicit racism and the dog
whistling to fascist and white
supremacist that Donald Trump has
weaponized is far from new HW engaged in
it as well
during his 1988 campaign for President
Bush and his supporters resorted to
using racist undertones to attack his
Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis
specifically they exploited the case of
Willie Horton a black man who was
imprisoned for murder and rape but who
escaped from prison after being
temporarily released on a weekend
furlough program in Massachusetts
far-right writer and Coulter a staunch
Donald Trump supporter who regularly
contributes to white supremacist website
described the HW camps racist
exploitation of the Willie Horton
scandal as quote Bush's finest 30
seconds
journalist Russ bellend the author of
the book old Nazis the new right in the
Republican Party also documented how
former Nazi collaborators from Eastern
Europe helped get Bush elected president
fascist staunch anti-communist who
immigrated to the u.s. from socialist
Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold
War later took leadership positions and
the Republican National Committee's
ethnic outreach groups and strongly
supported Bush a lifelong cold warrior
Bush was also president when US backed
counter-revolutions overthrew the
Eastern Bloc in 1990 and 1991 he
subsequently helped oversee brutal
neoliberal capitalist reforms that were
referred to as shock therapy and that
led to millions of unnecessary deaths in
the former Soviet Union under Bush's
leadership the u.s. pressured these
former socialist governments to engage
in mass privatizations selling off
state-owned industries and assets for
pennies on the dollar this US backed
neoliberal shock therapy established the
network of capitalist oligarchs who
control Eastern Europe still today this
was just one of the many policies that
George HW Bush oversaw that the world is
still reeling from in 2018 it was not
just war crimes and CIA spying oil
drilling and racist dog whistling that
define Bush's life in 1990 the 41st US
president harreld it in what he proudly
called a new world order capitalism had
won the global war on socialism and Bush
was the leader of the only remaining
superpower in the world the United
States of America was the global hegemon
and its military and corporations ruled
all American imperialism had triumphed
and would spend the next three decades
imposing the Washington Consensus on the
planet in this way George HW Bush did
much more than just pave the way for his
son and eventually Donald Trump to take
power even more importantly as Bush
stood there with the last Soviet premier
Mikhail Gorbachev Bush was being
anointed king of the neoliberal era the
seeds of which had been planted by his
predecessor Ronald Reagan that
neoliberal era died in 2016 with the
election of Donald Trump the resurgence
of far-right and fascist movements
across the globe and with the renewed
socialists left and the implosion of the
bipartisan centrist consensus after his
passing Bush was commemorated as a
skilled leader and he was indeed skilled
in the art of empire war mongering and
reaction Bush was the last competent
manager of the American ruling class he
came from the elite from the rich and
the powerful and he left them even
richer on his deathbed Bush was a
lifelong custodian of US imperialism and
capitalism and he served those systems
well he bears significant responsibility
for assuring in the New World Order that
followed him the one whose demons were
all grappling with today Bush 41
supporters have tried to absolve
for the state of the country and the
world that he left behind but George HW
Bush cannot be separated from it after
all he refused to ever apologize for his
country and cared little for
inconvenient facts I'll never apologize
for the United States of America ever I
don't care what the facts are for the
real news network I'm Ben Norton
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
History of Oil - Part 2 of 5
Oliver Cromwell: The Man Who Killed a King
BREAKING NEWS: Trump Holds Surprise Press Briefing Following Supreme Court Ballot Eligibility Ruling
George HW Bush and the End of the Cold War: Crash Course US History #44
The Rise and Fall of Benito Mussolini
Here’s Why Kamala’s Beta Husband Is Attacking Traditional Masculinity
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)