“Diplomacy?” Warren belched. “Then it was a first for him.”
“If holding hands is a tradition so are fair trials in America,” said Sully. “So what happened in Guantanamo?”
“Enemy combatants,” said Deberg. “They got what they deserved.”
Beau shook his head. “If you’re right then we’re in real trouble.”
“Just a double standard,” Ruben said to Deberg. “I’m good, you’re bad, and you firmly believe the opposite.”
Again Natasha came to the former president’s defense. “Operation Iraqi Freedom was to prevent war and stop future wars.”
BJ groaned. “Dictators use the same terms for what they want.”
Sully nodded and frowned at his wife Natasha. “It’s called an invasion, and that’s what we did.”
Slightly irked Natasha said, “Saddam Hussein needed to be removed.”
“You’re absolutely right Natasha,” said Beau. “But there are other tyrants worse than he was, but we don’t invade their countries. Do you know why?”
“No.”
“Because they have no oil.”
“How can you say that about President Bush?” said Pickett. “He’s a good Christian.”
“A Christian President who established a democracy based on Islam in Iraq. There will be no democracy or freedom under Islam. Bush failed,” said Warren.
Natasha and Deberg nodded in unified agreement.
Beau took a deep breath and let it out. “And that just might be the reason for our problems in America now. We’ve alienated the Muslims. Bush made it a religious war whether he intended to or not. Only Muslims were attacked during his two terms. No one ever won a religious war.”
Defensively, Natasha said, “I think you are all wrong.”
Beau nodded. “Maybe, but what BJ said about the nuclear sites is true. The site wasn’t secured until after it had been vandalized. This was not the action of a president who was compelled to go to war because of Weapons of Mass Destruction. For me it only goes to prove he wasn’t concerned about any weapons. Natasha, look at the facts and then you decide for yourself.”
While Natasha frowned hard, Ruben nodded and said, “New Orleans showed how weak we were. The lack of action destroyed American’s confidence in our government.”
Deberg snapped, “Give me a break. Hurricane Katrina was not President Bush’s fault.”
“No not the hurricane, “interjected Warren, “But Bush’s inaction. Three days after Katrina struck New Orleans Bush was still on vacation. When he finally arranged a meeting with his inept cabinet, Condoleezza Rice was too busy shopping in New York.”
Ruben added, “Don’t forget the play she went to.”
The anger reflected on his face, “Yes and the play. Two days after the hurricane people were dying from heat and dehydration. Our President was still on vacation.”
Deberg said, “The mayor of New Orleans was to blame for the deaths.
Pickett nodded to Deberg and said, “And the governor of Louisiana.”
Beau shook his head, “True, but remember Bush promised if there was a terrorist strike against the United States he would respond swiftly and immediately to save Americans.” He paused to look at Pickett and Deberg, “Our President did neither. Remember, Katrina was just a storm. It wasn’t even an act of terror. All he accomplished was to let the world see our weakness.”
“President Bush did help in New Orleans,” said Natasha.
“Too little, too late,” said Warren. “Some of my friends died in that storm and they didn’t drown.”
Natasha snipped. “Everyone blames Bush because a Bush hating media and Democratic Party would rather see the whole world blow up than lose their power.”
“Someone must monitor our leaders. Not all of them are innocent,” said Krysti.
Warren shook his head. “Wait a minute, Natasha. You mean if I’m a Democrat and didn’t like Bush the world is going to blow-up?”
“Then if you’re a Christian you should be happy the world is going to blow-up,” chuckled Ruben. All eyes turned to him. “That is called Armageddon or the end of days. Rejoice for the end is near.”
“Ruben,” said Sunday, giving him a serious little shove.
“I’m not kidding Ruben,” said Natasha.
“Democrats are a major part of the problem,” said Pickett.
“And the Republicans the other part of the problem,” said Sully.
“Bush and Paulson gave away one and a half trillion to companies and Obama finished us off when he gave away more than eight trillion during his four years. All for their big company buddies,” said Warren.
“Welfare for the wealthy may well have destroyed our country. You don’t reward incompetence with billions of dollars,” Beau sighed
With anger in his voice, Sully said, “They should have gone to jail.”
Ruben snickered, “I don’t know why we searched for enemy combatants when we had five hundred and thirty-five of them in Congress.”
Beau nodded in agreement while Warren chuckled.
Sully smiled, “Yeah, let me water-board Cheney and Rove.”
Beau groaned, “Obama was worse giving away trillions each year. What do we have now? How many are on welfare and non-producing?”
And angry they aren’t getting more freebies,” said Sully.
“More than half or all Americans capable of working are on some type of welfare,” said Ruben.
Firmly Beau looked at the others as he said, “No country can survive when half the people don’t work.”
“And we’re still giving billions in aid to those that hate us,” groaned Sully.
“Back to school and Common Sense 101,” laughed Ruben.
“Yeah, and Obama’s records are still sealed,” said Warren.
Sully added, “I had two friends with sealed records. One killed two girls and the robbed banks. I wonder what Obama did.”
“I bet he flunked college,” said Warren.
“I heard he got a loan as a foreign student and it was paid by the Saudi Prince,” snickered Ruben.
“Whatever it was he has something to hide and it was illegal,” said Sully.
Natasha frowned but Pickett and Deberg appeared rather perturbed at the conversation.
Ruben quickly changed the heated debate with a shrug and a laugh. “Well, the war did accomplish one thing.”
“What was that?” Natasha asked.
Smiling Ruben said, “It pissed the world off at us, and they sure are enjoying their revenge now.”
The conversation continued as the group bantered back and forth on political issues. Eventually they debated taxes, but almost all agreed that higher taxes under President Obama had failed to bring the National Debt down, and all wanted to know where fifteen trillion dollars had gone under Bush and Obama. The Tax Cut of 2003 had lasted only a few years before the deficit spiraled out of control with the enormous added expenses of war and preventing terrorists from attacking. In 2008 Congress failed to bring about a reduction in the National Debt. Just more pork-barreling laws and more added to an unfixable debt. The economy and many broken promises didn’t change anything for the forty-five million Americans on welfare elected Obama for a second term, but it didn’t matter. It was too late. The American people, like most of the small group of friends discussing the problems, bore alarming anger toward politicians and taxes as a whole. Very few had faith in Obama. He had accomplished nothing but debt and the second term had started the same way, with him blaming Bush and the Republicans for his failure in his first term.
Eventually the talk at the table came around to the new Middle East crisis that never seemed to end, and the American troops again sent to police the situation. The Muslim Brotherhood was making advances beyond belief. The conversation finally turned into a cozy fire, marshmallows, and a night on Padre Island’s beach. With unusually warm weather for December the small group had decided to spend the evening closer to the water. It would be the last opportunity, as a cold front was expected to move through later that night.