Weapons of mass destruction

Hello everyone – I hope that each of you had a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend!

I typically don’t like to write about politics because it is typically beyond the scope of the blog. I really only feel qualified to comment when political issues touch on business and investing issues. But today is an exception, and it has to do with the (dreaded) Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, alias WMD. Why do I bring this up? Well, soon-to-be ex-President George W. Bush today said that he is disappointed that U.S. armed forces never found WMD in Iraq. Those of you who know me and know that my political leanings are liberal may find what I am about to say difficult to swallow, but here goes. Many of my fellow liberal citizens have accused the Bush Administration of all manner of wrongdoing and skullduggery – and I am certain that the inmates did run the asylum for the last 8 years. However, one of the discrepancies in the thinking of the Left over the last 8 years is that the Bush Administration, if it were indeed capable of absolutely any illegality, did not ever manufacture an actual WMD find in Iraq. Let me repeat that: WMD were never found in Iraq. If the Bush Administration were truly the purveyors of all evil on the planet and would do anything that was politically expedient, why then didn’t they have some Special Forces crew “discover” WMD in Iraq? Instead of doing that, the Administration looked foolish in front of the American people and the rest of the world for many years while the elusive WMD were looked for. Say what you will, but there was some integrity in the Bush Administration.

I bring this issue up on the blog because as investors (our main focus here) we need to view news, information and data as objectively as possible. The fact is that the evil-Bushies never did manufacture a WMD-find.

The other point about the Bush Administration that I wanted to bring up as a counterpoint to the vitriol that the Left threw at the Bushies is that the Administration, if it were truly obsessed with victory and power for power’s sake, could have used nuclear weapons in Iraq or Iran or North Korea. Don’t forget that the U.S. has a nuclear arsenal that includes, not just bombs, but shells that can be fired from battlefield cannons. If the Bush Administration was as ruthless as portrayed by the Left then how do you explain the discretion and restraint shown? I know what you are probably thinking: If the Bush Administration had used nuclear weapons that all international support would have faded away for the United States. Am I right? You are correct, but this is the same Administration that was accused of pushing the bounds of its power absolutely to the limit and that had no respect for allegiance and foreign opinion. Again, as difficult as it may be to say this as a fellow-Leftie, the facts just don’t support that conclusion.

I am no Bush apologist and think that the man and his Administration have got to be among the worst leaders that the U.S. has ever had and at times they felt like a pox on our way of life. However, I also am a rational consumer of facts and today’s posting is a lesson in non-activation of emotion. To be clear, I believe that both the left brain and right brain are equally necessary for good investment results. However, facts (the point of today’s post) are the purview of the left, analytical, brain. The future and the unknowable are the purview of the right, intuitive, brain. So when facts are present, let’s stick to them.

Jason