Bush Anticipates July Fourth -- Remembers Victory in Panama

George W. Bush, in the run-up to the big July Fourth celebration this year, is not only thinking about the American Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence, but is also thinking about the other grand patriotic wars and invasions and documents from America's past.

How do I know that? Because Me & George W. have amazingly similar lives. Here's what Me & George are thinking about today:

Back in 1903 after the Colombian senate refused to ratify the proposed Hay-Herrán Treaty [agreement between the United States and Colombia providing for U.S. control of the prospective Panama Canal and for U.S. acquisiton of a canal zone], a U.S. navy warship, the Nashville, prevented the landing of additional Colombian troops in Panama, thus contributing to the success of the Panamanian revolution. [Theodore] Roosevelt immediately recognized the new republic of Panama, and the Panama Canal was begun. Roosevelt's policy in Latin America prepared the way for "dollar diplomacy" in that area. (Citation here).


Back in 1989 George H.W. Bush's invasion of Panama, "Operation Just Cause," removed Manuel Noriega, Panamanian general and the de facto military leader of Panama.

Noriega was initially a strong ally of the United States, and also worked for the CIA from the late 1950s to 1986 [George H.W. Bush was CIA Director from 1976 to 1977, and so probably didn't really have a chance to get to know Noriega; otherwise he probably would have fired him for being an evildoer]. By the late 1980s relations had turned extremely tense between Noriega and the United States government, and in 1989 the general was overthrown and captured in the United States invasion of Panama. He was taken to the United States, tried for drug trafficking, and imprisoned in 1992.


May God bless George W.'s father, George H.W. Bush and Theodore Roosevelt for standing up to evil dictators like Noriega and to those lazy Columbian Senators who refused to ratify that treaty in a timely and efficient manner and held back the progress of freedom in our American hemisphere!


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