allons y repondre," said the master of the Grand Orient; the spirit of Suez 1956, the spirit
of the Algerian war and of Dienbienphu were alive and well in France.
To while away the weeks of the buildup, Bush busied himself with extortion. This was
directed especially against Germany and Japan, two countries that were targets of the
Gulf war, and whom Bush now called upon to pay for it. The constitutions of these
countries prevented them from sending military contingents, and intervention would have
been unpopular with domestic public opinion in any case. Japan was assessed $4 billion
in tribute, and Germany a similar sum. By the end of the crisis, Bush and Baker had
organized a $55 billion shakedown at the expense of a series of countries. These
combined to produce the first balance of payments surplus for the United States in recent
memory during the first quarter of 1991, obtaining a surcease for the dollar.
But even prediscounting this extorted tribute, the fiscal crisis of the US Treasury was
becoming overwhelming. On September 11, Bush was to address the Congress on the
need for austerity measures to reduce the deficit for the coming fiscal year. But Bush did
not wish to appear before the Congress as a simple bankrupt; he wanted to strut before
them as a warrior. The resulting speech was a curious hybrid, first addressing the Gulf
crisis, and only then turning to the dolorous balance sheets of the regime. It was in this
speech that Bush repeated the Scowcroft slogan that will accompany his regime into the
dust bin of history: The New World Order. After gloatingly quoting Gorbachov's
condemnation of "Iraq's aggression," Bush came to the relevant passage:
Clearly, no longer can a dictator count on East-West confrontation to stymie concerted
United Nations action against aggression. A new partnership of nations has begun, and
we stand today at a unique and extraordinary moment. The crisis in the Persian Gulf, as
grave as it is, also offers a rare opportunity to move toward an historic period of
cooperation. Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective --a new world order-- can
emerge: A new era-- freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice and
more secure in the quest for peace. An era in which the nations of the world, east and
west, north and south, can propser and live in harmony. [fn 49]
During August and September, Bush's Gulf offensive had allowed him to dominate the
headlines and news broadcasts with bellicose posturing and saber-rattling in the crisis
which he had assiduously helped to create. Now, during October, the awesome economic
depression produced by the bipartisan economic policies of the Eastern Liberal
Establishment over a quarter-century re-asserted its presence with all the explosive force
of reality long denied.
All during August and September, the haggling had continued between Bush and the
Congressional leadership about how optimally to inflict more drastic austerity on the
American people. The haggling had recessed in August, but had resumed in great secrecy
on September 7, with the elite group of participants sequestered from the world at a
military air base near Washington. The haggling proceeded slowly, and key budget
deadlines built into the Gramm-Rudman calendar began to slip by: September 10,
September 15, and September 25 were missed. It was now apparent that the final deadline