Chapter 25, the
last chapter in 's book, deals
with two topics: the disputed presidential election of 2000 and
America's
reaction to the terrorist attack of 9/11.
The presidential
election
was a contest between Albert Gore and George W. Bush, Jr. Gore was
serving as Vice President
under Bill Clinton. Bush, Governor of Texas, was
the Republican candidate.
Zinn is highly critical of Bush
and only slightly less critical of Gore. Specifically,
Zinn disparages Bush's
record as Governor and his pro-oil business policies. He is also critical
of
Gore's selection of Senator Joseph Lieberman as his running mate. The Democrats,
Zinn
contends, were only slightly less pro-business and pro-military than
their Republican
opponents.
Zinn also criticizes the
two-party system which prevented the
third-party candidate, Ralph Nader, from
participating in the television debates. Because
neither of the two main
parties represented most voters' interests, voter turnout on election
day was
not strong. In addition, Zinn strongly condemns the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore
case,
which awarded the presidency to Bush.
Zinn also
disapproves of Bush's
response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A "war on
terror" cannot be won. Bombing
innocent civilians in Afghanistan does not
address the issues that motivated 9/11such as
America's support of Israeli
occupation of Palestinian land. He criticizes the
"jingoism" that was
prevalent in post-9/11 America. Finally, America's reaction to
9/11 was
motivated by revenge rather than by logic.
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