There was plenty of warning, after all. The economic pundits were, for once, in complete agreement: “Shut up, George,” they sang in unison, “presidential words carry consequences and if you keep preaching financial gloom and doom you may tank the economy.” But he just kept on doing it and ultimately the economy faltered.

So why did he do it? Was there some great public purpose at work here such as saving social security, retiring the national debt or building a more just society? Nope. Bush just wanted to give his fat cat campaign contributors a big tax break and thought his Chicken Little routine — ‘the economy is falling, the economy is falling” — would help get that done. And for that he was willing to put the economic well being of millions of Americans at risk. Now, that’s scary. But there are other things that are even scarier.

There is, for example, Bush’s double cross on his campaign promise to require power plants to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming. Was his policy reversal based on new scientific data that disproves the danger of global warming? No, the evidence supporting that threat is growing stronger every year. The real reason for this particular flip-flop, of course — and few of Bush’s supporters seriously try to deny this — is to pay off the utility industry for the millions of dollars it contributed to Republican candidates in the 2000 election cycle. And to accomplish this payoff, Bush is apparently willing to risk a world-wide environmental disaster.

Then there’s Bush’s decision to revoke the new tougher standards for arsenic in drinking water. Did he do this because reputable scientists believe the current limitations are adequate? Again, the answer is no. It’s almost universally agreed that the current standards, which have not been updated since 1942, are obsolete and allow unhealthy levels of arsenic. Once again, there is little doubt what really motivated the president’s actions: Coal interests invested heavily in Republicans during the last campaign; the Washington Post reports that 88 cents of every dollar contributed by the industry went to GOP candidates or organizations. We have all heard that Bush prizes loyalty above all else; apparently, allowing a little too much poison in our kids’ drinking water is a price he is willing to pay to reward this particular act of loyalty.

The new president also supports opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other currently protected wilderness areas for oil and gas exploration. He supports the so-called bankruptcy ‘reforms,” previously vetoed by President Clinton, which will make it impossible for young people lost in debt to get a fresh start. And he supported the successful drive to kill the Labor Department’s rules protecting workers from repetitive-stress injuries.

In each case, a powerful industry lobby that had contributed millions of dollars to Republican causes was rewarded with its legislative heart’s desire. It’s Spring time in Washington and payback is in the air.

And that brings us to the scariest subject of all — foreign policy. During his brief time in office, the new president has engaged in one highly provocative move after another, beginning with the derailment of the Korean peace process. This will inevitably increase tensions in Southeast Asia. At the same time, the Bush administration has adopted an increasingly tough-guy approach in its dealings with both Russia and China. When this is combined with the president’s insistence on moving ahead with a Star Wars missile defense plan — even if that means abandoning existing arms control treaties — the danger of a new nuclear arms race becomes all to real. But it’s fully in-step with the times: Bush & Co. seem to pine for the good ol” days of the Cold War.

In short, Bush seems hell-bent on pursuing a foreign policy that will almost certainly raise tensions in various hotspots. And no one will benefit from that other than a few defense contractors, who, as it happens, were major contributors to the Bush campaign.

But you already knew that was coming.

Steven C. Day is an attorney practicing in Wichita, Kan.