Thursday, February 03, 2005
Promises to Keep
More often then you might imagine, I find myself drawn to the ideas expressed in the president’s speeches. In fact there is plenty of evidence that the president and I have a great deal in common. I believe that we share a somewhat old-fashioned belief that strong families can help to build better people and communities and even strengthening the nation. We both believe, I think, that there is no greater good then the spread of freedom. We share a conviction that economic freedom and political freedom are indivisible, that the former can never survive without the latter, and vice versa. The president and I share a deep respect and even awe for the men and women of our armed forces who serve in our name.
We also share a preference for the bold move. We like decisiveness and certainty.
I imagine that the exact same feeling that welled up inside me tonight while watching Safia Taleb al-Suhail lift her ink stained index finger for us to see was welling up in the presidential chest as well.
And, so, it is not that unusual, when I am listening to one of the president’s speeches, that I find myself connecting with what he is saying.
When the president lays the rhetorical groundwork for a revolutionary repositioning of America as an active force for democracy in the Middle East, I want to believe him so badly it hurts. I want to believe that he means it, and that it can be done (In the absence of any alternative approach from the Democrats, I have always harbored a sort of nagging hope that the neo-cons dream of defeating terror by spreading democracy at gun point is not complete insane).
When the president decides to “take on social security” some part of me can’t help but root for him. Here is a man who has shown true gumption in pursuing his political goals. He stakes out clear positions and, with amazing consistency, sticks with them. Taken in the context of a Washington establishment in which no one stands for anything but the status quo, these are laudable traits.
But then there always comes the moment when I remember that the whole fucking thing is just a pack of lies, and I am left alone, nursing a broken heart.
- posted by Simon Marcus @ Thursday, February 03, 2005
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Well said. I suppose it's not hard to figure out which of Bush's political stallions demand that he continue to pursue the Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment. But the more I think about it, the more I think that he owns that nag.
The successful elections in Iraq and Afghanistan are testimonies to the tremendous effectiveness of the American military and the overwhelming desire of people all over the world to exercise the right of self determination.
The fact that Afghanistan remains a safe harbor for terrorists and has become a source of unlimited funds for terrorist activities is a testimony to the failure of this administration to follow up its promises with action.
The fact that Iraq has become a breeding ground for young men bent on actively pursuing the destruction of our way of life is a testimony to the administration’s half-baked execution of its half baked plans.
To compare Bush with Churchill is to betray a bewildering disengagement from reality.
When his country called him to serve in the Boar war, Churchill responded with acts of unbelievable bravery, including an episode when he single handedly captured a train packed with enemy troops.
When, as a man entering middle age during the First Word War, Churchill decided that he could do little for his country from the halls of Parliament, he defied a direct order from the Secretary of War, gave up his commission as an officer, and joined the troops at the front line as an infantryman.
When the bombs fell on London and the press called for Britain to stand down in the face of German ferocity during the Second Word War, Winston Churchill rode out into the streets time and time again to provide a shining example to his people of courage in the face of fear.
George W. Bush is a cowardly little man, who circled 30,000 feet above the danger while terrorists hijacked our airways and wrecked wholesale destruction on the greatest city in the world. He is a blow up doll, pumped full of big ideas by radical intellectuals bent on undermining the American way of life. Your comparison disgusts me to my core.
The fact that Afghanistan remains a safe harbor for terrorists and has become a source of unlimited funds for terrorist activities is a testimony to the failure of this administration to follow up its promises with action.
The fact that Iraq has become a breeding ground for young men bent on actively pursuing the destruction of our way of life is a testimony to the administration’s half-baked execution of its half baked plans.
To compare Bush with Churchill is to betray a bewildering disengagement from reality.
When his country called him to serve in the Boar war, Churchill responded with acts of unbelievable bravery, including an episode when he single handedly captured a train packed with enemy troops.
When, as a man entering middle age during the First Word War, Churchill decided that he could do little for his country from the halls of Parliament, he defied a direct order from the Secretary of War, gave up his commission as an officer, and joined the troops at the front line as an infantryman.
When the bombs fell on London and the press called for Britain to stand down in the face of German ferocity during the Second Word War, Winston Churchill rode out into the streets time and time again to provide a shining example to his people of courage in the face of fear.
George W. Bush is a cowardly little man, who circled 30,000 feet above the danger while terrorists hijacked our airways and wrecked wholesale destruction on the greatest city in the world. He is a blow up doll, pumped full of big ideas by radical intellectuals bent on undermining the American way of life. Your comparison disgusts me to my core.
It always amazes me when Bush defenders are surprised by the hatred that his detractors feel towards him. As far as I am concerned he stands in direct opposition to everything that I hold dear about human dignity and the dignity of this nation. So, for once and for all, here is why I despise Goerge Bush:
He lies as if compelled by an inner illness. He once said that he lost no sleep over the death of a retarded woman under his watch. He proposes modifying the Constitution to create a permanent second class of citizens. He stokes the flames of hatred against fellow Americans for political gain in his support of that amendment, and in his affiliation with Bob Jones University.
And let me make this very clear: if nothing else I say is true, then his ongoing affiliation with, and appearance at, Bob Jones University would be enough to make me his enemy until I draw my last breath.
I hate him because he has built a cult of fear around 9/11.
I hate him because has not removed the worst secretary of defense in the history of that position, a man who makes light of sending our troops into harm’s way unprotected. I hate him because he fills his speeches with praise for our veterans while making plans to slash their benefits. I hate him because he appointed a mentally unstable religious zealot to the nation's top law enforcement position. I hate him because, even if you appreciate that we have freed the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, his policies in the war on terror have made us less safe then at any time in our history. He has ignored nuclear proliferation and left the protection of our nuclear plants at home to third class private guards. He has ignored port security, undermined border protections, funneled homeland security money to mid-west backwaters to punish blue-state urban areas, and stretched our military to the point that our enemies know that we cannot carry out an effective preemptive strike.
I hate him because I believe that his domestic policies are setting the stage for a permanent underclass. I hate him because he claims to love the free market while crafting laws that undermine that market again and again and again. I hate him because he seeks to undermine our duty to God in protecting our natural resources, and he does so under the guise of Orwellian double speak like “Clear Skies Initiative” and “Healthy Forest Initiative.” I hate him because under his watch, my son was burdened with a $36,000 birth tax on the day he was born. I hate him because his fiscal policies are rushing us to the point where our hard fought position as the leading nation in the world is in serious long-term jeopardy.
Why should I be measured in my reaction to a bigot? Why should I be measured in my reaction to the fact that the man who occupies the highest office in the land is allergic to the truth? This man is crafting the world which my son will inherit, so you best bet I feel passionately about what he is doing to it.
He lies as if compelled by an inner illness. He once said that he lost no sleep over the death of a retarded woman under his watch. He proposes modifying the Constitution to create a permanent second class of citizens. He stokes the flames of hatred against fellow Americans for political gain in his support of that amendment, and in his affiliation with Bob Jones University.
And let me make this very clear: if nothing else I say is true, then his ongoing affiliation with, and appearance at, Bob Jones University would be enough to make me his enemy until I draw my last breath.
I hate him because he has built a cult of fear around 9/11.
I hate him because has not removed the worst secretary of defense in the history of that position, a man who makes light of sending our troops into harm’s way unprotected. I hate him because he fills his speeches with praise for our veterans while making plans to slash their benefits. I hate him because he appointed a mentally unstable religious zealot to the nation's top law enforcement position. I hate him because, even if you appreciate that we have freed the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, his policies in the war on terror have made us less safe then at any time in our history. He has ignored nuclear proliferation and left the protection of our nuclear plants at home to third class private guards. He has ignored port security, undermined border protections, funneled homeland security money to mid-west backwaters to punish blue-state urban areas, and stretched our military to the point that our enemies know that we cannot carry out an effective preemptive strike.
I hate him because I believe that his domestic policies are setting the stage for a permanent underclass. I hate him because he claims to love the free market while crafting laws that undermine that market again and again and again. I hate him because he seeks to undermine our duty to God in protecting our natural resources, and he does so under the guise of Orwellian double speak like “Clear Skies Initiative” and “Healthy Forest Initiative.” I hate him because under his watch, my son was burdened with a $36,000 birth tax on the day he was born. I hate him because his fiscal policies are rushing us to the point where our hard fought position as the leading nation in the world is in serious long-term jeopardy.
Why should I be measured in my reaction to a bigot? Why should I be measured in my reaction to the fact that the man who occupies the highest office in the land is allergic to the truth? This man is crafting the world which my son will inherit, so you best bet I feel passionately about what he is doing to it.
What is so difficult to respond to?
Did he appear at Bob Jones University? Yes he did.
Does he support changing the constitution to deny gay Americans the same rights as other Americans? Yes he does.
Has he overseen a huge increase in the deficit and a sharp decline in the dollar at the same time as lowering taxes? Yes he has.
Has he proposed rolling back crucial enviornmental protections? Yes he has.
Did he reduce US efforts to secure former Soviet nuclear materials and know-how? Yep.
The question is, where is your moral outrage.
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Did he appear at Bob Jones University? Yes he did.
Does he support changing the constitution to deny gay Americans the same rights as other Americans? Yes he does.
Has he overseen a huge increase in the deficit and a sharp decline in the dollar at the same time as lowering taxes? Yes he has.
Has he proposed rolling back crucial enviornmental protections? Yes he has.
Did he reduce US efforts to secure former Soviet nuclear materials and know-how? Yep.
The question is, where is your moral outrage.
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