Politics, Science, and Religion.
And sometimes intersections among them
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Putting it in Perspective
What if all the things going on in Iraq were happening in America? Would it be appropriate to say that "freedom and democracy are just around the corner?"
Bush is in a tough spot. He has to cheerlead to keep the pessimism at bay. If he were to cop to the real uncertainties his detractors would be all over him about it. His only option is to play the self-fulfilling prophecy card. It's too bad he doesn't have a good enough track record in the candor department to be able to say, "Yes, there are some problems in Iraq and we are doing everything we can to solve them. But the best solution is to have the Iraqi government build its legitimacy in the eyes of the people by having the best elections that can be achieved under the current circumstances. But if we exaggerate the problems it is going to hinder that process. And no responsible person, American or Iraqi, wants to hold back the creation of an independent Iraqi government."
Upon reading the text of the Bush-Allawi press conference I see that those are exactly the kind of words Allawi used. He directly challenged the press to lay off the sensationalism and report it right. I'm impressed.
Someone really should Colin Powell back into collective. He's saying things are getting worse in Iraq. I certainly hope that Iraq can turn around the increasing Lebanization that appears to be on the increase.
For some of us there is much to be pessimistic about. Fortunately Kerry doesn't have to distort the Bush record to make his points. He merely has to correct the distortions that are being put out there. And it's too bad that the main points Bush promulgates are themselves thinly-veiled distortions. It's too bad that there isn't anything better upon which to make this race a genuine debate on real issues.
4 comments:
That foreign army occupying the country and flood of agitators from neighboring countries really helped out a lot, too.
Bush is in a tough spot. He has to cheerlead to keep the pessimism at bay. If he were to cop to the real uncertainties his detractors would be all over him about it. His only option is to play the self-fulfilling prophecy card. It's too bad he doesn't have a good enough track record in the candor department to be able to say, "Yes, there are some problems in Iraq and we are doing everything we can to solve them. But the best solution is to have the Iraqi government build its legitimacy in the eyes of the people by having the best elections that can be achieved under the current circumstances. But if we exaggerate the problems it is going to hinder that process. And no responsible person, American or Iraqi, wants to hold back the creation of an independent Iraqi government."
Upon reading the text of the Bush-Allawi press conference I see that those are exactly the kind of words Allawi used. He directly challenged the press to lay off the sensationalism and report it right. I'm impressed.
Someone really should Colin Powell back into collective. He's saying things are getting worse in Iraq. I certainly hope that Iraq can turn around the increasing Lebanization that appears to be on the increase.
For some of us there is much to be pessimistic about. Fortunately Kerry doesn't have to distort the Bush record to make his points. He merely has to correct the distortions that are being put out there. And it's too bad that the main points Bush promulgates are themselves thinly-veiled distortions. It's too bad that there isn't anything better upon which to make this race a genuine debate on real issues.
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