RE: A Big New Chance for Kerry

From: debadger <debadger_at_pacbell.net_at_hypermail.org>
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 13:37:11 -0700

Bush Jr. is, as many have pointed out, a simple man. He's a mean little man
with a mean little soul and one hell of a big stick to use in protecting his
ego. And there are a LOT of powerful men riding his coattails and getting
even more rich and powerful while they control the White House through him.
I really wonder if anyone leaves the White House sane. You gotta figure,
the world's most powerful office, held by powerful, egotistical men who have
fought most of their life to get it, has got to make its mark.

But consider: Clinton, intelligent but not wise, merely had a stupid affair
when the office went to his head (a continuation of earlier behavior. Bush
Jr. invaded two countries - one, it's quite clear, because he damn well
wanted to whip the guy who beat his daddy. Had he stayed with Afghanistan,
kept up and actually done something effectual instead of haring off after
Iraq, he might just have made a major difference. But the British and
Russians can tell you, Afghanistan is no easy place to deal with, so it
would take international effort, good will and decades. They had a chance.
Not much of one, but Afghanistan had a small sliver of a chance to improve.
But with the U.S. President haring off after Iraq, and being pretty stupid
about foreign policy anyway, the American public has already forgotten what
was going on and why we ought to do something.

It doesn't help that the Public thinks in soundbytes, and it's getting
worse. Dammit, the world is not a 1/2 hour sitcom where all problems can be
summed up in clever phrases and solved by the end of the show with time out
for commercials. Our "news" is five minutes of crap with ten minutes of
commercials.

I'm not thrilled about Kerry, but this is a case for me of 'better the devil
I *don't* know. I know where the Shrub and his cronies are going and I
don't like the direction at all.

Elena
Received on 2004-10-02 13:34:12