I live in Rhode Island. Our
Providence Journal just endorsed Bush. In the editorial, they make patently absurd claims such as:
[F]rom the moment that the first airplane smashed into the World Trade Center,
President Bush fully understood the stakes for civilization in the war on terrorism...
...
Mr. Bush is determined to take the war to the terrorists before they strike at us again.
...
President George W. Bush, in a second term, would not only build on the coalition he has already assembled against terrorism but also help establish Mideast peace...
How do I make sense of these delusions? Stockholm Syndrome - my LTE responding (awaiting publication decision) is below the jump.
To the Editor:
We were attacked. We lost our previous way of life. We have had our liberties abridged. We have been isolated. We have been kept in fear for our lives and safety. A natural reaction is to misplace our trust and sympathy with those in control - even if they are the ones who restrict our freedoms, isolate us, and keep us in fear. It's called Stockholm Syndrome.
This is how I've come to understand those believing that President Bush is somehow more likely to keep America safe than a President Kerry. After successfully kicking Al Qaeda from the most backward of countries, President Bush set the stage for their entrenchment in one of the Middle East's most advanced, with tens of thousands of new recruits, top-of-the-line explosives, and even its original leader still in control.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military is often described as stretched thin or near a breaking point. Our meager coalition continues to shrink. Our allies are estranged. Our guardsmen, women and reservists needed to respond to domestic emergencies have been deployed overseas. And despite domestic anthrax attacks three years ago, our health system can't even handle the expected flu season.
Oh, but he has resolve, nevermind.