I enjoy reading Slate most of the time. There are some very good columnists there even if they give way too much latitude to the Rethugs. Today, I saw a article written by Fred Kaplan that was just a joy to read.
What a Moronic Press Conference
As you can tell from the title, it hits Bush hard on his now infamous press conference the other day.
The article opens with a great attack on the wannabe Il Duce
George W. Bush criticizing someone for not understanding the world is like ... well, it's like George W. Bush criticizing someone for not understanding the world. It's sui generis: No parallel quite captures the absurdity so succinctly.
More below the fold....
It begins with a Bush quote on Lebanon:
What's very interesting about the violence in Lebanon and the violence in Iraq and the violence in Gaza is this: These are all groups of terrorists who are trying to stop the advance of democracy.
Kaplan provides a cutting analysis of just how stupid this statement really is:
What is he talking about? Hamas, which has been responsible for much of the violence in Gaza, won the Palestinian territory's parliamentary elections. Hezbollah, which started its recent war with Israel, holds a substantial minority of seats in Lebanon's parliament and would probably win many more seats if a new election were held tomorrow. Many of the militants waging sectarian battle in Iraq have representation in Baghdad's popularly elected parliament.
Bush really seems to think that voting cures all. An engaged electorate is one where a nation knows that it is in trouble because the election really matters. Kaplan makes the point eloquently.
The total number of voters, in such a context, means nothing. Look at American history. In the 1860 election, held right before our own Civil War, 81.2 percent of eligible citizens voted--the second-largest turnout ever.
Kaplan then attacks Bush's basic understanding of the word strategy. He shows how Bush seems to think strategy and objective are the same. First Kaplan cites Bush:
Asked if it might be time for a new strategy in Iraq, given the unceasing rise in casualties and chaos, Bush replied, "The strategy is to help the Iraqi people achieve their objectives and dreams, which is a democratic society. That's the strategy. ... Either you say, 'It's important we stay there and get it done,' or we leave. We're not leaving, so long as I'm the president."
Then Kaplan's killer take down of how big a moron Bush really is:
First, it's not clear that the Iraqi people want a "democratic society" in the Western sense. Second, and more to the point, "helping Iraqis achieve a democratic society" may be a strategic objective, but it's not a strategy--any more than "ending poverty" or "going to the moon" is a strategy.
Sometimes a journalist actually get it. Fred Kaplan is apparently one of the few. I suggest we send him a few encouraging e-mails to let him know that articles such as this one are appreciated. He can be reached at war_stories@hotmail.com.