We hear this all the time from the Bush administration. Trust us on Iraq. Trust us on the War on Terra. Trust us on the Dubai Ports World, or torture, or the Patriot Act, or the need for illegal wiretaps of American citizens, or whatever. You get the idea. The President hasn't been willing to debate whether any of these things is a good idea, just that he deserves the benefit of the doubt, and we should just trust him.
The question that we should be asking of our friends, neighbors, and family that fall into that exclusive 35% that still support the President, is why? Why on earth should anyone trust this president, this administration? In terms of the administration's judgment, their lack of competence, and their priorities, how can anyone be expected to trust George W. Bush? How can they justify their trust in George W. Bush?
More in extended...
Keep in mind how the "Trust Me" argument is used and who it's aimed at. It isn't us, or even the LGF crowd. "Trust Me" is targeted at the people who don't pay much attention to politics and news. I'm not being condescending here. People have different interests and different priorities, and as much as I think the world would be a better place if we paid a lot more attention to our governement and our leaders, not everyone has an interest in reading blogs for two hours a day or even to watch the local news. The argument is meant as shorthand for people who don't pay attention. For people who see tough questions in black or white terms. They're either with Bush or against him.
I think the key to killing this approach once and for all is to point out just how untrustworthy Bush is. I wouldn't trust George Bush to babysit my kids. I wouldn't trust his judgment on which brand of paint is best. I certainly wouldn't trust him to accurately assess whether Iran's nuclear program is a threat.
Trustworthiness implies several things; priorities, judgement, competence, positive results. Republicans and Democrats differ on priorities, but I think all of us can make the case to the few remaining Bush supporters that there is no possible way that anyone can rationally say that Bush shows good judgment or any sort of competence. How many Americans have died because of George Bush's judgment?
In 2006, simply trusting George Bush shouldn't be a valid choice. For our Republican friends, they should be asked to justify how they can trust a person with Bush's record. Trust in the President should be a campaign issue for candidates running against Republicans in Congress. The next time this argument is made, I want to see a coordinated response treating that request with the scorn it deserves.
We've all seen 5 years of the Bush Administration's judgment and results. Trust in George W. Bush at this point is ludicrous. Laugh out loud, spit-your-drink-out-your-nose funny. It's up to all of us, but especially the Democratic leadership, to point this out.