Myth: A traditional story accepted as history; serves to explain the worldview of a people.
Myths are as old as humanity. Some provide useful insights. Some provide comforting notions. Some are merely entertaining. Some are downright dangerous -- especially if you confuse them for historical facts. Rulers have relied on the power of myths to lead and mislead people since time immemorial.
Misleading myths (AKA "Mything the Point") can be hazardous to the health of a society. Misleading myths, like all lies, beget more lies. That is why we need to weed them out on a routine basis. If we let them go unchallenged, they will run riot and eventually choke us in our sleep.
Which brings me to a myth that needs to be uprooted:
"Not on My Watch"
NOT ON MY WATCH
That's Something Men Say. Hard men with a soft spot like John Wayne, James Arness, Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Bruce Willis. It's the sort of reassuring thing they tell the kid so he'll bunk down and catch some shut eye. Beaten, bruised, bone-tired but brave and indomitable they scan the surrounding darkness for danger and thoughtfully savor their coffee. The coffee is a metaphor for their life. It is cold, crappy and leaves a bitter taste in their mouth, but they enjoy it anyway. They know it may be the last cup they ever drink.
Samantha Power's book, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide takes a hard look at a hard topic and asks the hard question, "What does America do when faced with evidence of genocide?" Unfortunately, the answer is somewhere between "nothing" and "too little, too late."
For some unknown reason, a National Security Council aide sent a memo to President Bush summarizing Power's chapter on Rwanda and Clinton's failure to stop the genocide in 1994. For obvious reasons, word leaked out and it became well-known that President Bush penned a clear response in the memo's margins. He reportedly wrote, "NOT ON MY WATCH."
When this story first circulated in 2001, Bush was riding high in approvals. He had been re-cast from cheerleader with bullhorn rallying the kids to Leader With Bullhorn Rallying The Troops. Although no one actually asked him what the notation meant, everyone interpreted it as a strong statement of principle. People read it as a moral Maginot Line. It was a perfect example of the Compassionate Christian's Righteous Anger. It was the kind of thing you'd expect from a Texas Ranger.
Time passes; things happen and people start asking questions. First off, we have the ongoing genocide of Darfur. When Colin Powell used the "G" word at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on September 9, 2004, it set off a whole flurry of speculation. People were positively breathless with anticipation as they waited for the next shoe to drop. They didn't have to hold their breath too long to learn this was just the political equivalent of a Hallmark Moment. By Christmas, Powell was gone and the issue disappeared with him. The killing continues.
Here's why I bring all this to your attention: Recent events have forced everyone to accept the fact that Dubya is capable of using language just as deceptively as Slick Willy. Whatever happens in the Plame Game, one thing is crystal clear. George Bush initiated a multimillion dollar investigation even though he knew he was the guy they were looking for. To Joe Six Pack-- and everyone else -- comments like "If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it." Sound an awful lot like "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
When reporters, cops, and scientists are caught making misleading statements in the public record, everything they ever did becomes the subject of scrutiny. We don't hold our politicians to that standard because we expect them to lie like used car salesmen. But when a president runs on a platform of restoring honor and dignity to the Presidency, I think it's fair to go back and take a fresh look at that notation.
It's possible he meant it the way people interpreted it when he wrote it, but since then he's changed his mind. I'm not sure he deserves the benefit of that doubt. Maybe he meant, "This did not happen on my watch... so what?" Maybe he meant, "This will not be an agenda item on my watch." Maybe he meant, "I won't resort to this on my watch." We'll never know for certain, because unlike Bush, we don't claim to have the gift of looking into men's souls and judging them good. Mere mortals can only judge men by what they do and the consequences of their actions. That brings me to another myth begat by the first:
FREEDOM IS ON THE MARCH
Dubya loves to say that. He said it at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. We'll overlook the irony of his championing freedom inside Madison Square Garden while the police kept hundreds of thousands of outraged New Yorkers at bay outside.
Dubya said it a year ago during one of his weekly radio addresses. We'll overlook the irony of his citing progress in the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Iraq as evidence of this questionable claim.
Dubya said it at this year's State of the Union address. We'll overlook the irony of his comparing himself to Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy AND Reagan while using empty rhetoric to promote the fiction America is safer.
Regardless of what you thought before, one thing is now clear. All the world's a stage for Dubya. He may not have the self-reflection to play Hamlet, the heart to play Romeo, or the wisdom to play Caesar, but there are plenty of roles he plays with gusto. He sure is happy prancing across the decks of the USS Abraham Lincoln, pretending to field spontaneous questions from hand-picked crowds of sycophants, or playing the comedian when it comes to questions about missing WMD. Who cares if he's lost most of his audience? His show will always play in Peoria as long as the press corps[e] continues to play the role of stenographer.
With his credibility in shambles, I wonder what his next act will be. Between you and me, I would be more surprised if he played the role of witness testifying to his administration's duplicity than if he showed up at a press conference dressed as Don Quixote and sang his own version of The Impossible Dream .
Regardless of what role Dubya trots out for mass consumption, anyone who still believes he can credibly play the role of Explainer-in-Chief and honestly answer simple questions from little old ladies at press conferences must be a die-hard fan committed to Mything the Point.
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"Examining unexamined political truisms America accepts on faith value"