| Friday, March 19, 2004 |
14:21 - So here we all are again
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110004843
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One of the major criticisms of Bush-- the ones I find valid, that is to say-- is that he hasn't been a great communicator. He doesn't give many speeches or press conferences. During Clinton's term, I seem to recall seeing him behind the mike every other time I glanced up. Monicagate notwithstanding, that still seems more or less what I'm used to.
What with several foregoing months of Democratic candidates hammering on Bush with increasingly outrageous accusations, from the AWOL thing to "lying" about Iraq's WMDs, with nary a word emanating from the White House in defense, naturally this makes me jittery. Much as I appreciate seeing snarky speeches from the White House methodically (and hilariously) taking Kerry to pieces, the fact that it's Cheney doing the skewering is surreal in the extreme. What about the Oval Office? What, is it football-and-pretzels season or something?
Well, this morning's speech from Bush is a welcome change. It's well worth a read. It's an excellent piece of perspective, and it covers a lot of the bases we've been pining for him to cover for a long time now. Finally-- inarguable hammering on the "fraudulent coalition" business, a real progress report on Afghanistan (oh yeah, that place), and a stern moral stand on the sickly joys of appeasement.
The news outlets are bound to play the "Even As..." card, saying something like Even as terrorist bombs exploded all over Baghdad like some kind of macabre burlesque of the Fourth of July, President Bush spoke against so-called "terrorism" today, or something equally insipid.
Well, that's a game we all can play. Even as President Bush spoke to laud the contributions and sacrifices of the partners of the US in the War on Terror, John Kerry went snowboarding in Idaho to get away from criticism of his policies. There: moral high ground secured, because I didn't even mention what happened there.
Meh. It's not an easy time to be in my position, reminding myself why Bush needs support this November. Stronghold-bound far-right-wingers aren't making it any too easy to get cozy with the GOP. (I believe it was Goats who reminded us that "nothing good ends in rhea".) But you know, even if I have to be the very model of the nostril-holding citizen come Election Day, there are things whose importance is temporal, and there are things whose importance is timeless.
I'm not going to throw away the future to save the present.
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Brian Tiemann
