Fri, May 14, 2004
Dude totally called it—5:55 AM
I may not agree with his parenting skills (or those of his high-priced nanny), but I must admit the guy predicted the Saddam situation pretty well.
Trying to eliminate Saddam would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible. We had been unable to find Noriega in Panama, which we knew intimately. We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the U.N.'s mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land..
-George H.W. Bush (Bush I, Bush, Sr., or – as he's quizzically known in GOP circles – "Bush 41"), 1998
The Case of the Disappearing Article [Library Journal]
The Misunderestimated Man [Slate]
Both are interesting reads, even if you don't hate George W. Bush. (I'm slowly hating him less and less; I just find myself disappointed in his cynicism, and frustrated with a populace that allowed things to get this way.)
"Holly" — Fri, 5/14/04 8:09pm
Re: The Misunderestimated Man...
This article is an articulate statement of a theory I've had for a long time. Bush's disdain for intelligent discourse has been obvious since the campaign, and it's obviously gotten catastrophically worse. Bush and his administration now come close to labeling intelligent discourse "unpatriotic" on a regular basis.
I'm extra frustrated when bright people who clearly value intelligence praise Bush for his smart leadership. It's like hearing people who value women's rights praise Clinton for his feminism.
The significant difference is that Clinton's flaws didn't cause national and international situations that made me actually scared for the future of our country.
"Erica" — Sun, 5/16/04 9:47am
"I'm slowly hating him less and less; I just find myself disappointed in his cynicism..."
It might just be the good ol' boy PR machine working on me, but although I DO hate the Bush Administration, I don't hate G.W. either. To me he just comes across as very naive and easily controlled by the other members of the Administration (the one that he agrees with anyway)... Not a quality I look for in a president.
My main problem with him is his whole black & white outlook on the world. In the mind of G.W. you are good or evil, with us or against us. Now THAT really is no mindset to have when you're the leader of the most powerful country on Earth. This outlook is exactly what is alienating the rest of the world and making America seem unilateralist and hegemonistic (is that a word?).
Joe Mulder — Mon, 5/17/04 12:56pm
"...hegemonistic (is that a word?)."
According to dictionary.com, you wanted "hegemonic."
Could've fooled me.