Thursday, September 02, 2004
Saletan speaks truth to power
On Slate today, William Saletan comments:
This is frightening but true. Cheney and Miller and the other speakers have tried to paint Kerry as an indecisive, freedom-hating francophile and Bush as a soldier of God, fighting for truth, justice and the American way. And those of us who may be considered "Bush-bashers" because we dare point out that the people in this country are not better off today than when Clinton was president, and that our current president regularly misleads us about his intentions, actions and outcomes? We are unpatriotic, ungrateful, godless liberals out of step with the mainstream.
Saletan also says:
¶ 9:51 AM
On Slate today, William Saletan comments:
The 2004 election is becoming a referendum on your right to hold the president accountable.
This is frightening but true. Cheney and Miller and the other speakers have tried to paint Kerry as an indecisive, freedom-hating francophile and Bush as a soldier of God, fighting for truth, justice and the American way. And those of us who may be considered "Bush-bashers" because we dare point out that the people in this country are not better off today than when Clinton was president, and that our current president regularly misleads us about his intentions, actions and outcomes? We are unpatriotic, ungrateful, godless liberals out of step with the mainstream.
Saletan also says:
But the important thing isn't the falsity of the charges, which Republicans continue to repeat despite press reports debunking them. The important thing is that the GOP is trying to quash criticism of the president simply because it's criticism of the president. The election is becoming a referendum on democracy.Hell no!In a democracy, the commander in chief works for you. You hire him when you elect him. You watch him do the job. If he makes good decisions and serves your interests, you rehire him. If he doesn't, you fire him by voting for his opponent in the next election.
Not every country works this way. In some countries, the commander in chief builds a propaganda apparatus that equates him with the military and the nation. If you object that he's making bad decisions and disserving the national interest, you're accused of weakening the nation, undermining its security, sabotaging the commander in chief, and serving a foreign power—the very charges Miller leveled tonight against Bush's critics.
Are you prepared to become one of those countries?
¶ 9:51 AM
