The White Man Unburdened

I usually find Norman Mailer a very annoying author, but his recent article in The New York Review of Books is spot on. The closing paragraph is brilliant:

Democracy, more than any other political system, depends on a modicum of honesty. Ultimately, it is much at the mercy of a leader who has never been embarrassed by himself. What is to be said of a man who spent two years in the Air Force of the National Guard (as a way of not having to go to Vietnam) and proceeded—like many another spoiled and wealthy father's son—not to bother to show up for duty in his second year of service? Most of us have episodes in our youth that can cause us shame on reflection. It is a mark of maturation that we do not try to profit from our early lacks and vices but do our best to learn from them. Bush proceeded, however, to turn his declaration of the Iraqi campaign's end into a mighty fashion show. He chose—this overnight clone of Honest Abe—to arrive on the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln on an S-3B Viking jet that came in with a dramatic tail-hook landing. The carrier was easily within helicopter range of San Diego but G.W. would not have been able to show himself in flight regalia, and so would not have been able to demonstrate how well he wore the uniform he had not honored. Jack Kennedy, a war hero, was always in civvies while he was commander in chief. So was General Eisenhower. George W. Bush, who might, if he had been entirely on his own, have made a world-class male model (since he never takes an awkward photograph), proceeded to tote the flight helmet and sport the flight suit. There he was for the photo-op looking like one more great guy among the great guys. Let us hope that our democracy will survive these nonstop foulings of the nest.

For the full article: The White Man Unburdened

We are governed by a man who considers warfare a legitimate campaign ad. Who does not care that service men and women are dying because he lied about WMD. Who approves of tax exemptions for people who drive Humvees, while denying poor children a pittance.

Here's an interesting site:

Cost of War

It shows how much the Iraq war is costing us to the minutes - all based on government numbers - and then shows what else that budget could be covering.

The nation and the world are being ripped to shreds by this most Uncurious George, who thinks himself ordained by God to impose his whims and wants on all of us.

Ang