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![]() Just Above Sunset
June 6, 2004: Rhetorical Flourishes and Imaginary Friends
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See Making Hay Out of Straw Men In a speech on May 21 mentioning the importance of integrity in government, business and the military,
Bush veered into a challenge to unidentified "people" who practice moral relativism. "It
may seem generous and open-minded to say that everybody, on every moral issue, is equally right," Bush said, at Louisiana
State University. "But that attitude can also be an excuse for sidestepping life's
most important questions." Yep, I’ve been there. Many of us have had this thrown in our face.
… Bush explains the prewar intelligence indicating Saddam Hussein had such weapons, and
then presents in inarguable conclusion: "So I had a choice to make: either trust the word of a madman, or defend America. Given that choice, I will defend America every time." Yes, but that wasn’t
exactly the choice. Milbank says the real choice was to support continued U.N.
weapons inspections, or go to war. On May 4, Bush was discussing the war on terrorism, when he said: "Some say, 'Well, this is just
a matter of law enforcement and intelligence.' No, that's not what it is." On May 10, he posited: "The natural tendency for
people is to say, oh, let's lay down our arms. But you can't negotiate with these
people…. Therapy won't work." Yes, Bush is having debates
on psychology and the philosophy of terrorism with imaginary people who say the funniest things. But they aren’t there. On April 30, for example, Bush was discussing Iraq when he said: "There's a lot of people in the
world who don't believe that people whose skin color may not be the same as ours can be free and self-govern. I reject that. I reject that strongly. I believe that people who practice the Muslim faith can self-govern.
I believe that people whose skins … are a different color than white can self-govern." |
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This issue updated and published on...
Paris readers add nine hours....
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