Thursday, September 30, 2004

Will the last one out turn off the light

Damn Bill Kristol to hell!! Strong words, but follow me, please.

This is the man who, as one of the founders of The Project For The New American Century "think tank" was one of the major supporters, and arguably one of the architects of the idealistic yet clearly insane war in Iraq.

And as Editor of The Weakly Standard, the leading right wing rag read by all right wing Kool-Aid drinkers in D.C., he was able to promote the war from 2 different, and conflicting directions. Not only was he making policy, along with Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Cheney et al, but he was also reporting (cheerleading) on the topic.

Today, in the NYTimes, he has the unbelievable gall to co-opt John Kerry's words spoken before the Senate in 1972:
You have said that we cannot cut and run from Iraq and that we could "realistically aim to bring all our troops home within the next four years." But if you now consider the war to have been a mistake, how could you, as president, "ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake''?
You jerk! You stand there and wring your hands like Igor watching the monster created by Frankenstein with your help, and then criticize the efforts to destroy the monster. At long last, have you no decency? If you did, you'd take the brave way out and commit ritual suicide. Instead, you throw darts at those who would clean up your global dirty diapers.


In a related vein, Jeffrey Dubner notes in The American Prospect that:
It’s time for disgruntled conservatives to decide which is more important: their president or their principles...

“Abysmal.” “Unrealistic.” “Unwise.” Liberals and Democrats who utter these words are derided as “Bush haters.” But when such epithets come from Republicans, including some of the most important conservative figures of the last few decades, a different insult is often appropriate: “hypocrites.” On issue after issue, conservatives have watched this president betray their hopes and, worse, make future progress all the more difficult. Yet few have followed these complaints to their logical conclusion.
Time and time again, we see the right bow to power over principles. John McCain, for example, hates Bush, was deeply hurt by Bush/Rove's attacks in 2000, yet dutifully treads the campaign trail professing unity with Der Leader.

Makes me wonder exactly what their principles are:
  • ProLife means fetuses are safe, yet servicemen are expendable.
  • State's rights are wonderful, except in Florida.
  • Marriage is sacred, except for, you know, people of the same (color)gender.
I could go on, you get the idea. We have a leader and executive team that are totally ideological, and frankly, insane, not connected to reality.

Reminds me of the frog and the scorpion. They met at the riverbank, both needing to get across. The frog, who could swim, was about to take off, when the scorpion asked for a ride.

Frog said "But if I let you ride on my back, you'll sting me."

Scorpion said "No, my friend. I can't swim. If I sting you, I'll drown. I need to get across too, It would be counter-productive for me to hurt you."

So the frog lets the scorpion on his back, and starts off across the river. About halfway across, the scorpion stings the frog, fatally wounding him. As they both sink below the water, the frog asks why. The scorpion, with his last breath, replies: "It's my nature."

It's the nature of the far right to push for power, and to disregard principles. And it's shameful that the moderate Republicans won't stand up against ideas and concepts they clearly don't support.

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