Presidential address
On the whole, good. But then again, I support our President, the Bush doctrine, and our mission in Iraq. So hearing that I liked the speech (transcript, video) is a bit predictable.
Couple of moments gave me pause, though...
The line, "And to those watching tonight who are considering a military career, there is no higher calling than service in our Armed Forces" made me bristle a bit, though I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason why. Derb spotted it, too.
Here's my favorite part. Bush on the nature of the terrorists: "They wear no uniform; they respect no laws of warfare or morality. They take innocent lives to create chaos for the cameras. They are trying to shake our will in Iraq — just as they tried to shake our will on September 11, 2001."
As subtle dig at those in the media obsessed with reporting only the bad news coming out of Iraq? Perhaps, perhaps not. I never expected him to come out swinging in this speech and explicitly condemn certain terrorist sympathizers here in the western media. And I was right, he didn't. But he did highlight how the bad guys manipulate our free press. Why pay for your own propoganda machine when American and other news acgencies will quote you verbatim? The only way the enemy will win this war is to turn it into another Vietnam. But the only side who has the power to create another Vietnam is our side.
On the whole, good. I liked it. Predictable, huh?
Couple of moments gave me pause, though...
The line, "And to those watching tonight who are considering a military career, there is no higher calling than service in our Armed Forces" made me bristle a bit, though I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason why. Derb spotted it, too.
"That would ring a little less hollow if this country's ruling classes were better represented in the military. In fact the military is a lower-middle-class and working-class occupation, which U.S. elites avoid like the plague."It's a good point. The leisure class of Mr. Derbyshire's native Britain (at least at one time) considered civil service, especially military service to be the most honorable of pursuits. Our leisure class seems more, um, nebulous in trying to pin down it's values when it comes to service. Now my knee-jerk reaction is to rebut him (I'm mixed up, I know) by pointing out that the President is working-class, at least in lifestyle if not in fact. That's why U.S. elites hate him. Perhaps I felt a frisson go through me, imagining all the snobs who'll surely mutter, "There he goes again. Recruiting other people's kids for his illegitimate war."
Here's my favorite part. Bush on the nature of the terrorists: "They wear no uniform; they respect no laws of warfare or morality. They take innocent lives to create chaos for the cameras. They are trying to shake our will in Iraq — just as they tried to shake our will on September 11, 2001."
As subtle dig at those in the media obsessed with reporting only the bad news coming out of Iraq? Perhaps, perhaps not. I never expected him to come out swinging in this speech and explicitly condemn certain terrorist sympathizers here in the western media. And I was right, he didn't. But he did highlight how the bad guys manipulate our free press. Why pay for your own propoganda machine when American and other news acgencies will quote you verbatim? The only way the enemy will win this war is to turn it into another Vietnam. But the only side who has the power to create another Vietnam is our side.
On the whole, good. I liked it. Predictable, huh?