May 17, 2002
RULES
“No holds barred” used to be a term we used to describe a wrestling match in which the usual rules were to be abandoned in favor of “do or die” tactics founded on killer instincts.
We didn’t wrestle that way , ordinarily. We used the term in describing gladiator combats bats in ancient times, but it does seem to apply to modern politics more and more.
Today, even under wartime e conditions, it amazes and disappoints me to see opposition against President George W. Bush - who can only be termed as being largely Democrat” by and large - are using such tactics with greater intensity than ever before.
Leading Democratic party figures are rushing to the forefront these days eager to insult and malign our President at every opportunity - real or imaginary.
At the moment they are emphasizing accounts placed on accusing cussing Bush of knowing “well in advance” of the September 11th attacks that Bin Laden would launch such terrorist attacks against the Pentagon and the Trade Center Towers, and that he did nothing about it after being alerted to such dangers. They do not yet say it in such direct terms but they insinuate situations which accuse the President of gross malfeasance in office. It is being done with deliberate malice and intent and common rules of decency are set aside and not allowed to guide their choice of words.
They suggest that the incident could both have been avoided had the President acted on information given him “when he was on vacation in Texas” - a phrase which is always woven into every news story they spin.
Bush and Republican officials have said that the information received a month before the attacks was general in nature. Based, it is currently said, on a report from one FBI agent in Arizona, it was noted that possibly skyjacking events might occur in the future using personnel he found were being trained at American flight schools. Even as the bombings took place the FBI was investigating the situation of Arabic “students” taking flight training at American flying schools. The report said nothing about time or place for such incidents to occur. The alert did mention Bin Laden’s group which accounts for Bush’s prompt announcement that responsibility had been determined once the bombings had happened. There was certainly not enough evidence available a month before the bombings to merit closing down the entire American airlines system, which seems to be what the opposition thinks should have been done at the time.
Specific aside, the thing we should be concerned about is the fact that, by their conduct, the opposition seem to think they can fight under their own, relaxed rules. The thought that accusations do not need to be true to be used as argument is a dangerous element allowed in such random reasoning.
A.L.M. May 15, 2002 [c480 wds]
