I get a semi-regular newsletter from a guy named Jim Crotty, one of the founders of the ultra hip Monk magazine. The one waiting in my inbox today was titled “Bush Throws Dems a Bone: Will they Fetch.”
Crotty argues that the inagural speech “freedom fest” will set the bar pretty high for the Republicans. Bush, Crotty argues, has now committed his administration to a policy that more closely reflects the late pronouncements of Democratic softies like Jimmy Carter, i.e. that the United States should promote democracy and human rights in the world.
When you realize that among our biggest friends these days (at least the biggest friends of the Bush cabal) are such vigorous defenders of Jeffersonian ideals as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and China, you begin to wonder what the hell Bush is really talking about…other that again masterfully co-opting traditional Democratic issues.
Crotty sees Bush’s pronouncements as a perfect opportunity for Democrats to call him to task–to actually hold him responsible for what he says vs. what he does. But, if we’ve learned anything in the past 4 years is that the Dems can’t hold anybody responsible for anything. What if, for example, they said something like this: “Bush said we started the war in Iraq because Iraq had WMD. Then he said Iraq sponsored terrorism. Then he said Saddam was a terrible dictator that had to go. Then he said Iraq will be an example to other Middle Eastern dictatorships of what freedom can be. Which is it?” Don’t hold your breath.
Why is it that Bush can change his message at will and get away with it, yet the Dems can’t even get one message across with any consistency?
Will the Dems hold Bush to his promise for the next four years? All I’d be willing to bet on is that the story will change a lot between now and then, but it will still being the Bushies doing the talking and the Dems wondering what the hell happened to their issue…again.
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