Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Takes One to Know One?

Two weeks back, on his show, Hardball, Chris Matthews, while talking with Katherine Harris of Florida, said he felt the Democrats would be better off if they simply advocated an immediate and complete pull out of Iraq, rather than talking about timetables and re-deployments "you're either for staying there or pulling out", failing to realize that maybe their positions are not about political posturing, but about their actual beliefs as to how the situation should be handled. Just keep it to the extreme ends of the ideological spectrum and you're sure to drum up an audience, it's good theater, but that doesn't make it good policy or politics.

When asked what her opinion was, Katherine Harris answered that she supports the current course because, as she saw it, the only two alternatives are "cut-and-run" and "set a timetable so the terrorists know when we are leaving." That's it? There are no other options?

These are the same people who regularly decry "Islamo-fascists" as "extremists"....well, I guess it takes one to know one.

The day prior, Al Franken made the statement on, I believe it was his own radio show, that conservative "don't like details" in regards to persistent attacking of Democrats for lacking a strategy on Iraq. He said when he is invited on those shows and people ask him if he has a strategy, they expect him to say no or be flustered, but he claims he actually has a plan and he will "explain it slowly and in full detail, because those people hate details."

I think we all agree on the "big picture". We want to reduce and eliminate terrorism and create a stable Middle East without a nuclear North Korea, Iran, or Al-Qaida. Unfortunately, there is little discussion on how to achieve this end through "details", "small picture" victories. It's been 1270 days since Mission Accomplished was declared and yet we are currently on pace to have one of the deadliest months for our troops in this war, because all this administration has conveyed to us is that they can see the their big picture, sadly, without seeing the details.

1 comment:

GUY said...

so depressing. the logic of fighting 'war on terror' still terrifies me.