zeldafitz

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

The State of the Union: Translated

In a complex and challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting, yet it ends in danger and decline.

“isolationism and protectionism”=withdrawing troops

The only way to protect our people, the only way to secure the peace, the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership.

“leadership”=killing people

So the United States of America will continue to lead.

“lead”=kill people

Terrorists like bin Laden are serious about mass murder and all of us must take their declared intentions seriously.

I can’t translate that because I still don’t understand how Osama bin Laden’s attacks on New York and Washington justified our invasion of Iraq. In Bush’s simplistic cowpoke jargon, that dog still won’t hunt.

They seek to impose a heartless system of totalitarian control throughout the Middle East and arm themselves with weapons of mass murder.

“They” an amorphous, nameless radical Islamic blob, meant to hustle Americans into thinking that “The Middle East” is just one gigantic powder keg itching to decimate Americans. “They,” the vaguer the better—all the better to bomb the shit out of whomever we choose. Iran, watch your back.

Their aim is to seize power in Iraq and use it as a safe haven to launch attacks against America and the world.

Would “their” aim to seize power in Iraq have ever existed if we had not initiated a war against Iraq? Hasn’t our saber rattling provocative aggression caused this nasty hive to agitate and consolidate against us? In other words, hasn’t our challenge backfired? Have we not enraged the enemy to the point that they are banding together and finding a central cause and unifying themselves against us? Have we not abetted this galvanized force?

Lacking the military strength to challenge us directly, the terrorists have chosen the weapon of fear.

Because there weren’t any “weapons of mass destruction.”

Yet there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure.

The emperor’s response to the little boy who noticed he wasn’t really wearing any clothes.

Hindsight alone is not wisdom.

Never admit that what you did was wrong.

Second-guessing is not a strategy.

Ignore the facts.

American leaders -- from Roosevelt, to Truman, to Kennedy, to Reagan -- rejected isolation and retreat because they knew that America is always more secure when freedom is on the march.

"We" (Democrats) should not withdraw the troops BECAUSE our beloved Democratic presidents (Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy) wouldn’t have liked it. (What is Reagan doing in there anyway?)

Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world.

Isn’t that like the pusher saying to the junkie, “Say, bro, you have a problem...”