Better, more knowledgable people than I have written reams about the war the Pretender so badly wants. And, y'know, I'd be more likely to support bombing the hell out of Iraq to get rid of Saddam, who is clearly a cancer in the liver of life if I could trust the Pretender and his advisors. It's very easy for people like Dubya ("I hit the trifecta!"), Cheney ("I know nothing. I was just the CEO when Halliburton ignored the embargo on Iraq"), and all the other Chickenhawks to bang the drums from behind their desks. But what makes me really nervous is Donald Rumsfield's, and by inference the Pretender's, view of war after 9/11:
"Now what is victory? I say victory is persuading the American people and the rest of the world that this is not a quick matter that's going to be over in a month or a year or even five years."
--September 12, 2001
[Emphasis mine]
In other words, victory is not about fighting an enemy and actually having a chance to win. It's about "persuading" the American public and the world that war will be never-ending. It's a public relations victory that allows the persuaders to use almost any means including exaggerations if not outright lies. To achieve that, the Pretender and his minions must portray anyone who challenges the chest-pounding, the flag-waving, the "axis of evil" mentality as traitors. And that, folks, is exactly what they're doing.
I take a dim view of public relations, as I do of most advertising. The Pretender has been persuasive to some, using as he does traditional PR methods. He's marketing this war. But like most marketing, it's not persuasive in facts. If he wants the support of the American people, we deserve better.
Amusing and enlightening: Chickenhawks Database
Atrios has a great take on this, quoting from Josh Marshall.
No comments:
Post a Comment