Monday, March 07, 2005
Republican Logic & Missed Opportunities
Sometimes the Republican logic is just too absurd to believe. Take for example this exchange between Tim Russert and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) from yesterday's Meet the Press:
WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
Why do we continuously let these opportunities pass us by? What Sen. Durbin should have said is:
I guess that would have been too rude. Maybe next time. (I'm not holding my breath, though.)
- MR. RUSSERT: Before we go, I want to talk about foreign policy and Iraq. This is The New York Times editorial, Senator Durbin: "The Bush administration is entitled to claim a healthy share of the credit for many of these advances. It boldly proclaimed the cause of Middle East democracy at a time when few in the West thought it had any realistic chance. And for all the negative consequences that flowed from the American invasion of Iraq, there could have been no democratic elections there this January if Saddam Hussein had still been in power."
Do you concur with that?
SEN. DURBIN: I think there is a momentum for positive change in the Middle East, and I think the Democrats support that. I happen to believe the way we invaded Iraq, without a broad coalition, without our traditional allies, taking on the responsibility in terms of human lives and dollars, was the wrong decision at that moment. But today we have to look at the Middle East and say, "What is in the best interest of America and its security?" And I think we are moving forward.
WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
Why do we continuously let these opportunities pass us by? What Sen. Durbin should have said is:
- "Are you kidding me? Did you actually read that or are you just doing what your bosses want you to? That's completely insane. No, I don't concur. That's Republican rationale for a mistake. That's like saying if we hadn't ignored the warning signs before 9/11 that we wouldn't have the opportunity to build a memorial at Ground Zero. The truth is we screwed up. We attacked a country that didn't have the weapons we were told they did and now we're trying to cover our asses by saying that elections wouldn't have happened without us. Why don't you just say something like we should thank the Japanese for attacking us at Pearl Harbor because without that we wouldn't have had a chance to really test our atomic bombs. Give me a break Tim. That's a ridiculous statement and you know it. You should be ashamed of yourself."
I guess that would have been too rude. Maybe next time. (I'm not holding my breath, though.)
