Eminent Domain Stuff
New London Update (2/24/06)
Bad NLDC!
Coverage of the Rally at New London's City Hall (w/ pics)
Friday, June 04, 2004
Sullivan On Conservative Defections From Bush's Camp
Andrew Sullivan's recent post entitled Conservative Defections may very well be on the money. However, I have to take brief but serious issue with one particular comment:
The awful truth is that this president presided over one of the most damaging blows to American prestige and self-understanding in recent history. He may not have been directly responsible; but it was on his watch. And he ensured that no one high up in his administration took the fall for the horror.
It may very well be true that this past year has seen "the most damaging blows to American prestige...in recent history." However, let's consider this in a slightly different light. We have born witness to some (apparent) intelligence failures (although the jury is still out to some extent), seen pictures from Abu Ghraib, watched as hundreds of our soldiers have been killed and even seen the cold-blooded beheading of an American civilian. All of these have contributed in some way to this so-called damage to our prestige.
Compare what has transpired in relation to Iraq with what went on during the Clinton years. During the eight years before Bush took office we had indecent scandals in the Oval Office, underhanded missile dealings with Red China, a few misguided cruise missile attacks (primarily against aspirin factories) and the silent proliferation of Terrorism and Terrorists!!
The reason that this is shoved under the table (aside from that fact that the Media is in full rehabilitate-Clinton's-legacy mode) is that it went mostly unnoticed at the time. It most certainly should not have, with the Cole, Kobar Towers, Somalia and the first World Trade Center bombing all occurring during Clinton's tenure. We did, of course, have plenty of reason to bury our collective head in the sand with the tech boom (I mean bomb) and the great economy (I mean, artifically inflated economy)
I would argue that our apparent weakness and lack of resolve to respond when attacked under Clinton's leadership was actually the most damaging blow to American prestige in recent history. After all, I don’t really give a crap what the French think of us simply because they are not threatening to wipe us from the face of the Earth. If I had to choose one group that would view us as strong, resolute and willing to obliterate all evil in the world, my choice would be the Terrorists.
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