Supplemental: Laughing
off the lethal consequences of
Bush's invasion predicated on his claims of WMD's.
But didn't Bill Clinton do something similarly about his scandals?
This Press Club dinner routinely gives the sitting President an evening to lighten up and take a few self-deprecating shots at himself. Fine, in principle; Clinton joked about Monica. Bush chose to show slides of himself looking around the Oval Office, under furniture, behind curtains, acting confused that he couldn't find those gosh-darn WMDs. Remember, this administration's threat of Saddam using WMD's on us, linked to al Qaeda, constituted the unrelenting dominant talking point as justification for sending our troops to Iraq.
Otherwise, Bush's parody video had potential. Could've even been funny. But as of Memorial Day 2004, I know of over 800 reasons why his little gag isn't funny at all.
I wish Bush had given more due consideration to the funerals his crusade has caused before he produced and showed that little joke.
"We've freed the world of Saddam" has become Bush's replacement mantra now that the WMD WMD WMD chant has become tired, embarrassing America around the world. Bush hopes most people will forget about WMD's if he keeps emphasizing Saddam over and over. And unfortunately, the hypnosis has already begun; I do hear people who seem to have forgotten Bush's former WMD infatuation.
But not the hundreds of families with an empty chair at dinner, as a result of Bush's obsession, which he made light of.
One other detail. Bush’s cute little display followed a somber memorial for the reporter who had been recently killed. And yet Bush went on into this particular presentation. I can't help wondering how the reporter's family felt about Bush's cute little video. Had my spouse died in Iraq under these circumstances and then I saw this production, I'd have felt it telling me, "Well, I know your _________ died in Iraq because I wanted to go invade it, supposedly to get those WMD's. Looks like _________ died for nothing. Well, don't y'all go expecting me to apologize or even take responsibility for anything. I am the President, after all."
In any other setting, if anyone else treated the deaths of soldiers and reporters and civilians so callously, like a ghastly JOKE, I would expect decent people to walk out in disgust. And I believe Mr. Bush deserved to have people yell him down for this. But some people believe that we shouldn't condemn him for this vulgar display. Just let him have his little fun. Lighten up.
Do you agree?
If you think I make too much of this, ask someone whose table has one of those empty chairs at dinner because our president insisted that we go get the WMDs.
When those families have forgotten, we can forget. Long as they remember, we should remember.
Evidently Mr. Bush wants us to forget before November 2.
By the way, for those who would cite Monicagate to distract attention from Mr. Bush's insensitivity here: exactly how many countries did Mr. Clinton invade directly because of his adultery and lies (like Bush did invade because of WMDs)? Let’s count: zero. Does Monicagate raise valid moral complaints? Sure. Did it inspire starting an unjustified war to help a mediocre politician look like an actual leader? Not in my book. And for that matter, did any of Mr. Clinton's military trips into eastern Europe provide megamillion-dollar contracts for companies like, oh, Halliburton? No. Did Mr. Clinton's involvement in the area provide plenty of awfully cozy payoffs and conveniences for presidential connections in, say, the oil industry? No.
You want to try to draw parallels, go ahead. I find far more contrasts than comparisons. Everything about Iraq seems calculated to provide President Bush and his buddies with all sorts of benefits. Hundreds of of people so far have died apparently for Mr. Bush's personal vendetta, and Halliburton's profits, all under the guise of seeking out WMDs. But who cares? Let's forget those unpleasant funerals and just chuckle at the video.
Find this inappropriate? Well, George W. Bush thought it was worth a laugh. That I find "inappropriate." Obscene, actually. I don't see how any compassionate, patriotic, caring person who can in any way defend George Bush in this. I don't see how any mature, decent human being can say anything other than:
Grow up, Mr. President. Soldiers died for your claims.
Please don't desecrate families' grief with your silly frat boy schtick.
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