So recently the prime minister of Iraq criticized Israel for a disproportionate response in their attacks against Lebanon. I don’t know his exact words, but in general, I agree with that sentiment.
It’s no big surprise that Bush and Republican leaders have all been rushing to support Israel and taking their sweet time before helping with a ceasefire, and taking plenty of time with that process, too.
So it’s also no big surprise that a number of Washington politicians mustered up a good deal of righteous-sounding moral indigniation at the Iraqi PM. There were some that boycotted his address to Congress today. Lots of fiery rhetoric.
But here’s the surprise: it was the Democrats doing this.
Huh?
The populist party, the one that’s supposed to be valuing life and perhaps has recently started to grow a backbone in opposing ever-broadening war, is now in support of Israel’s tactics?
I think it’s all politics. The Republicans don’t want to criticize the PM because he’s part of the process their party started. And the Democrats want to pander to their base and criticize anything related to an unpopular war.
I don’t think very many people in Washington from either party have genuine ethics these days. They just take whatever moral position they think will win votes.
It is predictable. The democrats did not criticise guantanamo prison camp either to any great extent. They obviously thought it wasn’t a seriously bad thing for the entire US to deny the inmates of that prison their basic humanity, as recognized by treaties it signed in good faith, because these grand ideas shouldn’t be afforded to accused terrorists: a baldly false assertion.
Nobody elected in the US cares about rights and ideas, wars, conflict and the huge problems facing humanity and airy fairy stuff like that. (Veterans, now almost all dead, fought two world wars to impress upon us the importance of these ideas, which were about the only thing good that came out of those wars, and they’ve forgotten.)
Campaign finance, gerrymandering, the rights of the fetus, how to further disconnect the cost of government from the rate of taxation, and how times they are seen to pray in public are obviously their main concerns.
Stupid Stupid Stupid.
“The Democrats” can rarely be referred to as a single bloc, and most of the worst ones are in positions of responsibility and leadership. This is why it’s so important for CT voters to get rid of Joe Lieberman with the utmost efficiency.
– Chris
A two party system leads more to kneejerk and tactical games than it does sense.
They are typical politicans – anything they do results in more power or money for them. So if there’s any question why a politican does a certain thing, the answer’s always power or money – or both.
“It is also not my business to pass judgment on these
people (politicians)…”
That’s ridiculous. Every time we vote we make a
judgement.