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Mar 13, 2003 Well, let's not stop there--let's remove all references of their assistance to us during the Revolutionary War, and give them back the Louisiana Purchase. Heck, let's just give them back the entire West Coast, since Lewis and Clark wouldn't have been able to complete thier explorations without French assistance. Oh, and let's also knock down that stinkin' Statue of Liberty--after all, it was a FRENCHMAN (Bartholdi) who sculpted it and a FRENCHMAN (Eiffel) who erected it... This bellyaching about the French sounds childish to me. We wonder why our flag is burned and our citizens attacked overseas--for me, it's because we lack substance, and form puerile causes to avoid real issues. Real issues like our moral relevancy on the geopolitical landscape--are we the ones qualified to prosecute a 'just' war? Does might automatically make right? What is the world's view of us as we strut and fret in this hour before war? Are they hoping we are heard from no more? I find it interesting that if any other country was posturing as we are, they would have been condemned forthright by us. If we had simply told the United Nations that we will tolerate no more dissembling, that upon the first violation discovered we were going to punish Saddam Hussein, then we would have been morally justified, in my opinion. Yet we seemed to hem and haw, and allowed the arms inspecting spinmeisters to weave a wicked web of half-truths and maybe-sos. "Maybe they have anthrax, maybe they don't...maybe this is a cluster bomb, maybe it isn't." Waffling of that nature seems to be endemic in a Bush White House reluctant to take a hard stance, yet yearning to separate itself from the weak and whiffling nature of the former administration. Yes, you conservatives will point to the decisiveness of a Bush after 9/11, and the war on terrorism. And I will point to poor domestic policy choices and foreign affairs gaffes that don't have anything to do with sending rounds downrange, i.e., war. What has the Bush administration really done? Will Dubya stop serving foie gras in the White House? If so, then there's a decisive, bold move for a stagnating administration. Viva l'America! About the author: Chuck Tyler is a freelance writer and journalist based in South Bend, Indiana. His credits include coverage for the South Bend Tribune (www.SouthBendTribune.com) of a triple homicide trial and a town hall meeting of concerned citizens and local officials for the Herald-Palladium (www.HeraldPalladium.com) following 9/11. Email him at: tyler_1420@yahoo.com ------------ Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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