Things that make me mad: Op-Ed pieces that recommend blind faith in anything. Don't get me wrong, I very much like President Obama, but I'm not convinced that he has every answer to every problem. Here is the first sentence of the article:
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S apparent readiness to backtrack on the public insurance option in his health care package is not just a concession to his political opponents — this fixation on securing bipartisan support for health care reform suggests that the Democratic Party has forgotten how to govern and the White House has forgotten how to lead.
I'm going to go ahead and suggest that author Jean Edward Smith wasn't exactly thrilled with George W. Bush's leadership and governing skills when he ramrodded the USA Patriot Act through Congress, or took us into Iraq without Congressional approval, but anything is possible. Smith's blind faith in government, be it the Bush Administration, the Obama Administration, or any other, is downright terrifying, and not simply because I am a libertarian.
Obviously I agree with your main thrust here, but it should be noted that Bush did have Congressional approval for the invasion of Iraq. It was granted in October 2002, some six months before the fighting began.
ReplyDeleteOops - thanks for the fact check. Didn't mean to turn this into a Bush-bash, the main point was simply that you shouldn't be governing without the consent of the governed, and you especially shouldn't assume that as the majority you have the right to impose your views on the minority.
ReplyDeleteTom Friedman, welcome to the club.
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