Paul Krugman again clearly states the problem with Bush.
It's the dishonesty, stupid. The real issue in the National Guard story isn't what George W. Bush did three decades ago. It's the recent pattern of lies: his assertions that he fulfilled his obligations when he obviously didn't, the White House's repeated claims that it had released all of the relevant documents when it hadn't.It's the same pattern of dishonesty, this time involving personal matters that the public can easily understand, that some of us have long seen on policy issues, from global warming to the war in Iraq.
Mr. Krugman then goes into more detail about Bush's dishonesty when it comes to economic issues. I will not presume to improve upon his analysis.
As for the controversy about the Vietnam-era records of the two main presidential candidates, Kevin Drum (speaking about some of the recently found documents concerning Bush's service) sums up my feelings well (via Josh Marshall):
This story is a perfect demonstration of the difference between the Swift Boat controversy and the National Guard controversy. Both are tales from long ago and both are related to Vietnam, but the documentary evidence in the two cases is like night and day. In the Swift Boat case, practically every new piece of documentary evidence indicates that Kerry's accusers are lying. Conversely, in the National Guard case, practically every new piece of documentary evidence provides additional confirmation that the charges against Bush are true.
Again, the problem is not that Bush was not demonstrating a vigorous commitment to national service in the '70s, it is that he and his handlers are continuing to lie about it and so much else. This dishonesty can be seen in virtually everything this administration does. From environmental deceptions (the "Clean Air" initiative) to economic issues (see Krugman above) to military matters (touting that we must support our service people while cutting hazard duty pay, veterans benefits, medical benifits for military dependents, and educational support for military families, etc.) and on and on.
Why is it so difficult for people who support Bush to see the lies and recognize that they have been deceived?
Posted by JoKeR at September 10, 2004 01:42 PM | TrackBack