\jeff{krimmel}

Bush Still Doesn’t Get It

President Bush spoke to members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars today, and in part sent a warning to critics of the war in Iraq:

“The American people know the difference between responsible and irresponsible debate when they see it. They know the difference between honest critics who question the way the war is being prosecuted and partisan critics who claim that we acted in Iraq because of oil or because of Israel or because we misled the American people,” he said.

First, I am glad we are past the point where anyone who expresses an objection to any aspect of this administration’s war-making is labeled a traitor. That part is nice. However, President Bush doesn’t seem to understand the notion of intellectual honesty.

People can very well make the argument in an intellectually honest manner that this administration misled the nation into war. That argument has been made, over and over again, on the Internet and elsewhere with plenty of documented evidence. There is nothing about that argument that is dishonest or irresponsible.

And how weak is it for President Bush to think that he can simply limit out some portion of the discussion? It is legitimate and responsible for people to disagree with decisions my administration has made, as long as they don’t question the decisions made regarding issues A, B, or C. That’s a joke. It is truly laughable that the most powerful man in the world thinks this is the way honest, intelligent people conduct debate.

It’s not like I’m expecting a wave of enlightenment to sweep through the White House, causing members of the executive branch to come out publicly and embrace the probing investigation that is necessary to learn from past mistakes and help make correct decisions for the future. But, it would be nice if only every now and again President Bush would refrain from disrespecting the institutions of democracy and lively debate.