Quote: She just doesn't accept the fact that the Pres. may not have the best interests of the country in mind. It's like she can't concieve of a president lying to the American people
Cyclop,
I'm quite sure that the Prez THINKS he has the best interests of the country in mind and is acting in those interests. I don't think he sees himself as "lying" to the public. He would probably justify any fudging of the truth as being in the greater interest of his vision for this country and its mission in the world. I can be sympathetic to this viewpoint to a certain degree. Who among us has not been untruthful, either shading the facts or withholding information, when we saw such deception as serving a greater good?
You might say that is okay for an ordinary person but the prez ought be held to a higher standard. Perhaps so. But the stakes are higher for a president, and the "greater good" is larger and more panoramic. I think Bush let his vision become arrogant and hubristic, and he has convinced himself (perhaps because he is surrounded by sycophants, as most very powerful people are) that he is right and need not listen to the voices of doubt or dissent.
I would have so much more respect for him if he would admit that he had made a mistake about WMD's and about the "immanent threat" and about the stated reasons for going to war, apologize, and move on to try to clear up the mess that has been created. (His apology about saying "bring it on" was laughable. The word "blunt" that he used to decribe his comment usually means straightforward and to the point. He is trying to put a gloss on a really bad comment.)
Also, he or the Secy of State could publicly denounce the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the lashings they are carrying out on men and women who dared stage a demonstration for reform of the regime. How could we trash Iraq to rid the world of a despot and have left so many others in power, with our tacit or open support because they serve our geo-political needs at the moment?
