Down the Rabbit Hole with the GOP

At the GOP convention today the syrup flowed. Old Timey gospel ruled. The republicans painted a world in which our greatest weapon in the war on terror is our good intentions. It's a world where a marker of integrity is to carry on with strength and resolution despite the negative opinons of your countrymen and most of the world. It's a world where the superiority of the American Way is assumed, that backwater countries will keel over with gratitude if we invade them. It's a world in which the pure benevolence of America's intentions is sorely misunderstood: OH!If they only knew how good freedom will feel once we get done kicking over their rice bowls, arresting their men and killing all who dare resist. And the flag waves.

It's a world in which Republican women at an upside down feminist event called, "W is for Women" can say with a straight face that the GOP is somehow the party of women's rights.

I watched lots of people that reminded me of my grandparents (and I say that fondly), or my friends from small town Minnesota (and I say that fondly) try to dance. Yow.

Then I watched Mssrs. Mccain and Rudy play carnival barker to the GOP circus.

I have to wonder what the Bush's have on Mccain. I think he's making kissy face so he can run in 2008 when the Bush's will burn the dirty pictures and throw him a presidential bone. Lord knows his speech was packed with enough cliches in the hand to choke a bird in the Bush. I sort of liked the fact that he coopted a little FDR "date with destiny" lingo.That's always good for a quick lump in the throat. But seriously, can you say "Straw Dog?"

Those who criticize that decision [to go to war in Iraq] would have us believe that the choice was between a status quo that was well enough left alone and war. But there was no status quo to be left alone

Cmon. The choice was always been, and still is, between a poorly thought out strategy in which we confront terrorists primarily by ourselves, and primarily with our military at the cost of our international integrity and a strategy that incorporates our military but also accounts for the consequences of using it. Mccain most certainly knows this. What a player.

Rudy sang the 9.11 blues and he has every right to sing them. You won't hear me saying much bad about Rudy. He's a brave guy and showed us all how to behave in the face of something so distressing it isn't really comprehensible. I will give a shout out to Rudy. He was relaxed and effective. He stuck in the shivs where it counted. I disagree with his politics, though. Rudy's politics stink.

His speech is smoke and mirrors. In this passage he says we owe it to the dead to vote for George Bush:

They are hearing from us in nations that are now more reluctant to sponsor terrorists.

So long as George Bush is President, is there any doubt they will continue to hear from us until we defeat global terrorism.

We owe that much and more to those loved ones and heroes we lost on September 11th.

That just aint so. I do not owe a vote for George Bush to the memory of anyone who died in 9.11. Let's get serious. Bush. 9.11. Bush. 9.11. Bush. 9.11. Bush. 9.11. Bush. 9.11. Bush. 9.11. Bush. 9.11. It's a powerful message but what does it mean? Forgive me, but it's pretty tough to miss the fact that a bunch of Islamic Fascists flew planes into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvainian weed patch. Rudy says Bush has stayed the course. Rudy says Bush is strong like a bull. Rudy says that's a good thing. But we all know what staying the course after all evidence indicates it would be far better to change direction leads to don't we? It leads to catastrophic success.

I guess I always knew that President Bush would campaign on the smoke and ashes of the World Trade Center. If the election wasn't about the war before, it is now.