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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Bush Didn't Lie

James Kirchick, an assistant editor at the liberal New Republic, writes in the liberal LA Times that those who continue to push the meme that Bush lied us into Iraq are themselves being dishonest. Viewpoint has been saying much the same thing since 2003. It's simply disreputable to accuse Bush of having lied to precipitate a war with Iraq. It was disreputable in 2003 because there was insufficient evidence of a lie, and it's even more disreputable now because there's a lot of evidence that he did not lie.

Moreover, by discrediting the President his critics have succeeded in ratcheting up the threshold of provocation necessary to compel us to use military force to the point where it would be almost impossible, politically or psychologically, to employ force today on some new front. More timorous presidents than George Bush will be very reluctant to resort to military means even when it's clear that terrorist nations like Iran are implacably determined to produce nuclear weapons which they all but promise to use, either themselves or through terrorist surrogates.

Those who have so bitterly defamed the President's integrity over the last five years have made the future far less safe for our children and they've done it by despoiling the reputation of the one man who acted to prevent that from happening. To the extent that they slandered George Bush out of malice as well as a thirst for political power they deserve historical ignominy. If there is justice in the world their names will forever be uttered with contempt.

Kirchick's LA Times column is a fine piece of writing and a fresh breeze of honesty coming from a man who normally stands in political opposition to Republican policies.

RLC

Avoid the Argument from Good Works

Mary Eberstadt's third in her series of "Loser Letters," written to her atheist friends advising them as to how best to discredit Christians, is perhaps her best so far. In it she urges them, as it is their wont to do, not to make a big deal about how atheism is at least as serviceable as Christianity in providing grounds for good works. By all means, she enjoins, they should continue to hammer away at the various crimes committed 700 years ago by the Inquisition, but whatever they do, they should not tout atheism's own record of human kindness.

You'll find it hard to stifle a smile and an occasional chuckle as you read it. That is, unless you're an atheist.

RLC

Gays in the Military

Andrew writes to share some thoughts on the issue of gays serving in the military. I've posted his letter on the Feedback page and invite comment.

RLC

Like, You Know?

Taylor Mali, whom I'd never heard of before, does an amusing riff on the most "aggressively inarticulate generation" since whenever:

HT: Evangelical Outpost

RLC