STACKING THE DECK

By Mags

As usual, the unidimensional thinking in which the White House is engaged falls short of anything like real dialogue or discussion of the problem that is Iraq. The meme now being repeated in the MSM and at press conference is that if the Dems, and we should include here a wider population labeled Bush critics... you are gonna need a large hall to accomodate that crowd... must come up with a better plan than Bush or they will be dismissed by the White House and Pentagon. And, you must understand that by better George means winning. 

Consider this. If I were a physician whose patient lay dying of the last stages of cancer. And, not only that, let's add to that perhaps several botched operations due to other incompetent physicians to make the analogy more on target. Now, as the physician in charge, I suddenly order an aggressive course of chemo therapy and several more invasive surgeries just to make sure we have done everything we could have done. You see, I am an optimist, I believe that this patient CAN BE SAVED.

My colleagues have offered several humane treatments that acknowledge the condition of the patient, and their plans for treatment are to let the patient alone to put their affairs in order. I have rejected all of their plans of course because they are pessimists. I cannot accept their plans because none of the plans move us toward survival, in a sense victory.

If we saw this in the medical world, our response would be one of horror. Indeed, in the country right now I believe is a sense of national horror. By and large we are incredulous.

Bush and his spokespersons believe they have a retort handy that will warn away all comers. They refuse to accept that the patient is terminal. By declaring the patient viable, they automatically shut out reality based planning. It is a handy trick to be sure. And, it tends to sound right, even though it is all wrong.

How many times have you heard in your life the old canard that if you cannot do a better job, do not tear down what is in place. There is a problem with that saying, of course, as is often the case with old canards. Such platitudes seldom stand the test of context. The same is true here. It is yet another meme that seems like it is accurate, that it should be right, but upon close examination is in fact nonsensical.

That is the problem. In order to have a "better" plan, the Bush critics, and let us be clear we are not talking Dems alone here, must embrace the same delusions that George W. Bush has. You must, in order to meet this requirement, be able to speak in vague terms and lie with a straight face like Ms. Rice just did before the Senate committee.

Thus, George Bush's latest challenge to best him, is a losing proposition. It is a fools game. The deck is stacked. You cannot win. Unless you are willing to discard your rational mind, unless you are willing to shed all reference points connected with logic and rational thinking, unless you are willing to join George in la la land, you are not qualified to even step up to bat.

There is the angle. I hope someone can figure out how to work it.