MS's Clarion Ledger has a slap down opinion piece, it calls Bush insane

Cowards change policies. Real leaders change minds.

Of course the intent was to state Bush's absurd refusal to change course. The original draft of the column had those two short sentences as part of the preceding paragraph; as in, "Surely this is why Karen Hughes was appointed....only cowards change policies, real leaders change minds..." Patently absurd. The editor chose to break them off onto their own line. Regardless, I would hope that when read in context the meaning would be obvious.

If Bush were a real leader (and I hope no one gives him the benefit of the doubt any longer), we wouldn't have been lied into his war in the first place. If Bush were a real leader, Osama bin Laden would be dead or in prison, there'd be flourishing economic, cultural, and academic communities in Afghanistan, instead of roving bands of warlords financing their little fiefdoms through international heroin distribution. If Bush were a real leader, the massive camaraderie and goodwill the entire world held for America following 9/11 would have transformed the globe--for the better, and criminal terrorist organizations would whither on the vine and die.

Then again, if Bush were a real leader, there's a very good chance 9/11 could have been averted entirely, in which case we wouldn't be having this conversation at all.

Thanks to all y'all for the kind words. FYI, there's an online archive of some of my past columns here, and I've been writing on The Thorn Papers blog, though somewhat infrequently these days, since early in 2004.


mc