The Mark of Strategery
May 24th, 2004I don’t think any irony should be lost to the fact that President Bush, in his desperation to gain a few poll points as a war president, shared his belated strategy for Iraq at the very place that criticized his war planning from the get go.
Liz and I, who just happen to be on vacation this week, decided to spend the afternoon at a counter rally in support of John Kerry. We heard about the last minute Capitol gathering at a Kerry house party earlier this weekend—which was a blast by the way. A small note: If you’re young and/or disillusioned with the current situation and/or not politically active yet, then don’t spend another minute sitting around waiting to join up with the campaign. It’s not hard work to get organized (especially when beer is involved).
Early in the evening Senator Kerry made a scheduled phone call to the houses hosting the multiple parties, giving a small address towards jobs, education, and the war in Iraq. His overall point was how the president has failed to be the “uniter” he originally campaigned and has succeeded only in deepening the divisions that have kept our country from becoming a better place. While the speech was impressive, I think what most surprised me was the presence of Republicans at the event. Somehow, their conversion numbers give me the most hope.
Indeed, as we were sitting on the Capitol rotunda steps waiting for one of the politicians to speak today, somebody invited a passerby to pick up a sign and sit with us. He responded, “I’d like to, but I’m a Republican.”
“That’s not a problem,” somebody said. “Come and join us.”
With that kind of outreach towards unity, no wonder George is trying so hard.