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Framing The Issues
excerpts from a column by William Frey. November 17, 2005
Even the corrosive influence of a coarsened public dialogue dominated by personal invective and focus-group tested, predigested talking points is not sufficient to blind observant Americans to the dissonance between these actions and our values.
The repercussions of perpetual war, unwanted occupation of a foreign land, a reviled America abroad, and permanent erosions of our liberties have rendered the rents in the fabric of our democracy all too apparent. Rationalization for such egregious departures from our values can be accomplished only with the generous use of denial and self-deception.
A predictable pattern has developed. Misguided policy – most specifically, policy which convinces Iraqis that we are intent upon permanent occupation – fuels increasing insurgency.
With each setback President Bush has reacted by rhetorically “upping the ante”. Each escalation of rhetoric is accompanied by increasingly strident claims that those taking exception to his policies are “siding with the terrorists.”
You have been reading excerpts from "Confessions of a Repentant Republican" by William Frey. You can read the entire piece here: tinyurl.com/854v9. Thanks to consortiumnews.com. We visit often and we hope you will too.
excerpts from a column by William Frey. November 17, 2005
“No speech about homeland security or Iraq should begin without a reference to 9/11 ....-- from GOP spinmeister Frank Luntz's June, 2004 talking points
“If you describe it simply as a ‘preemptive action,’ some Americans will carry deep reservations about the rightness of the cause. Americans are conditioned to think that hitting first is usually wrong .... By far, the better word to use than ‘preemption’ is ‘PREVENTION ’ ....”
Even the corrosive influence of a coarsened public dialogue dominated by personal invective and focus-group tested, predigested talking points is not sufficient to blind observant Americans to the dissonance between these actions and our values.
The repercussions of perpetual war, unwanted occupation of a foreign land, a reviled America abroad, and permanent erosions of our liberties have rendered the rents in the fabric of our democracy all too apparent. Rationalization for such egregious departures from our values can be accomplished only with the generous use of denial and self-deception.
A predictable pattern has developed. Misguided policy – most specifically, policy which convinces Iraqis that we are intent upon permanent occupation – fuels increasing insurgency.
With each setback President Bush has reacted by rhetorically “upping the ante”. Each escalation of rhetoric is accompanied by increasingly strident claims that those taking exception to his policies are “siding with the terrorists.”
You have been reading excerpts from "Confessions of a Repentant Republican" by William Frey. You can read the entire piece here: tinyurl.com/854v9. Thanks to consortiumnews.com. We visit often and we hope you will too.
