Vote for symbolism
I have only one column remaining before the election and atleast half a dozen things that merit comment. And althoughsuccinctness has never been my strong suit, time and space demandit; so, and in no particular order, here goes:
The pacification of Iraq is a disaster growing worse by theminute as insurgent attacks and related deaths increase daily.
People, especially civilians, are dying at the highest ratesince Bush declared an end to major combat a year and a half ago,including 50 Iraqi police recruits who were shot this weekexecution style.
For a war that we’re supposedly fighting offensively, wesure seem to be spending a great deal of time on defense.
On Monday we learned that 380 tons of powerful explosives thatcan be used to manufacture weapons of mass destruction, and withnuclear capabilities, have been reported missing from Al-Qaqaa, thelargest weapons facility in Iraq.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which was responsiblefor monitoring Iraq’s weapons program prior to the U.S.invasion, has reported that every time it expressed concern for thesecurity of the site, it was told that “everything wasokay.”
It seems incomprehensible — considering the sole argumentfor invading Iraq was the existence of WMD — that theadministration would allow the largest weapons site in Iraq to beleft so vulnerable.
It’s not surprising considering the administration’sgreatest priority since the invasion has been securing thecountry’s oil fields.
The über-conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group, whichoperates 62 television stations and network affiliates that reach aquarter of U.S. households [this is the same group that refused toair a controversial episode of “Night Line” that listedthe names of soldiers that had been killed in Iraq], cancelledplans to preempt regular programming to air an anti-Kerry filmmasquerading as a documentary entitled “Stolen Honor.”Apparently, the company yielded to stockholders who expressedconcern that the broadcast would negatively impact stockprices.
This week — irony of ironies — it was discoveredthat Sinclair is also a majority owner in Jadoo Power Systems,Inc., a company that was recently awarded a military contract inIraq.
Who says it doesn’t pay to know people in high places? Ifthere’s still any doubt, ask Halliburton.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist was hospitalized this week forthyroid cancer and underwent surgery to have it removed. The court,which rarely releases anything beyond the tersest of statements,indicated that the 80-year-old Rehnquist would return to the benchnext week when the court resumes hearing cases. [If itdoesn’t make you think twice about missing class because ofthe sniffles, it should].
The sudden disclosure of Justice Rehnquist’s illness onceagain brings to the forefront of the campaign the importance thenext president will play in shaping the court for the next 30 to 40years.
Kerry has won the battle of newspaper endorsements in bothnumber of papers and percentage of readership by a margin of aboutsix to one.
While many Republicans will argue that the victory ismeaningless, pointing to a left-leaning press as an explanation, itis worth mentioning that at least 10 conservative papers thatendorsed Bush in 2000 are now endorsing Kerry.
The Daily Tribune of Columbia, Mo., wrote: “[GeorgeW. Bush] is an immoderate man who is quite willing to expand statepower over the freedom of individuals.”
The Miami Herald’s editors, in one of the harshestrebukes of Bush’s presidency, concluded: “A stubbornrefusal to accept uncomfortable facts and a simplistic approach tocomplicated issues raise questions of [George Bush’s] basicgovernance skills.”
Even the Winston-Salem Journal, which has endorsed everyRepublican candidate for president since Richard Nixon, includingBush four years ago, announced its endorsement of Kerry.
Other endorsements read:
“We cannot Endorse Bush Again” [SeattleTimes].
“Bush has not earned re-election” [St. LouisPost-Dispatch].
“In the Race for President, Kerry has the BetterPlan” [Portland Press Herald].
“In the real world, Kerry a better fit” [AtlantaJournal Constitution].
“Voters’ choice is clear: John Kerry forPresident” [Seattle Post-Intelligencer].
“Our urgent, deeply felt recommendation: Vote forKerry” [Philadelphia Inquirer].
In an interview on “Good Morning America” this week,the president said that he believed that gays should be grantedsome arrangement [in essence civil unions] that would guarantee gaycouples the same legal and economic benefits as married couples. Atthe same time, he reiterated his support of the Federal MarriageAmendment. Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it,too?
The optimist in me would like to believe that the president hasfinally discovered that the Republican Party is not as monolithicas the religious right would like it to be, but the pragmatistsuspects that he’s merely hedging his bets, hoping to pick upa few gay votes in key states, confident that his base won’tdesert him over the issue.
Finally, a friend told me this week that he planned to vote forKerry even though he knew that his vote would be purely symbolic.Unfortunately, he’s right. No one doubts that Bush will winTexas by a considerable margin and receive its 34 electoral votes.If the 2000 election proved anything, however, it’s that themost popular man doesn’t always win the presidency.
In fact, every student, faculty member and staff member at SMUcould stay home on Nov. 2, and the outcome of the election wouldstill be the same. Such is the unfortunate nature of the ElectoralCollege and the main reason our system of electing a presidentneeds to be reformed.
In the meantime, symbolism is an important thing, so do theright thing, and vote!
