Mr. Bush. You are no Truman.
I've been meaning to post on the audacity of Bush comparing himself to Harry Truman but Peter Beinart at the WaPo does a good job of making the discomparisons for me.
I hear Bush evoked Truman no less than 17 times in his recent West Point speech. As Beinart notes, the only real comparison to be made is they both preside over unpopular wars. Truman believed in international consensus, not unilateral arrogance. Truman poured money into economic development, at the expense of military intimidation, not the other way around as this White House is doing. Truman believed in persuasion, not force to exact change.
History vindicated Truman. It's more likely to indict Bush and for the conservatives to now claim to be heir apparent to Truman's legacy that was so solidly built on liberal ideology, goes beyond hubris into the realm of farce.
I hear Bush evoked Truman no less than 17 times in his recent West Point speech. As Beinart notes, the only real comparison to be made is they both preside over unpopular wars. Truman believed in international consensus, not unilateral arrogance. Truman poured money into economic development, at the expense of military intimidation, not the other way around as this White House is doing. Truman believed in persuasion, not force to exact change.
History vindicated Truman. It's more likely to indict Bush and for the conservatives to now claim to be heir apparent to Truman's legacy that was so solidly built on liberal ideology, goes beyond hubris into the realm of farce.
posted by Libby Spencer at 5:43 PM
3 Comments:
When my Mom was a little girl. She wrote a letter to Harry truman that read "dear harry, I hope you feel pupd"
she meant pooped but that's how she spelled it.
Was that a compliment or a complaint?
I think her father didn't like Truman, so it was in meant to be insulting.
What's funny is her brother opened a newspsper and said "hmm this is interesting. it says "president truman is coming to pomfret conneticut to see a little girl named Judy and cut off her head " you know for the letter she wrote. and jus then someone pulled up in the driveway. old story
Post a Comment
<< Home