Quote:
Originally posted by bilmore
I can abhor that particular behavior without making up new, unsupported accusations of even worse behavior. There's no link.
(ETA: I always wanted to say "abhor.")
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Do you have the impression that I did what your first sentence says? If so, why?
On an only tangentially-related point:
While I never made that accusation, I am perfectly willing to believe that Aznar had lied, without first assuming otherwise. I don't see that as unreasonable.
I have seen, as you have, far too much in the way of deception and dishonesty from our own Presidents (i.e. outright verified lies from Nixon and Clinton, various degrees of political spin and deception from the others) to believe that our leaders are superior to the average person in those matters. They are generally smarter, more ambitious, and harder-working than average, but on the whole not more honest or honorable.
Indeed, we see varying degrees of spin, "political deception" and distortion from just about every political leader of note. Those who just can't do that stuff well, or who refuse to do it much, end up derided as weak or ineffectual (see Carter, Tsongas, Dukakis) unless they have an exceptionally strong personality -- in which case they become "mavericks" -- outsiders who will never quite make it to the top (McCain, Proxmire). Our political system (read: We) has tended to chew up decency and shit it out.
I know not what to do about it, except to hope that the pendulum has begun to swing back on those issues as the populace and thus the press have become more sensitized to it, and more interested in "truth squad" sort of reporting.
S_A_M
