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Originally posted by Secret_Agent_Man
Do you have the impression that I did what your first sentence says? If so, why?
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No, I did not. I do understand that I tend to group too easily, and sometimes include the wrong people in groups. But, I actually did not see you as claiming, as an initial default position, that someone lied.
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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.
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I do. I expect proof (or close to it) before assuming the worst, and, in my mind, lying is the worst. (In the realm of our discussion, at least - yes, mismatching colors in ties and shirts is actually THE worst, but we're not speaking of that level of malfeasance, are we?)
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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.
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I still believe that the average person is rather honorable, and doesn't do the things that Drum, Ty, et al so easily accuse others of. That's why I was so taken aback when I read your earlier comments to say "well, so what if he didn't lie, he might have politicized something bad." It's a vast gulf in my mind (a mind already full of vast gulfs - there, I'm saving someone a post) between the two, and your post treated it as a difference in labelling.
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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.
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When Kerry falls snowboarding, I will make fun of him, for political gain.
I will not tell my friends that I saw Kerry fall, when I did not.
I guess I see a difference between the two. It's a handicap that I have, and will always have.
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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.
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For my part, I will vote for, and campaign for, people whom I perceive to share my own moral basis. (Singular, purposeful.) The daily press run of who gaffed, and who had the most hurtful line, means little to me. At this point, I have no idea what Kerry's moral basis might be, and I doubt Kerry does either. I know Bush's - and some parts I find horrible, and others I find familiar and comforting. I'll let you know when I find my perfect mirror.
