Thursday, January 27, 2005
“Culture of life” on the march
I'm impressed with George W. Bush’s optimism. Despite the deaths of 37 American troops yesterday, he still managed to “keep the focus positive” at his recent press conference.
How does he do it? Maybe it's something about his tireless promotion of a “culture of life.”
Because even in the face of so much death, he manages to keep his eye on the bigger picture. He never gets hung up on one death, or one cluster of many deaths, by thinking about those deaths, or talking about them, or letting on that he cares about them.
New York Times:
When you think about it, it makes sense: what kind of “culture of life” will there be if that culture’s avatar is always talking about death?
Bush must derive this stoic attitude from his faith. Or maybe from his mom, who is able to look at the war in Iraq, stare death in its unremorseful eyes, and declare, on national television:
Down with death! Up with the “culture of life”!
posted by Dawkins : 1/27/2005 07:07:00 PM
How does he do it? Maybe it's something about his tireless promotion of a “culture of life.”
Because even in the face of so much death, he manages to keep his eye on the bigger picture. He never gets hung up on one death, or one cluster of many deaths, by thinking about those deaths, or talking about them, or letting on that he cares about them.
New York Times:
Mr. Bush's decision not to mention the helicopter crash in his opening statement, the Bush adviser said, was part of a longstanding White House practice to avoid having the president mention some American deaths in Iraq but not others.
"It's almost a policy," said the adviser, who asked not to be named because the president does not want aides talking about the inner workings of the White House, "because if you mention one, you have to mention them all."
The president took a similar approach in November 2003, when a Chinook helicopter was shot down in Iraq and 16 Americans died. Mr. Bush stayed at his ranch and let Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld do the talking, and officials said they did not want Mr. Bush to be consumed by headlines. "If a helicopter were hit an hour later, after he came out and spoke, should he come out again?" Dan Bartlett, a senior aide, said at the time.
When you think about it, it makes sense: what kind of “culture of life” will there be if that culture’s avatar is always talking about death?
Bush must derive this stoic attitude from his faith. Or maybe from his mom, who is able to look at the war in Iraq, stare death in its unremorseful eyes, and declare, on national television:
“But why should we hear about body bags and deaths and how many, what day it's going to happen, and how many this or what do you suppose? Oh, I mean, it's, not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"
Down with death! Up with the “culture of life”!
posted by Dawkins : 1/27/2005 07:07:00 PM
