Friday, March 26, 2004
Star Wars vs. Counterterrorism
The Bush admin has a lot of trouble understanding priorities. Politicians in general find it expedient to promise voters they can have their cake and eat it, too. But I ordinarily don't blame them too much, since the voters practically demand these sorts of impossible promises. But even more than usual, the Bush admin acts like it can be all things to all people: compassionate and conservative; tax cutting, spending increasing, and deficit reducing; for the best science on the environment and stem cells, yet also for whatever the polluters and religious right want.
They've been playing this game on foreign policy too: wanting to build Reagan's impossible dream of missile defense, while also focusing on the war on terror, rebuilding Iraq, containing North Korea, etc. It can't be done, as 49 generals came forward to say today. Making one thing a priority means putting others on the backburner. Terrorism was on the back burner before 9/11, and unbelievably, it's still there.
They've been playing this game on foreign policy too: wanting to build Reagan's impossible dream of missile defense, while also focusing on the war on terror, rebuilding Iraq, containing North Korea, etc. It can't be done, as 49 generals came forward to say today. Making one thing a priority means putting others on the backburner. Terrorism was on the back burner before 9/11, and unbelievably, it's still there.
