I know the answer to the debate and it's not a cop-out.
Washington was right in his time and Bush is right in his time.
Am I wrong?
I would disagree with your conclusion. However, I am a bit at a loss to respond appropriately.
A debate does not necessarily end with a clear conclusion as to right or wrong. It often comes down to who had the better argument. In my opinion, that was General Washington, whom I also agree with.
Let me just suggest this. While President Bush did not define his terms, or use them in a consistent manner, nor offer much beyond assertions, those things would not necessarily mean that he was wrong--just not a good debater. Personally, for a great variety of reasons, many of which do not appear in the feature, I believe that he is wrong. But it is getting late in the afternoon, and I have done about as much typing as I want to do today. Another time, I will post a list of references to other facets of the argument.
William Flax