The awful truth: arrogant America got it right (Aussie lib on Iraq, "I was wrong")

The Age (Australia) ^ | 11 May 2003 | Joanna Murray-Smith

[Stultis]

The awful truth: arrogant America got it right
By Joanna Murray-Smith
May 11 2003

Last week, George Bush appeared on the front page of the International Herald Tribune in military gear. Earlier, he had made an appearance on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been deftly positioned for the cameras with the sea in the background, disguising its actual position (off San Diego).

What this told us, not that any of us needed it explained, is that US presidents get away with presenting themselves in the vernacular of Hollywood. The public not only gets, but seems to like, politics with production design.

Subsequently, an opinion writer in the Tribune noted that British journalists who witnessed this absurdity had remarked that if Tony Blair had tried such a stunt "the press would have demanded to know how many hospital beds could have been provided for the cost of the jet fuel". In this regard, Australians owe more to their British antecedents than their American amigos. We don't accept pretension or phoniness in our politicians, even in the pursuit of national pride.

One of the remarkable and fascinating things about living in Europe, as I have for the past five months, is to observe at close hand the vast cultural and political differences that coexist within remarkable physical proximity - a hallmark of the northern hemisphere. America juggles the gravitas of power with the comic absurdity of show-biz. England comes to the party, but laughs behind its back. In Italy, France, Germany, London, they shake their heads in wonder at the world's most powerful democracy's intolerance of criticism, even (and perhaps especially) from within its own borders.

Here, in Italy, where I am living, the people I meet don't talk about the war. In social situations, we all laugh about Bush and his marionette vacant-eyed performances, John Wayne meets Ned Flanders (unlike our own Mr Burns), but no one can quite foresee the opinion of others about the war. Suddenly the neat divisions of pro and anti, liberal and conservative, once written in neat ink, havebeen smudged by reality's thumb-print. The simpleself-definitions of the past don't work in the same way.

Two months ago, one could readily announce one's participation in an anti-war march. Now, many of us are caught in a grey blur. The black and white feelings of recent months have become smudged in the aftermath of what your everyday ingenue (Holly Golightly) might describe as a Very Confusing War. Ideological convictions began to founder at the sight of rejoicing Iraqis. People tried to find nice ways of saying that the casualties were few enough to warrant the outcome. And liberals like me had to ask themselves if in the end American hypocrisy mattered enough to outweigh the actual result - if confused and cynical motives (oil, presidencies, imperialism etc) could diminish the simple humanitarian triumph.

My generation grew up inside the recriminations about Vietnam, in part through the movies. We were raised inside a distrust of political administrations' motivations, their propensity for accurate judgement, for justice. We had engendered within us a pervasive sense of the barbarity of war that was (and is) not only intellectual, but emotional.

No one likes to U-turn in public... on wives or husbands, political beliefs, dinner party opinions. We like to state our case and stay true, fearful that any re-evaluation will make us look like intellectual sissies. It can't have been easy for the communists of the 1950s to watch the tanks roll into Hungary and see that juggernaut crush their belief system - a belief system not only at the core of their political lives, but for many, their entire lives. Hopefulness, conviction, passion, then, as now, must sometimes be sacrificed to reality's infuriating complexity - but it sometimes takes courage to admit it.

Many of us from other Western countries, Australia included, have an entrenched view of America that oscillates between fury and hilarity at its blinkered patriotism, at its presidential high-jinks with Bush as cowboy, complete with wardrobe, at its growing Fox and Friends right-wing self-congratulation and its seeming inability or refusal to search its own soul.

And yet, the World's Policeman did something no one else could or would do. It could have all gone horribly wrong, but it didn't. Civilians died, young men and women paid all kinds of prices and both Western and Iraqi children who lost fathers or homes have had their personal maps drastically redrawn by the hand of fate. But the fear and the torture is over. America, in all its infuriating arrogance, acted. Not so long ago, I dreaded this. And now, I have to admit, I was wrong.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/10/1052280480071.html

[Stultis]

Well, she's pretty bitter about it, but more here than we'll ever get from Byrd, Dean, and most anti-American Americans.

[TomB]

Earlier, he had made an appearance on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been deftly positioned for the cameras with the sea in the background, disguising its actual position (off San Diego).

Just picking a nit here. I wonder if any of the journalists on board with the cameras considered TURINING AROUND?

[Pikachu_Dad]

Had to get a bunch of digs in with this 'appology'.

Not a very good one.

[Mr. Mojo]

My generation grew up inside the recriminations about Vietnam, in part through the movies. We were raised inside a distrust of political administrations' motivations

Then why does her kind only distrust the Republican ones?

[kesg]

I just wasted three irretrievable minutes of my life reading this worthless drivel.

[Pyrion]

They were quite a ways off the coast. Given the weather, you probably couldn't see much of San Diego even if they had turned around.

[Mister Baredog]

they shake their heads in wonder at the world's most powerful democracy's intolerance of criticism, even (and perhaps especially) from within its own borders.

Yea BUSH has no CRITICS in the US. LOL!!!

[Scothia]

In social situations, we all laugh about Bush and his marionette vacant-eyed performances, John Wayne meets Ned Flanders

Indeed. These victims of the emasculating feminist machine wouldn't recognize a real man if they stumbled over his boots.

I guess they don't know that the POTUS is the Commander-in-Chief of all our branches of military. His landing on the Abraham Lincoln and greeting the troops was completely appropriate.

But then, "appropriate" is not a word Italian/Aussie socialists would use a lot.

[TomB]

They were quite a ways off the coast. Given the weather, you probably couldn't see much of San Diego even if they had turned around.

Agreed. It just shows the abject stupidity of the left's complaints. Somehow ALL of the journalists were fooled into looking the other way and completely missed that they were within sight of land.

[reformedliberal]

The cost was either a wash or a *cost* of around $6k (something I doubt, but I'll mention it, anyway).

Luckily, we in America do not have to choose between flying an airplane or a hospital bed....yet. Our fuel costs are still quite affordable compared to the rest of the world's.
We have so far avoided a Federal fuel tax, as well.

As to Hollywood production values, this girl has it all wrong. Our President wore boots and hats before he was President, even if he is a *windshield cowboy*. He once wore a US airforce flight suit, before he was even a Governor.

I will bet some journos tried to get a shot of land and failed.

I appreciate that she watches Fox and Friends, though. Perhaps on some level she realizes that the guests and the reportage are more balanced than those on the other morning shows.

I told someone during the war that those who were marching against it would not be eager to admit that, afterwards. She mumbled some doubts. Good to see that it turned out to be accurate.

[Mister Baredog]

America, in all its infuriating arrogance, acted. Not so long ago, I dreaded this. And now, I have to admit, I was wrong.

After a long rant she slips this in at the end. I guess it's all about the meaning of "apology" now isn't it? She doesn't mean a word of it, this just gets her off the hook to go after all the "problems" we've created with our invasion.

[Travis McGee]

The Lincoln was NOT in sight of San Diego when the S-3 landed. It was about 35 miles away, well beyond the horizon.

[Free Vulcan]

But Mzzz. Joanna, all the little insults you throw at Bush and America pretty much describe the way I see most of you liberals here and across the pond. I guess it's just a matter of perception.

Problem is, you politically correct types are supposed to be tolerant and respect different perceptions on reality, but in truth the only one that matters is your own, the one that you filter the existing universe through to make reality comply with your pseudo-religious leftist ideology. I would say it is pretty selective in what it perceives.

The other problem is, no one as of yet has appointed you God, or at least High Emperor, making your perspective no more special than anyone elses. That only leaves you the power of logic and argument, which I don't see much of here.

[WarrenC]

yeah - how courageous. She spends 99.9% of her column on the "how-we-laugh-at-Bush-the-dummy" bits. So by the time she says those last three words she's already made it clear she doesn't believe she was wrong in any way that really matters.

[tet68]

From the deck it may well have been visible, still only a smudge though.

Where was her hilarity when X42 was diddling interns?

Joanna, I accept your apology, now get with the program.
MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!

[M Kehoe]

I just wasted three irretrievable minutes of my life reading this worthless drivel.

Unfortunately, you're not alone.

5.56mm

[longtermmemmory]

The appology was barely two sentences. Talk about a backhanded appology. I boils down to "this ONCE they got it right." She must be living in diffent parts of europe. The parts I saw, business related, where far different than the hippie sentiments she describes in italy.

[cynicom]

The author needs to hark back to 1942 when the Japanese were bombing northern Australia every day. The Aussies took off like scared rabbits for points south. There was a daily clamor for Uncle Sam to send help. How soon so many of them have forgotten. It was the US that dislodged Japan from the South Pacific.

[Polybius]

The Lincoln was NOT in sight of San Diego when the S-3 landed. It was about 35 miles away, well beyond the horizon.

Are you trying to tell us that the Earth is not flat? ;-)

[Travis McGee]

Last I checked.