Cox & Forkum have a great cartoon called Calling The Bluff where Bush appears as a cowboy. It's a common criticism of our president that he's behaving like a cowboy. Some people think that's a virtue. Here's an excellent article from Andrew Bernstein, at the Ayn Rand Institute: In Defense of the Cowboy
Even as our European critics use the "cowboy" image as a symbol of reckless irresponsibility, they implicitly reveal the real virtues they are attacking. European leaders assail Americans because our "language is far too blunt" and because we see the struggle between Western Civilization and Islamic fanaticism in "black-and-white certainties." They whine about our "Texas attitude" and whimper that "an American president who makes up his mind and then will accept no argument" is a greater danger than murderous dictators. In short, they object to America's willingness to face the facts, to make moral judgments, to act independently, and to battle evil with unflinching courage.
The only valid criticism of President Bush, in this context, is that he is not true enough to the heritage of the Lone Star State. When the Texas Rangers went after a bank robber or rustler, they didn't wait to ask the permission of his fellow gang members. Yet Bush is asking permission from a U.N. Security Council that includes Syria, one of the world's most active sponsors of terrorism.
Thursday, March 13, 2003
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Good post. I'm starting to wonder if I can get you to write for Simply American, or if I could get permission to fetch your RSS feed and republish it, as I do with commentaries of a friend.