Ideas have consequences

The media is buzzing about Dick Cheney’s statement that “if we make the wrong choice [on November 2nd] then the danger is that we’ll get hit again.” John Edwards fired back that Cheney’s statement was “way over the top and, I think, un-American.” Here’s the Washington Post’s report on the flap by Dana Milbank and Spencer Hsu.
I view Cheney’s statement as essentially a truism. To the extent that Bush and Kerry have serious differences about how to fight the global war against terrorism, it would seem to follow that electing the candidate with the wrong, or less efficacious, ideas increases the danger that “we’ll get hit again.” To me, Cheney’s statement isn’t much different than if Edwards had said that there’s a danger of higher unemployment if we re-elect Bush, except that Cheney is talking about a higher stakes policy dispute. Which is what the Democrats don’t seem able to grasp.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses