Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Healing a nation's wounds

Someone sent me this article by Keith Olbermann, about whom I knew next to nothing. I was told this is a "must read". So, I read it.

Olbermann writes passionately, angrily about September 11 and the political fall out over the past five years. I guess if I were inclined to buy into Olbermann's perspective I'd overlook some of the things he wrote, but I'm not. Other than what Olbermann wrote about the embarrassing failure to erect a monument and build something - anything - at the World Trade Center site I don't think there's much of value here other than venting.
History teaches us that nearly unanimous support of a government cannot be taken away from that government by its critics. It can only be squandered by those who use it not to heal a nation's wounds, but to take political advantage.
I read this passage twice and then spent some time trying to think of any time in the history of the United States when the government had 'near unanimous' support to heal the "nation's wounds" (what wounds?). After Pearl Harbor, maybe, but in 1944 Roosevelt was elected with 53% of the vote - hardly unanimous support three years later. And, Roosevelt wasn't trying to "heal the nation's wounds", but to win a war.

Lincoln wasn't unanimously supported by northern Democrats, many in his own party or even some in his cabinet (I'm ignoring the southerners). But, boy was he trying to heal the "nation's wounds".

I figure the closest ever was during Washington's first term. He was revered from north to south, but even that didn't last. He did some things that annoyed some people (in other words, he governed). He was attacked, viciously often, for his policies with regards to relations with the French and/or British.

Maybe Olbermann meant another country, but I can't think of any democratically elected government having unanimous support other than for a few fleeting moments. That's how it's supposed to work.

He then goes off about The Path to 9/11 (still haven't seen it) implying that (a) it's basically a Bush production and (b) that there can no possible blame for the Democrats in what happened on September 11.
The documented truths of the last fifteen years are replaced by bald-faced lies; the talking points of the current regime parroted; the whole sorry story blurred, by spin, to make the party out of office seem vacillating and impotent, and the party in office, seem like the only option.
I wonder if he saw Fahrenheit 9/11? Just a thought. The media is the media and if The Path to 9/11 is not accurate, well that's regrettable so far as people get their whole perception of September 11 from this one program.

He finishes his rant by referencing the Twilight Zone. I found the whole thing bizarre, only barely connected to reality. Olbermann clearly needs a vacation as does the person who sent this to me as a 'must read'.