Ok, that’s kind of a loaded title. I could probably fill page after page with a title like that. But, for the sake of time and space, I’ll just touch on a couple things that I don’t quite get.
First off, what’s up with all these people talking about George W. Bush reinstituting a draft? Or that there’s a backdoor draft going on? What I want to know is where in the world are people getting this idea from.
People are saying that they have evidence of a draft. Check out this guy’s evidence. “Bush and his policies may well lead inevitably to a draft, because…’With George W. Bush, the plan for Iraq is more of the same and the great potential of a draft.'” Um, was that evidence? I’m pretty sure that was a restating of what he already said.
I’ve visited countless sites trying to find some minute shred of evidence that Bush is planning to reinstate the draft. It’s all just a bunch of rampant and ungrounded speculation. I’m open to any ideas, but until I hear some sort of actual evidence on the matter, then I don’t think anyone should be claiming that Bush wants a draft.
Ok, now for the even bigger problem. Everyone says that because there were no WMD’s in Iraq, Bush is a liar. Now, Bush did say that WMD’s were there, there’s no denying that. I admit that Bush spoke a falsehood. However, I believe that there is a difference between lying and speaking a falsehood. I know that sounds weird and you are probably throwing full wine bottles at your computer screen in your anger, but bear with me for a moment as I explain.
You are 10 years old, and you are downstairs in your room playing your PS2. The phone rings. You keep playing until you realize that the phone has rung three times now, and after the fourth the answering machine will pick up. You rush over to the phone, and someone on the other end asks if your mom is there. You say yes. You run upstairs to get her, but you find a little note that says she went to go get some groceries but she’ll be back in about 30 minutes.
So, did you lie? I would say not. Did you speak a falsehood? I would say yes. You didn’t speak the truth, but you genuinely thought you were. The word “lie” implies that you did something wrong, but you did not. You honestly thought your mom was at home.
Bush was in the same situation. The Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the National Football League all told Bush that there were WMD’s. He genuinely thought they were there, just like everyone else. I say he wasn’t lying. He was misinformed, and we shouldn’t hold it against him.
