For people who don't follow up on links, one particular quote from her column is simply too good to take the chance you might miss. It explains a lot of the problems today with both the right wing, who want simple answers for complex problems, and GW Bush, who prides himself in never going deep or bothering to get educated on anything-- including how to properly address the Pope. Good ol' gut instinct never let him down yet, dontcha know.
Camile Paglia wrote: "I winced when President Bush at a press conference last month said, in reference to terrorists wanting to harm us, "These are the words of al-Qaida themselves." Nearly six years after 9/11, is it possible that the commander in chief of the American military still doesn't understand the meaning of that Arabic phrase? "Al-Qaida" isn't plural, like "Boy Scouts" or "Rotarians"; it literally means "the foundation," a loose consortium of scattered cells (against which conventional warfare is helpless).
"The embarrassingly limited knowledge of the Middle East possessed by this administration when it recklessly launched the Iraq invasion will be the subject of endless future histories. The president naively relied on arrogant advisors with their own covert agendas, above all Vice President Dick Cheney, who despite his impaired health and recurrent medical emergencies, remains the obstinate mastermind of our continued, costly presence in Iraq. This administration has morphed into Salvador Dali's horrifying 1936 painting, "Soft Construction With Boiled Beans: Premonition of Civil War" -- a barbaric spectacle of rage, self-destruction and decay."
12 comments:
Regarding her thoughts on Al Gore as a presidential candidate, I think she's probably right. He's not good at campaigning and some of his statements on global warming wouldn't help but I think he'd be a good president-- if he ever got there-- and he'd have my vote-- again, but then I am not looking for charisma in my candidates.
Interesting article. Up until a couple of months ago I too would like to have seen a Dianne Fienstien run. But Ms. Paglia must not know about the Senator funneling Defense contracts to her husbands company. I think that would get ugly if she tried a national election.
While I agree that many mistakes have been made and Condi Rice's specialty was Russia. On the W quote about Al Quaida is he really that dumb or is he trying to keep it in simple terms for a dumb press corps and voting public. If he launched into a speech about the intricateness of Muslim extremist terrorism most people would tune out in 30 seconds.
ingineer, you are indeed a man of faith lol I can't believe you honestly think Bush understands all that, is even capable of giving a deep speech on the Middle East if it wasn't being read by him. Amazing but then 30% of Americans do still support him whether they groan while they do it or not is not for sure.
The truth more likely is he doesn't really understand a lot of what he's done, he's trusted the wrong people. He probably has both ADD and dyslexia. He was the worst possible combination of person to be in the office he holds. He is manipulated by others and his huge ego, which he showed in high form when he got hero worshiped by Albanians, has let others lead him wherever they want.
Bush is the Emperor's New Clothes only not a fairy tale but a tragic situation given the power of his office. And as long as people, like you, who are good people and mean well, continue to defend him, want to think nobody could be that dumb or bad, another just like him will be waiting in the wings.
Al Qaida can also be translated as "the base". :) One question - if having GW Bush gone is so important an issue, why don't a majority of eligible voters vote - including many Liberals ?
I so wish I lived south of the border and had an opportunity to vote against Bush and his merry band. Oh please, please, let the next camper in the White House be someone without GWB's colossal ego and arrogance, warmongering and insensitivity to environmental matters.
If I did live south of the border Gore would have my vote. OK, he is not the most chrismatic character around, but still. . .
OOOh, I sure would't want to piss off Camile Paglia. Like most political commentators, she certainly has a wicked tongue and astute judgments--on many things. Lil Bush starts tonight on the Comedy Network; I'll have to watch it at least once to see how it plays.
I agree with Paglia's comments on Hillary--very much like my own take, I'll admit. I'm reserving judgment as I watch it all unfold. I agree that putting Gore up would be a huge mistake.
Never read Salon before though I know it is a hot site. Thanks for the link, which I did read in full.
The Salvador Dali art was chilling and predictive of now.
Paglia doesn't owe anything to Madonna much less her fame !!
I left a rather intemperate comment about Camille Paglia, and then deleted it, but not before Paul responded to it. I don't want his comment to not have context. I did say that Camille Paglia made her fame in connection with Madonna. My sense of her writing has always been that Paglia needs to be titillated as a prelude to acknowledgement. For all her intellectual strength, and she's rather mighty, she's still got stars in her eyes around pop culture. I think it seriously undercuts her genius, and I always have. She's brilliant, but weirdly flawed.
Paglia is, to me, an interesting woman because she doesn't follow the rules-- rather like Hitchens for being one of a kind. For anyone who is not familiar with her, here's a kind of synopsis in Wikipedia which is, of course, not the last word but provides the criticism of her also.. Paglia To me, she walks her own path which I like but obviously isn't popular with all :)
After reading the Wikipedia article, she sounds kind of like a George Carlin. Cut down everyone and have conflicting personal views on sensitive issues.
The sad thing is he hasn't bothered to learn anything the entire time we've been fighting in Iraq.
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