SamSaid!

HARRY

     Harry Truman was never accused of being a high brow intellectual. To the contrary his critics were fond of describing him as a “two bit ward-heeling politician from Kansas City”. However, historians include Harry among our greatest Presidents even though he entered the White House at a distinct disadvantage. Seems that Franklin D. Roosevelt hadn't briefed him on many of the State secrets in war time dealings with Winston Churchill and Joe Stalin. Things like winning WWII and what to do after the war.  

     During his years in office, Harry had to make some major decisions  — like dropping the A-bomb to end WWII, The Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan and even firing Gen. Douglas MacArthur. He scored an “A” on all of them. I became a Harry fan when he called a New York Music Critic a sonofabitch for his caustic comments about the singing skills of Harry's daughter, Margaret. Harry never backed off, and this incident contributed to the saying, “Giv'em hell, Harry”. My kind of guy.

     Considering background and education, it isn't easy to compare George Bush with Harry, but some comparisons are right on. George is not highly articulate, but he is a straight talker and relates well to the man in the street. He is light years away from “Slick Willie”. Like Harry, George doesn't shy away from big decisions like the Iraqi War and he has no hesitation in challenging issues such as the abolition of death taxes and the termination of double taxation on dividends. Similarly, he is willing to tackle the Social Security sacred cow by urging individual accounts. Maybe Congress will shoot down these efforts, but not withoput a fierce contest from George.

     Virtually everyone I have encountered in recent days gave a big “hoo-ray” for George landing on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. Now I see that Sen. Robert Byrd of WV has described the landing as a flambouyant publicity stunt. Tough words from the Senate's King of Pomposity. If I were George's Campaign Manager, I would show both film clips in one ad  –  George's landing and Byrd's intemperate comments  –  followed by a short political dig, “Thanks, Bob, for keeping us on the front page”.

WMDs

     The search is on in earnest to find Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, or at a minimum find solid evidence of either their destruction or transshipment to other countries. In the weeks and months ahead, the searches will no doubt intensify. On one hand, the Bushies (George, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, et. al.) can hardly wait to say “We told you so” and then add to their polical capital. On the other hand, the anti-war folks and the Democrats salivate at the prospect of saying, “See, there were none. We were misled by Bush into fighting an unnecessary, costly war”. Target –  2004. At this point it is hard to tell whether the UN wants to find WMDs or not.

     One thing is for sure. With the continuing disclosure of the unspeakable atrocities committed in Iraq during the past 12+ years, Saddam and his two sons clearly qualify as WMDs  –  on their own people. At this point, I'm not sure whether we want to find them dead or alive. But if they are still among the living when we find them, I have an idea that will serve justice. Why not get three old electric chairs, strap in these 3 gents, and then sell lottery tickets internationally to see who gets to flip the switches. Think of the enormous benefit to the recovering Iraqi economy. Not a bad idea, but France would propbably veto it.

      On a related matter, I have a problem with the acronym “WMD” since I am not sure how “mass” is defined. Maybe a better acronym would be GGNs, for “gas, germs and nukes”. At least we'd know exactly what we are talking about.