.….the US needs a leadership to confront the transcendent challenge of our time: the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.” Thus Senator McCain recently.
The former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, responding to this crass remark, said: "Somebody who says that kind of stuff either thinks, probably correctly, that the American people are not well informed—in which case he’s demagoguing—or he’s stupid enough to believe it himself. In either case it offers a compelling argument as to why such a candidate should not be president.”
Amen. To debate the real issues the country faces is one thing; to blatantly peddle fear to the half-informed is a disgrace, coming as it does from a man who tells us he is so experienced in foreign affairs.
Actually, it is just for this reason – – the demagoguery , exaggeration and fear-mongering – – that Epicurus warns us off politics in toto. If you listen to this piffle (equating a small bunch of crazies recently trounced by electors on the North-West frontier, no less!, to Hitler) makes you – – surprise, surprise – -anxious, as it is intended to do. That’s how the unscrupulous rule. It isn’t new.
Poor America! It has months of irresponsible, little-girlie, talking-down-to- the- intelligent stuff like this coming up. No wonder its foreign policy is in unparalleled disarray!
Time a new generation took over – – fast!
Yes, indeed and the rest of the world will heave a sigh of relief too. The rise of fundamentalism all over the world, whether it be religious or political, is a consequence of this fear mongering. People retreat to the ‘fundamental shibboleths’ when they feel insecure. The whole thing is a vicious circle and its about time it was reversed.
(I could take issue with the ‘little girlie’ remark, but there are more important issues to consider as you have pointed out.!!)