I remember Doonesbury doing cartoons back during the reign of George I, about how out-of-touch he was with the American people. And, now, George II seems to be following suit.
Never mind that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has told The Imperial One that his troop surge is "not in the nation's best interest." Never mind that the polls show the electorate doesn't support it. Cheney has declared it's going to happen, and thus it will.
But, here's the problem-
No one seems to know where or for what purpose the extra 20,000 troops would be used.
Imagine your spouse coming to you and saying, "Honey, I need an extra $500 this month."
Naturally, you would reply, "For what, dear?"
"Oh, we've got bills that come due every month."
"I know, dear," you'd reply. "We've already got those expenses built into the budget. What do you need an extra $500 for?"
"We need to pay bills."
"Yes, but why do you need an extra $500?"
If the conversation continued to go around and around in circles, with your beloved spouse never giving you a straight answer as to why the extra money was needed, you would eventually get frustrated and, maybe, even a bit suspicious. The same holds true in Iraq.
If the Decider could tell us where the troops would be deployed and to what end, the electorate might buy into it. Parents of soldiers might feel a bit better about sending their kids off to the desert, if they thought there was a specific mission that held a reasonably decent chance of accomplishing some good. If there was a sense among Americans that their Commander-in-Chief had some clue as to what was going on, folks wouldn't be so uneasy. But, the conversation is-
Tim Hooker is an English professor in Tennessee. He is the author of three books: "Rocket Man: A Rhapsody of Short Stories," "Duncan Hambeth: Furniture King of the South," and "Looking For A City." His politics are progressive liberal; his religion is Catholic Humanism. He is married, with four cats.
