New York Times Editorial - Bush's diversion tactics
New York Times Editorial - Bush's diversion tactics
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: June 6, 2006
President George W. Bush devoted his Saturday radio speech to a cynical boost for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. It was depressing in the extreme to hear the chief executive trying to pretend, at this moment in American history, that this was a critical priority.
Bush's central point was that the United States was under siege from "activist judges" who are striking down anti-gay-marriage laws that conflict with their own state constitutions. That's their job, just as it is the job of state legislators to either fix the laws or change their constitutions.
If there's anything America should have learned over the past five years, it is that Bush and his supporters have no problem with judicial decisions that endorse their political positions. They trot out the "activist judge" threat only when they're worried about getting out their base on Election Day.
The Republican leadership plans to trot out one cultural hot button after another in the coming weeks. After gay marriage comes the push for a constitutional ban on flag burning, a solution in search of a problem if there ever was one.
All this effort to divert Americans' attention to issues that divide and distract would be bad enough if America were not facing real, disastrous problems at home and abroad. But then, if that weren't the case, Bush probably wouldn't feel moved to stoop so low.
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: June 6, 2006
President George W. Bush devoted his Saturday radio speech to a cynical boost for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. It was depressing in the extreme to hear the chief executive trying to pretend, at this moment in American history, that this was a critical priority.
Bush's central point was that the United States was under siege from "activist judges" who are striking down anti-gay-marriage laws that conflict with their own state constitutions. That's their job, just as it is the job of state legislators to either fix the laws or change their constitutions.
If there's anything America should have learned over the past five years, it is that Bush and his supporters have no problem with judicial decisions that endorse their political positions. They trot out the "activist judge" threat only when they're worried about getting out their base on Election Day.
The Republican leadership plans to trot out one cultural hot button after another in the coming weeks. After gay marriage comes the push for a constitutional ban on flag burning, a solution in search of a problem if there ever was one.
All this effort to divert Americans' attention to issues that divide and distract would be bad enough if America were not facing real, disastrous problems at home and abroad. But then, if that weren't the case, Bush probably wouldn't feel moved to stoop so low.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 9:19 AM
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