Election 2004: Vote Early and OftenThe Joker in the Deck
Sunday, October 31, 2004, 03:32 PM
So if you were one of the people who predicted that the Pentagon would announce this week that they had captured bin Laden, you, like me, were wrong. Surprised again! And now everyone wonders -- at least, I know I do -- is his group really planning something around Nov. 2? Is this going to be the final monkey wrench that throws the whole system into chaos? I try not to think about that scenario because it's too disturbing.
The pundits are having a good time trying to decide who the release of the tape benefits more, Bush or Kerry, Gee, what about the rest of us? Does it benefit us in some way? Is there useful information in there? Should we ignore the tape as the recordings of a hopeless psychopath or see if it tells us anything about their motivations that we can actually work with, even if he *is* a hopeless psychopath? (I understand that basic hostage negotiation teams do that much. Someone can chime in here if they know better.)
At least one thing ought to be clear: the mantra "They hate our freedoms" should go into the dustbin of history along with all the other useless soundbytes that pass for explanation from our various political leaders, from *both* major parties.
Ok, I'm done ranting now.
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