A related point by Michael Kinsley: 'The more things you call terrorism, the fewer you are likely to wipe out.' Slate And The Progressive's editor Matthew Rothschild comments:
'There was something almost pathetic about George W. Bush's attempt to make his fight against terrorism akin to the fight against the Nazis.
In his State of the Union address, he evoked the comparison when he said that North Korea, Iran, Iraq, "and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil." '
And, from Toronto Star
columnist Thomas Walkom [via wood s lot]:
The war against terrorism is a brilliant construct. It may not have been started by George W. Bush, but it certainly works to his advantage.
It has provided oomph to the sagging U.S. economy and a new raison d'être for the alliance of politicos, defence contractors and security specialists who make up what former U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower christened the military-industrial complex.
What makes this war so superior, in political terms, is its vagueness. Since the terrorist, by definition, can be anyone — the man in the next apartment, the person lurking on the subway platform — we can never be sure who the enemy is.
Also noticed by wood s lot, from Stephanie Salter in the SF Chronicle [via CommonDreams]:
Bush: All War All the Time --[All right, enough already, Eliot, they get the picture...]
"...(W)hen it comes to marketing a mediocre product, my hat is off to the GOP.
Nobody does it better.
In George W. Bush, Republicans have transcended the Emperor's New Clothes Hall of Fame. And, now, thanks to the murderous, Sept. 11 deeds of a newly christened "evil axis," Republicans hardly need to work to ensure long-lasting, widespread brand loyalty for their boy.
In fact, as Bush so enthusiastically demonstrated in his State of the Union message last week, the only thing his administration must do is keep America afraid and "at war."
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