It is a time of freedom and fear, of Gaia and of borders, of many paths and the widening of a universal toll road, emptying country and swelling cities, of the public bought into privacy and the privacy of the public sold into invisible data banks and knowing algorithms. It is the time of the warrior's peace and the miser's charity, when the planting of a seed is an act of conscientious objection.

These are the times when maps fade and direction is lost. Forwards is backwards now, so we glance sideways at the strange lands through which we are all passing, knowing for certain only that our destination has disappeared. We are unready to meet these times, but we proceed nonetheless, adapting as we wander, reshaping the Earth with every tread.

Behind us we have left the old times, the standard times, the high times. Welcome to the irregular times.


 
The bar for President Bush was low going into last night's foreign policy debate. It's no secret that a great orator, he is not.

Yet, Bush's performance in allegedly his strongest subject, warrants below a "gentleman's C." It was nothing short of dis-graceful. He did not meet observers' low expectations, he fell short of them.

Conservative talking heads are already calling Bush's performance "strong" and "resolute." They are even awarding Bush "style points." These pundits must have been distracted during the debate, for no other reasonable explanation can be offered for their assessment.

Senator Kerry won the foreign policy debate, period.

Kerry displayed a depth of knowledge about foreign policy situations in Russia, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, and of course, Iraq and Afgansitan.

He clearly outlined a four-point strategy for the situation in Iraq.

He concisely explained his so-called flip-flopping about Iraq, explaining that it was not the war itself, but the conditions that President Bush failed to meet before going to war (such as coalition building and using military force as a last resort), that made Kerry apprehensive about the war's course.

As far as style points, viewers can award points to Kerry as well, for his professionalism, poise, and sturdiness.

I watched the debate expecting Kerry to be put on guard. I expected not great oration, but certainly more than warmed-over platitudes from Mr. Bush. In short, I am relieved to have watched the debate as a primary listener, having now made up my own mind, without being spoon-fed bogus talking points from either political side.


Posted by 24thIndependent at 8:54 AM. # (permalink)




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