Cheap Talk

With regard to the Dick Lugar question discussed below, the AP's coverage of his speech clarifies that Senator Lugar doesn't intend to do anything about his qualms with Bush's Iraq policy:

"In my judgment, the costs and risks of continuing down the current path outweigh the potential benefits that might be achieved," Lugar, R-Ind., said in a Senate floor speech. "Persisting indefinitely with the surge strategy will delay policy adjustments that have a better chance of protecting our vital interests over the long term." . . .

However, [Lugar spokesman Andy] Fisher said the speech does not mean Lugar would switch his vote on the war or embrace Democratic measures setting a deadline for troop withdrawals.

Bush can at least say that he's implementing a massively wrongheaded Iraq policy, leading to untold deaths and the trashing of American interests, because he doesn't know any better -- Lugar's doing it because, what, it would be impolite to do otherwise? Because he's just a bad person and doesn't give a damn? This stuff makes me angry.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2007/06/cheap-talk/42901/