Invitation for Mr. George Bush: Let's Talk

[Doc Martin]

Over 160,000 American men and women risk death at this very hour in Iraq based on orders from their commander-in-chief.

Don’t you think it is odd that the commander-in-chief who swaggers into Australia and crows “we’re kicking ass in Iraq,” will not risk being face-to-face in a public conversation with a group of average American citizens? Mr. Bush lives in his own traveling green zone: meeting halls with hand-picked audiences, itineraries with lines of sight never blemished with view of a protester, and an always ready divine shoulder to lean and cry on, that of some unnamed god who wears an American flag lapel pin and tells presidents to go to war.

Here is an invitation to Mr. Bush.

Conversation is dangerous business; we know this in Philadelphia. But why not come to the Constitution Center in Philadelphia for a town hall. You name the date and time. We will pick the audience together, by lottery, so you will meet a representative group of citizens selected at random.

Until then please refrain from language of kicking ass, claims of being steadfast and unwavering, and naming some divinity as the instigator of your war. Many of us, your fellow citizens, don’t need to kick anybody’s ass, remain faithful to our beliefs while daily encountering others who disagree, and none of us are required to pray to any god. And those like me who do pray, for me to Jesus Christ, could never imagine anyone dragging his name into a war let alone claim him as its author and thus make war holy work.

[DaveJ]

1. All public officials should do that. Great idea.

Something like a YouTube debate would be nice too, except in this case Shrub should be up there by himself. Since we know now that his staff inoculates him from the public, it is even more crucial that something like this takes place. The mere perception that our pResident is intentionally cut-off from the American opinion is unhealthy and very disturbing.