Dancing Partners: Dowd and Boxer

Maureen Dowd, NYT Jan 20th



Maureen Dowd publishes an inane and witless piece on Jan 20th, replicating Barbara Boxer’s ridiculous attacks on Condoleezza Rice last week. Coincidence or strategy? Barbara Boxer’s voodoo like skewering, was a completely naked attempt to blame MS. Rice for every issue she has with the Bush Administration. Ms. Dowd’s piece is no better clothed, and in the process she manages to offend sensible people, mathematicians, economists, physicists, and even Sam Cooke fans.

Ms. Dowd must need a refresher course in civics, if she believes that the National Security Advisor is responsible for the signing of death notices to soldier’s families, oil revenue projections from Iraq, and offensive military tactics in Iraq. Certainly, when a nation is engaged in war, all of these issues are up for discussion. These issues are likely to be politicized to the greatest extent possible, but these strikingly similar strategies of trying to blame a Presidential Advisor and post nominee for the wide range of issues that Dowd and Boxer are trying to blame Ms. Rice for, cannot be ignored.

In the short time since the Rathergate report has been released the MSM has fought to preserve its routinely doubted, air of neutrality. This lock-step message by Boxer and Dowd only highlights the continued skepticism we should continue to give the MSM, as such parallel attacks could hardly occur without the syncopation that has become the hallmark of Democrat party operations and MSM productions. The press will not escape this until they can truly wean themselves from their liberal bias.

Condi Rice is a job applicant, and needs to be asked probing questions. But truly, a candidate for a position cannot be held responsible for activities that occurred in departments outside of her purview, where again, she held the position of “advisor” not “policy maker.” Swing at Rumsfeld, swing at the President, swing at DOJ, in the proper forums. But don’t swing at a highly respected, highly qualified, exceptionally bright, diverse candidate for a critical office during a confirmation hearing where her connection to these issues is thin at best.

Remember, critics have their place, but… “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt.

I don’t see individual Senators leading anything, nor do I see Maureen Dowd as anything more than a shallow, witless critic. Let the doers do, and have the critics get out of their way.