He's a "wartime" president!
How about words of praise for "peacetime" presidents?
I caught only a couple of minutes of mainstream media coverage of the Zelensky visit, and I suppose that makes me lucky. In that brief period, I heard Zelensky described twice in positive terms as a “wartime” president. As if it’s a great thing to be the leader of Ukraine during a devastating war.
Remember when George W. Bush took a fancy to being described as a “wartime” president in the aftermath of 9/11? The mainstream media seems to fancy the term as well. What a wonderful, praiseworthy thing it is to be a wartime president! Look at how Zelensky dresses so simply, in olive drab, as if he just stepped out of a command post. What a guy.
When I caught that media coverage yesterday of Zelensky’s visit, which included a quick meet and greet with Joe and Jill Biden with Marine Corps guards saluting in the background, I was with my brother. My brother Stevie is mentally ill. But as I watched the coverage on TV, in my brother’s room, I reflected that he’s far saner than those media types gushing about war, and a far wiser and more honest soul than the so-called leaders I was watching at the White House.
There’s nothing like being a “wartime” leader that makes certain people gush. Obviously, many leaders love it too, since wartime grants them far more authority in the cause of waging and “winning” the war. And all this is treated as the height of sobriety and sanity within our war-crazed society.
When is the mainstream media going to praise our leaders for being peacetime presidents? Jesus Christ, after all, was the Prince of Peace. We need some princes of peace today. Then again, look what they did to Jesus.
Bill,
I was appalled by the whole disturbing spectacle. I noticed the speech was covered on every major television network and turned the television off. Later, the local news reported on it - from Zelensky in his khaki t-shirt (pure theatrics) to him handing over the "Ukrainian battle flag" to Harris and Pelosi, to mention of taking Federal land to create a "Ukrainian Freedom Park" - all accompanied by the mindless standing ovations of our elected "leaders" in Congress.
I was reminded of the quote of Senator Padme in episode 3 of Star Wars: "So this is how liberty dies..with thunderous applause".
In our case, I think our liberty died a long time ago. With the ongoing escalation toward direct conflict between the United States and Russia - death may become literal.
Unfortunately for me, my wife was watching BBC News' coverage of the visit / speeches, etc. She should know better- just hearing it from another room made me start yelling at each spoken lie.
I walked in for a moment and what struck me was not only the lies, but the happy smiles on Pelosi, et al.
If there is any doubt of our nation's 'leaders' (Dr. Cornell West often referred to this set as 'mis-leaders' and i prefer that term) love for war-making, weapons purchases and sales and their utter disdain for the actual public interests, this moment, and their recent approval of the disgustingly massive annual 'defense' appropriation (along with their inability to even extend the child tax credit) should remove that.
Yet we can't retreat into the gloom of these moments.; but rather, must keep calling the perpetrators and perpetuators of these moral failures out. If there is any history at all to be recorded, it must be known that at least some of our kind did speak out in opposition and tried to change directions in time.