Pelosi, Reid say they're "smart" and "strong." If so, why do they need to tell us?
BY JAMES TARANTO
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Wednesday, March 29, 2006
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Harry Pelosi and Nancy Reid "are stepping up their effort to cut into the public perception that Republicans are stronger on national security," reports the Associated Press from Washington:
<<< "We need a new direction on national security, and leaders with policies that are tough and smart. That is what Democrats offer," . . . Reid, D-Nev., said in remarks prepared for delivery Wednesday. . . .
Pelosi, D-Calif., said Democrats were providing a fresh strategy--"one that is strong and smart, which understands the challenges America faces in a post 9/11 world, and one that demonstrates that Democrats are the party of real national security." >>>
But according to the AP, there isn't much substance behind these boasts:
<<< The Democratic statement lacks specific details of a plan to capture [Osama] bin Laden, the al-Qaida chief who has evaded U.S. forces in the more than four years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But Democrats suggest they will double the number of special forces and add more spies to increase the chances of finding al-Qaida's elusive leader.
Democrats also do not set a deadline for when all of the 132,000 American troops now in Iraq should be withdrawn.
They say: "We will ensure 2006 is a year of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with the Iraqis assuming primary responsibility for security and governing their country and with the responsible redeployment of U.S. forces." >>>
It's hard to argue with these positions: Everyone would like to see Osama bin Laden captured and the U.S. military presence in Iraq reduced, but because these goals depend on as-yet-unknown contingencies, no one can responsibly promise to achieve them by a date certain. The Democratic position on these matters is essentially indistinguishable from the Republican one.
What's telling about the Reid and Pelosi statements, though, is their sheer vanity. They boast about being "tough," "smart" and "strong." When someone tells you how tough, smart and strong he is, do you think,
(1) Wow, he's really tough, smart and strong! or
(2) If he's so tough, smart and strong, why does he have to keep telling me?
Generally speaking, people who brag about their fine qualities come across as somewhat pathetic.
The exception is when the boast is obviously true. When Muhammad Ali said "I am the greatest," it was charming because it was true. By contrast, if President Bush started going around telling everyone how smart he was, it would be embarrassing. Smart he may be, but he doesn't have bragging rights on this particular point. (He might be able to get away with boasting of his toughness, though.)
By bragging about how smart and strong they are, Reid and Pelosi only underscore that their actions show them to be insipid and weak. Their plan for "national security" looks more like an expression of personal insecurity.
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