Democratic voters might get suckered into voting for State Treasurer Phil Angelides come November because of his new promise to rid Iraq of California’s National Guard. Don’t be one of them.
Angelides has, from day one, ridiculed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his rocky friendship with President George W. Bush, and this is just another sad example of the Democratic candidate’s desperate grasp at minuscule straws. His advertisements solely consist of making fun of the governor for his friendship with the president and the “Governator’s” celebrity status.
To be quite frank, the appeals to the public from Angelides hold no water and certainly could not sustain any rigorous examination. The condemnation of Schwarzenegger’s friendship with the president is absolutely silly because Schwarzenegger has a small role, if any, in the president’s poor choices.
Does President Bush really consult Schwarzenegger when asking that we continue (or was it begin?) using alternative methods in extracting information from suspected terrorists? Or when the president uses bad diction and uses foolish words like “evil” and “moral” to justify killing people, does he encourage Schwarzenegger to proofread his speech copy? Probably not.
His most recent offense includes leaking a tape of one of Schwarzenegger’s private conversation to the Los Angeles Times, in which Schwarzenegger said racially derogatory (and just plain stupid) things, including calling Puerto Rican’s “hot” tempered. This only further makes Angelides seem like a morally bankrupt, petty politician who doesn’t have a leg to stand on in the gubernatorial race. Instead of trying to make it on his own merit, Angelides is depending on Schwarzenegger’s flaws to fuel his campaign.
Now, clinging onto the hope of fooling voters into electing him, Angelides is making outlandish promises that will never reach fruition. A withdrawal of the Californian National Guard from Iraq is not only something the president will never do, it is absolutely morally irresponsible.
Regardless of one’s convictions on the war, we went there and it happened. As the old adage goes, “You can’t unring a bell.” Now, because of our actions, the nation is in total upheaval.
In a recent article in the Sept. 20 issue of the L.A. Times, a Baghdad correspondent for the newspaper wrote about the chaotic, fearful state of the country, noting that while grocery shopping, no one stopped to help a dying man who had been shot in the street for fear that they too would become a target. The author described this kind of scene as commonplace.
To leave Iraq in this state of chaos, especially since we had our hand in creating it, would be absolutely wrong. Yes, soldiers need to come home soon, and it’s aggravating to know that obscene amounts of tax dollars are poured into the Middle Eastern country every year. But most importantly, we need to accept responsibility and restore peace and order to the country we so recklessly invaded.
The promise Angelides is making is just his way of placating the deeply Democratic audience and telling them what he thinks they want to hear. But Californians are no fools and will not tolerate these types of mudslinging and dirty tricks. Sorry, Phil.