Monday, February 21, 2005
Demagogue
Demagogue. A word that's routinely tossed about in the b'sphere, assigned to another writer in a dismissive fashion. But I didn't recall the exact definition.
So I looked it up.
demagogue
A noun
1 demagogue, demagog, rabble-rouser
an orator who appeals to the passions and prejudices of his audience
a-HA!
So, "Why", you might ask, "would that word generate sufficient interest to look it up?" In this instance, it's Micajah's latest.
While I had heard an occasional mention during the past four years of The Project for a New American Century and its September 2000 publication titled Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century, I had not realized how close to paranoia the beliefs of the political left are regarding the “neo-cons” and this publication.
... Wilson cited page 67 of the September 2000 paper as the place to look for a plain statement of the "neo-con's" desire, but that page mentioned Pearl Harbor only in the context of saying that the Navy’s leaders may resist change in their force structure so much that the Navy will be unprepared for warfare as it may be waged in the future[.]
... Something is missing on the left. Is it knowledge? Is it a firm grip on reality? What’s missing?
Ambassador Wilson's error may or may not be egregious. Other people may or may not be aware of the error. Other people may have also made statements that contain factual errors.
Such quibbling aside, Micajah cements his credentials as a demagogue in three ways:
1. The basis for Ambassador Wilson's position is not solely dependent on this small element.
2. Painting the left, literally millions of patriotic Americans, with the broad brushstroke of one man's possible errors is wrong.
3. The public lies of other people in positions of leadership and power are not examined in his blog. The lies of President Bush going back to his AWOL days from the National Guard to non-existent weapons of mass destruction and impending assault on America from Iraq to the "crisis" of Social Security is the mere tip of the iceberg.
I think the definition applies to Micajah.
