| The Senate is debating whether or not guys | | | | thing. This is the war of the worlds - our |
| who go by the rules of the Geneva Convention | | | | civilization against their heathenism, and, |
| can defeat guys who torture people and shoot | | | | if we're going to stand a chance, we better |
| them in the back of the head. Even Colin | | | | have the weapons we need at the ready. |
| Powell jumped in and said he thinks we should | | | | |
| adhere to the Geneva Conventions in order to | | | | Never to compare our bravely defiant |
| protect the safety of our own troops, as if | | | | colonists with the unconscionable torturers |
| the terrorists are likely to observe the | | | | and murderers afoot in radical Muslimism, but |
| rules if they get their hands on our troops. | | | | when our Minutemen found, in their smaller |
| | | | numbers, it necessary to hide in the woods |
| George Bush, on the other hand, thinks the | | | | and pick off the Redcoats, who were advancing |
| Geneva Conventions ought to be as malleable | | | | in the kind of honorable battle array that |
| as Silly Putty. | | | | worked just fine against Napoleon, the Brits |
| | | | did finally adjust their battle tactics a |
| Certainly, there's an acceptable middle | | | | bit. |
| ground. After all, the norms of behavior that | | | | |
| inspired the Geneva Convention relate to the | | | | Does the entire world have to relearn such a |
| usual sort of warfare, where there is at | | | | basic and costly lesson? And how many must |
| least some semblance of honorable conduct. We | | | | die while the debate drones on? |
| find ourselves in a time when the enemy knows | | | | |
| nothing about the traditional norms of | | | | Or let's see it as a boxing match, where the |
| combat. They are, as we know, thugs who | | | | good guy has, as usual, one hand tied behind |
| perpetrate torture and murder as expedients | | | | his back, while the bad guy is doing |
| to causing as much outrage as possible and, | | | | everything he can to hurt him, even doing |
| perversely enough, they work their barbarisms | | | | some kick boxing. Forget that. Even pulling a |
| in the name of their kidnapped God. | | | | gun out of his trunks or planting a bomb |
| | | | under the other side of the ring. |
| How is civilization, which is strolling down | | | | |
| the lane counting daisies while these | | | | While we don't have to reduce ourselves to |
| monsters wait in ambush, to have a fighting | | | | the most malicious of terrorist tactics, we |
| chance against them? Launching a realistic | | | | at least have the right to fight with both |
| debate is pretty urgent. Though he errs in | | | | hands free. |
| cocksure excess, GWB is right about one | | | | |