Ravenwood - 12/20/04 06:30 AM
After a week of GOP Senators calling for his resignation, now the Dems are starting to pile on Rumsfeld. The kerfuffle has also expanded to include controversy over Rumsfeld using an electronic reproduction of his signature for letters to families of deceased servicemen, rather than signing each one personally. There was no mention of whether or not past Secretaries have personally signed the letters or used a stamp, but they do mention that Bush personally signs all of the condolences that he sends.
I think that whether or not Rummy is able to ride out the political storm will be a good indicator of just how much President Bush supports his people. A Rumsfeld departure would reflect negatively on President Bush (in my mind any way). Then again, the negative press is going to get much worse before it gets better. Rumsfeld needs to hope that the holiday break takes some of the wind out of this media frenzy.
And just think, all of this started because an embedded reporter from Chattanooga was afraid that his own Humvee didn't have enough armor. It's a classic case of reporters creating the news rather than reporting it.
Who was the official in Catch-22 who was going after the Life Magazine compassion award with his condolence letter ``Dear Sir or Madam: Words cannot convey the sorrow I felt on the death of your husband/son/brother''
The ritual isn't sincere if the guy signing it doesn't sign it, a new complaint as far as I know.
The sort of sincerity it has is one of ritual, and it can't have any more. This is going into fetish territory now. The signature proves sincerity, is the absurd premise; and in particular a machine signature proves insincerity.
But sincerity is not the opposite of insincerity. A vast field is not covered by either term, including sending out letters of condolence, which is neither sincere not insincere. It is ritual, and done because it's civilizing.
Rumsfield says okay I'll sign them, because it doesn't matter, and maybe cuts the legs out from a charge that's too hard to explain to morons, which is the intelligence level of the press when it feeds on itself, or when it writes for its prime audience, namely women.
Posted by: Ron Hardin at December 20, 2004 6:47 AMWell, I personally signed each Christmas card I sent, whereas some of the ones I received were done by machine. (Especially those photo cards)
I guess I'm more sincere than those insincere bastards that sent me a photo of their kid in a Santa outfit.
Posted by: Ravenwood at December 20, 2004 7:12 AM(c) Ravenwood and Associates, 1990 - 2014
