(Editors note: Read part one three and four) Now, I’ll begin exploring the shape for our curious political life, as outlined in Part 1, by accounts of the run-up to the Iraq war and the behavior of the Democrats during the period 2000 – 2005. Democrats were seemingly, during this time, engaged in self-effacement, echoing the reticence of the media to seriously question Republican pronouncements and agenda. The Bush government saw nothing but opportunity in 9/11. Soon after the event, it effectively wrapped the flag around its policies, convincing the public that all who would question them were making traitorous utterances and giving aid and comfort to the enemy. The throttling of debate extended to domestic matters, such as taxation, and the environment as well as the conduct of military operations and internal security. It will be useful to refresh our memories of this period.

In a bizarre imitation of Nazi rhetoric, the word “homeland”, never spoken before by an American politician, became a trope of discourse during this time, and became institutionalized with the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security. It felt strange to hear a term Hitler had used often, “Das Heimatsland”, in speeches urging Germans to engage in unjust expansionist warfare, by Bush. The American president was using the same term to promote a similar cause. Bush’s task in leading the country into an unjust war demanded persuading the people that all the norms of behavior expected of other countries did not apply to the US.

Continue reading American Exceptionalism And Global Warming (Part 2) →