From a biography of Richard Nixon, by Tom Wicker:
“Americans could have seen in [Nixon] themselves as they knew they were, not as they frequently dreamed of being. They could have recognized in Nixon their own sentimental patriotism and confidence in national virtue, their professed love of God and family, their…preference for action over reflection…and their vocal if not always practiced devotion to freedom and democracy.”
Substitute our current President’s name for Nixon, and the description is not all that different. The debate is both over how we define those virtues and moral values, and how we act upon them. Today, those definitions and our government's actions are just as distorted as they were in 1970.
On that same theme, this is from John Fogerty’s new song:
“One by one I see the old ghosts rising
Stumblin’ ‘cross Big Muddy
Where the light gets dim
Day after day another Momma’s crying
She’s lost her precious child
To a war that has no end
Did you hear ‘em talkin’ ‘bout it on the radio
Did you stop to read the writing at The Wall
Did that voice inside you say
I’ve seen this all before
It’s like Déjà vu all over again”
In 1969, Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival wrote a popular protest song against the Vietnam War. Fogerty's new song actually has a guitar hook that repeats the refrain from his previous song. President Bush repeats the patriotism and 'liberty marching' hook from an era 35 years ago.
Who’ll stop the rain?
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