THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume V, Issue # 74, March 19, 2003
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
WHO SHOULD LEAD THE AMERICAN NATION?
HOLLYWOOD OR THE WHITE HOUSE?
By Alan Caruba
As American troops and our allies prepare to write a new future for the people of Iraq and throughout the Middle East, who would you prefer to make the critical decisions? The White House lead by President Bush, or the antiwar protesters led by a gaggle of Hollywood actors and singers?
From the moment he took office, President Bush was characterized as a dimwit by his critics. He has since confounded his critics, not the least of whom is Senate Minority Leader and Senate Democratic Party Floor Leader, Tom Daschle, who accused Bush of having failed "miserably" at diplomacy, thus bringing us into conflict with Iraq. Daschle, of course, managed to ignore Iraq's years of ignoring UN resolutions and the UN Secu- rity Council's spectacularly failed years of "weapons inspections."
Daschle and most of the Democrat candidates who have lined up against the President have been joined by a chorus of criticism from Hollywood. Let's, for a moment, compare the intellectual credentials of those critics with those in the White House.
Martin Sheen, an actor who plays a president on television, was unable to pass the exam to attend the University of Dayton. Alex Baldwin, an actor, is a dropout from George Washington University and George Clooney, an actor, is another college dropout from the University of Kentucky. Larry Hagman, an actor, got through one year at Bard College before dropping out. Sean Penn, Mike Farrell, and Ed Asner, actors, managed to complete high school.
Michael Moore, a director and an author, dropped out of the University of Michigan in his first year there. He is famed for his Leftist attacks on corporate America.
Among the actresses opposing the White House, there's Susan Sarandon, who holds a degree in drama from Catholic University of America. Jessica Lange dropped out of college before completing her freshman year. Janeane Garofelo is yet another college dropout, who left to begin a career as a standup comedienne. Actresses who managed to get all the way through high school, but no further, include Julia Roberts, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jennifer Anniston. Cher, a singer and actress, is a high school dropout.
Barbara Streisand, a leading contributor and self-appointed consultant to the Democrat Party, completed high school. Her profession is singing and acting.
These people who make their living pretending to be someone else have been on the forefront of vocal opposition to the war and to the President. They are the geniuses who think they know how to run this nation and deal with others.
Compare their credentials with President George W. Bush and his advisors. The Presi- dent holds a Bachelors degree from Yale University and a Masters in Business Adminis- tration from Harvard Business School. He served as Governor of Texas for two terms. His Vice-President, Richard B. Cheney, earned a Bachelor's degree in 1965 and a Masters in 1966, both in the field of political science. He served in the U.S. House of Representa- tives, as Chief of Staff under President Gerald R. Ford, and as Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush. Both have experience in the private sector as well.
The Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell, has a Bachelor's degree from the City College of New York and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army when he graduated in 1958. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University. His rise through the ranks to the highest as leader of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was based on pure merit. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfield is a graduate of Princeton University, served as an aviator in the U.S. Navy, and has a long record of holding public office with distinction. Tom Ridge, the new Secretary of Homeland Security, earned a scholarship to Harvard, where he graduated with honors in 1967. He served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army, earning a Bronze Star for valor. After the war, he earned a law degree, and later was first elected to Congress in 1982, winning six elections after that. He would become Governor of Pennsylvania.
Condoleezza Rice, the President's National Security advisor, has an academic record that is so spectacular as to be intimidating. She earned her Bachelor's degree in political science, Cum Laude, from the University of Denver in 1974, followed by a Master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975, and a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Inter- national Studies at the University of Denver. While teaching at Stanford University, she was tapped to become its Chancellor. If I gave you the rest of her accomplishments, this commentary would become a book.
Now, given this comparison, who would you prefer, a bunch of high school and college dropouts, or people who have devoted their lives to public service?
More on American Government & the U.S. Presidency
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, Communications Director of the
American Policy Center, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a clearinghouse for information about media-driven
scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly column, "Warning Signs," posted on the Internet website of the National Anxiety
Center (www.anxietycenter.com). He is the author of A POCKET GUIDE TO MILITANT ISLAM and THE UNITED
NATIONS VS. THE UNITED STATES, both available from the National Anxiety Center, 9 Brookside Road, Maplewood,
New Jersey, 07040.
Copyright 2003 Alan Caruba
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity